NZB graduates poised for Night of Champions

NZB Standardbred graduate Merlin (NZ) (Art Major) will be looking to work his magic once more when he heads to Cambridge Raceway on Friday night to defend his crown in the $1 million The Race By Betcha (2200m).

The five-year-old son of Art Major scored a neck victory against Friday race rival and fellow NZB Standardbred graduate Don’t Stop Dreaming in last year’s edition of the race, and trainers Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan are hoping for a repeat performance.

Merlin won the Gr.2 Waikato Flying Mile (1609m) prior to last year’s triumph, and proved he is in a similar vein of form when runner-up in the same race behind The Race contender Chase A Dream (NZ) at Cambridge Raceway last Friday.

The five-year-old entire has drawn barrier seven for Friday’s $1 million feature, and while not overly enamoured with the draw, his trainers have every belief in driver Zachary Butcher.

“(We will) hand the reins to Zac and say good luck,” Purdon said. “He doesn’t have to bust him out of the gate I don’t think, just tread forward at his own speed.”

The Clevedon horseman is pleased with his charge ahead of Friday, having returned from a two-race Australian campaign last month where he finished runner-up behind The Race rival Don Hugo before finishing sixth in the Gr.2 The Cordina Sprint (1609m).

“He has come through it really well,” Purdon said. “It is a bit of a balancing act, he got sick over there (Australia) and he came back and we just had to freshen him up with this race in-mind, but he has handled it really well.

“He trialled well and raced well last week and got home really well, so we are very happy with him.”

Bred by Todd and Fleur Anderson under their Taffy Limited banner, Merlin was offered through Broadfield Lodge’s NZB Standardbred 2021 National Standardbred Yearling Sale draft at Christchurch where he was purchased by Entain Australia & NZ chief executive Dean Shannon under his Montana Park Pty Ltd banner, whose slot Merlin will represent.

He has gone on to win 21 of his 38 starts, including three at Group One level and earned nearly $1.5 million in prizemoney.

Merlin makes up a formidable line-up on Friday, which Purdon believes is one of the strongest fields seen in New Zealand in the last decade.

“It is probably the best field assembled in the last 10 years, maybe longer,” he said. “I think the two Australian horses, Don Hugo and Leap To Fame, are the benchmark followed closely perhaps by Don’t Stop Dreaming and Merlin.

“You have also got Rakero Rocket and Pinseeker who were very brave the other night after an early burn. It is a wonderful field and we are lucky enough to have two horses good enough to be in there.”

NZB Standardbred graduates make up the majority of the field, with eight representatives in the 11 horse field (including emergency Mo’unga).

NZB Standardbred The Race By Betcha contenders:

From NZB Standardbred