Stunning burst of speed clinches Group One

Jaws dropped at Alexandra Park on Friday night (Sep. 23) when Millwood Nike (Captaintreacherous) produced a stunning burst of speed to clinch her maiden Group One title.

The Mark Purdon and Hayden Cullen-trained two-year-old took harness racing fans on a wild ride in her spectacular victory in the Group One $113,000 Woodlands Stud Caduceus Club Classic (2200m).

Offered by breeder-vendor Katie Carville’s Millwood Farm, Millwood Nike was purchased by Purdon and Cullen for $75,000 under their All Stars Racing banner at the 2021 Christchurch National Yearling Sale.

Unbeaten in four career starts, the latest of Millwood Nike’s wins is certainly the most spectacular.

As late as the 150 metre mark, the filly was several lengths off the leaders but once she balanced up, the NZB Standardbred graduate unleashed an explosive burst that had to be seen to be believed.

Millwood Nike only had herself to blame when getting unbalanced on the final bend when Purdon was following rival driver Zachary Butcher.

But thankfully the filly’s class shone through in outstanding style.

“It was a good effort,” Purdon said.

“She really didn’t handle that last corner well and I lost Zac’s back by probably about a length but when she straightened she really sprinted hard.”

MILLWOOD NIKE REPLAY

Like most of the Purdon-Cullen barn’s stable full of stars, including Akuta (Bettor’s Delight), Don’t Stop Dreaming (Bettor’s Delight) and True Fantasy (Bettor’s Delight), Millwood Nike is an NZB Standardbred graduate.

Purdon knows the vital importance of sourcing his stock from NZB Standardbred’s National Yearling Sale.

“We select some of our better horses from the Sale and we have selected well over the years,”

Millwood Nike will now be aimed at the lucrative $150,000 Listed Harness Million Two-Year-Old Fillies Pace (1980m).

The filly is set to start favourite for the event, scheduled to be held at Addington on October 14, which is expected to attract an outstanding class of fillies.

As well as adding a vital Group One victory to her own record, Millwood Nike enhanced the pedigree page of her dam Albuquerque (Bettor’s Delight).

The mare was recently sold for the record price of $63,000 on NZB Standardbred’s online subsidiary, standardbred.gavelhouse.com.

Now a Group One-winning producer with two starters for two winners, Albuquerque was purchased by leading stud Alabar NZ and Victorian-based breeder Harvey Kaplan.

From NZB Standardbred