Premium Player poised for unique West Coast clean sweep

Premium Player has found himself with a rare opportunity after yesterday’s win in the Total Gas Care Durban Chief Westport Trotters Cup.

The Father Patrick five-year-old has the chance to go back-to-back-to-back in consecutive years on the coast circuit.

“I’m not sure that’s ever been done,” said Woodend Beach trainer Gavin Smith.

Premium Player completed the clean sweep with two wins at Westport and then at Reefton in 2024. This year he’s already repeated those successes at Westport on Boxing Day and again yesterday.

In the final leg of the three-peat he will start off 30 metres at Reefton tomorrow in the Endura Mining/Snowy River Gold Mining Cup.

While Smith has been enjoying family time in Invercargill, Premium Player has been watched over by trainer Matt Purvis and John Dunn has been driving him.

“They’ve done a great job looking after him while I’ve been away.”

Premium Player showed his speed on the first day at Patterson Park to beat Rachmaninov, while the same quinella eventuated yesterday.

Premium Player began well from his 20 metre handicap to settle midfield. Dunn and Premium Player worked off the fence, moving to the one out, three back position from the 1100m mark before pouncing on Rachmaninov short of the line to win by three-quarters of a length.

“He’s got a cyst in his hock – so he does a lot of his work in the pool and some fast work on the lead,” explained Smith.

“He thrives on the grass and sand tracks, though we can’t work him how we’d like to work him.”

Because of this, Premium Player simply cannot handle metropolitan racing when he finds himself high up in the grades.

“He may be retired because we can’t be racing at Addington. If he wins and gets up to rating 70, then there’s nothing that will suit him,” says Smith, “I learnt that the hard way this year with him after he won all three on the coast last year and got high up in the grades.”

Premium Player is bred and raced by Edward (Ted) Edwards. He is out of Princess Anastasia, a full-sister to Maria Tsarina who is the mother of the Nathan Williamson-trained Duchess Maria, who has currently won four from four.

To see the field at Reefton on Tuesday click here

by Mike Love, for Harness Racing New Zealand