Purdon Racing with a premium of premiere night chances

Champion New Zealand trainer and driver Mark Purdon, is no stranger to premiere night success and tomorrow night at Alexandra Park, both he and his son Nathan have an abundance of chances across the four major features to further solidify their legendary surname into the annals of harness racing history.

Purdon Racing as the training partnership is now known has yet to snare one of the major prizes across the Auckland autumn carnival, with brother Barry and Scott Phelan having grabbed the lions share with the likes of the Northern Derby, Race By Grins, Delightful Lady Classic and last weeks Noel Taylor Mile.

Mark who has been based in Auckland for the better part of April was happy with his team is progressing for tomorrow nights assignments, beginning with High Step (Father Patrick) in the Group Three $40,000 Northern Trotting Oaks.

“She seems good, but she probably hasn’t improved a lot from last year,” said Purdon.

“She is foolproof an has been to Auckland before and raced well there before so no trouble with that way of going, but there would be others preferred I think.

“She comes out of the gate nice enough that she would be able to take a forward spot and she is reasonable place chance,” he said.

While the previous six editions of the Northern Trotting Oaks have been won by some serious shorties in the forms of Tickle Me Pink, it has also thrown up some upsets with the likes of Walkinonsunshine last year and Kissmeimloaded in the inaugural affair.

Last seasons champion juvenile filly, the Phil Williamson trained Empire City (Volstead) is a firm favourite but will have to be good drawn the widest on the gate.

On the back of last weeks incredible spectacle in the G1 Noel Taylor Mile, the now eight-year-old Self Assured (Bettor’s Delight) once again showed he is well within striking range of his younger open class opposition and despite not getting all favours in the run home finished solidly for a close up sixth.

Purdon will once again steer the dual millionaire performer and is crossing his fingers for a bit of luck in the running.

“I think he is pretty well in himself and is juts waiting to get that right run that would suit him and he would be ready to capitalise on it I would say,” said Purdon.

“Better Eclipse has been racing very well and I have been impressed with him. It looks on paper like I might be following him throughout the running with an ounce of luck and hopefully Greg will have him in the right place at the right time and we will be able to take advantage of that, fingers crossed it works out that way,” he said.

The heir apparent with Akuta on the sidelines has been the four-year-old Dont Stop Dreaming (Bettor’s Delight) who was enormous last week in being denied a much deserved Group One victory. The G2 City of Sails Auckland FFA winner from earlier in the season endured a torrid trip over the mile and was gallant in sticking to his guns in the run home.

“I was very proud of his run and a little disappointed he got beat after putting up such a brave effort. He has come through that run very good, he has had a quiet eek really, I haven’t done a lot with him but he seems very well in himself,” said Purdon.

“I think a lot will depend on what happens early and I think if its a soft lead time and Merlin finds the front he will take a lot of beating, we are just hoping that a few of them go head to head and that will play into the hands of the likes of us who are going to need a little bit of luck to overcome difficult draws,” he said.

Purdon has driven an incredible 12 winners of the Cardigan Bay Stakes which for the first time since it’s inception in 1977 will be run at Group One level with $110,000 on offer.

While he wont have a chance to add to his tally in the sulky tomorrow night, he will have an opportunity to add to the 14 training successes in the juvenile feature with the last start winner, Demon Blue (Art Major) a cracking chance.

He turned the tables last week on the leading light of the North Island hopes with Cyclone Jordy having his colours lowered for the first time since his debut fifth. The pair have gone toe to toe over the better part of a month and while Cyclone Jordy has plenty of class and leads the head to head count two to one, Demon Blue looks to be peaking at the perfect time as evidenced by his victory in the final heat.

“Im very happy with him. He was a horse in the beginning who was just good enough to come North with, but nothing special. I think he has improved all the way through this campaign, and even going into this assignment I would say he is just as good in himself and maybe even a little bit better. I’m really rapt with him.

“He’s a little bit weak at this stage and hasn’t got the gate speed yet but is getting better. I would probably think he would be working forward but I imagine he will have to be sitting in the death for a good part of the way,” he said.

Demon Blue is drawn in barrier five for tomorrow nights assignment and despite on paper expected to be receiving the worse of the runs for the favoured pair, finds himself a fixed odds favourite at $2.45.

DEMON BLUE REPLAY

It’s been 13 years since Purdon drove the winner of the National Trot and while many would expect with the presence of the Aussie champion Just Believe that sequence to extend, the Dominion in 2023 showed just what his charge Oscar Bonavena (Majestic Son) is capable of on his day.

Purdon first won the race back in 1994 when driving the wonder mare, Pride Of Petite to victory and while sounding more hopeful then confident, did give an indication that he expected his entire to have derived benefit from his second placing in last weeks Lyell Creek Stakes.

“It looks like we have a chance to run the quinella again, I don’t know whether he will be able to beat Just Believe but I think he is a little better going into tomorrow night than he was last week so he will probably push him a bit harder anyway.

“If it worked out that him and Muscle Mountain were slugging it out and we had the sit on them both, that would be pretty much ideal,” he laughed.

For complete Alexandra Park fields, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink