Parked – no worries

A text from co-trainer Nathan Purdon gave Jonny Cox the driver of Alecto (Bettor’s Delight) the confidence to sit parked in today’s harness racing feature at Addington – the $40,000 Group Three Cobbity Equine ‘Leonard Memorial.’

Most of the pre-race talk was around stablemate Secret Wish and the Dalgety runner Bettor Belle. Both had their chances but Alecto which sat parked for most of the trip was just too good for Secret Wish.

“When you put these colours on you’re always a pretty strong chance. Nat (Purdon) flicked me a message and said she probably doesn’t have a lot of top end speed but she’ll keep trucking. When I was left parked I wasn’t too worried and when I asked her to go she dug in and was too strong,” Cox said.

ALECTO REPLAY

The winning margin was two lengths, with Secret Wish finishing second. The time for the 1980 metres of 2-23.6 was a new race record, surpassing 2022 winner Madam Delight’s 2-24.9.

“She started off very green but she’s come a long way in the last fortnight. I wasn’t surprised with the win. After her first start she just came on leaps and bounds. I wasn’t expecting her to beat her stablemate but she’s certainly tougher. If it came down to a fighting finish Jonny’s one was always going to put the nose in front,” said Nathan who trains in partnership with his father Mark.

Purdon says the $70,000 Group Two Entain Two Year Old Southern Fillies Pace at Winton on the 17th will now be considered.

“Potentially after that she could fly up North for another $70,000 race (Delightful Lady Classic) on the 2nd May.”

Bred and owned by Paul and Michael Kane, Alecto is out of the one win Mach Three mare Time And Tide who’s a half-sister to Aardiebytheseaside, the winner of seventeen including the Group One Westral Mares Classic at Gloucester Park.

Mark Purdon has now won the Leonard Memorial nine times, dating back to Idancedallnight in 2004.

Earlier in the programme Mark and Nathan won with first starter Blacklaz (Lazarus).

BLACKLAZ REPLAY

“He’s a horse that only has to do what he has to do. It’s that Bettor’s Delight – Lazarus side that’s coming through. He’s always been that way. He’s a lovely horse who’s got the all round package. It looked to me just knowing the horse, that the win was a bit easier than the margin suggested. Now we have to work out whether he heads down south for the Diamond Creek ($100,000 Group One Diamond Creek Farm Two Year Old Classic) but he’ll just have to step up a bit more.”

Purdon said stable hand Alison Ward does most of the work with the gelding.

“He doesn’t have a bad bone in his body. Alison has done all the work with him all the way through and she would have got a huge kick out of his win today. He carries a lot of weight, so every run he has he’s going to get better for it.”

Blacklaz was bought at last year’s Yearling Sales for just $25,000 when offered by Malcolm and Sarndra Little.

“He reminded us of Laz (Lazarus). He ticked all the boxes in Sale day on type. We thought he was worth having a crack at at that price.”

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink