Purdon realistic about mare’s prospects
CHAMPION trainer Mark Purdon is as blunt as possible in assessing Dream About Me’s chances when New Zealand’s best pacing mare returns to Addington tonight.
‘‘She will desperately need the run,’’ says Purdon matteroffactly.
While Dream About Me is by far the bestperformed horse in the National Handicap, Purdon doubts the former Auckland Cup winner will beat stablemate Thefixer, let alone win the race.
Dream About Me has not raced since a luckless New Zealand Cup week last November. Hoof issues curtailing a season in which she earlier pushed Lazarus to a halfneck in the Flying Stakes at Ashburton.
The now 6yrold millionairess has had four trials to prepare her for tonight’s comeback, but most have been quiet affairs and Purdon is adamant she will need the run.
‘‘We have brought quite a few of ours up a little later this season and she is a big mare anyway, so I’d be happy to see her running on,’’ he says.
‘‘I would be pretty confident Thefixer would be too forward for her.’’
Punters might still be tempted by each way odds for Dream About Me, as she comes in well at the handicaps and Purdon’s often cautious approach to his fresh runners have proven wrong before.
But the reality is he will be happy to see driver Tim Williams relax Dream About Me and let her run on, so for all her class, even her biggest fans might be better off watching rather than punting tonight.
Thefixer is also fresh up from two wins at Cup week last November, but is a more streamlined pacer and therefore forward enough to win.
But he is by no means a good thing, as the Robert Dunn stable have two reps who have looked more advanced than the PurdonRasmussen pair at recent public outings.
Let spend a ni te to get ha beat Alta Orlando, who has been scratched from tonight’s race, and another stablemate, Cap tain Dolmio, at the most recent Rangiora workout that all of tonight’s big players lined up in.
A lot will depend on the tempo of the race and who gets the best run in what could be a game of cat and mouse, but victory for Let spend anitetogetha or Captain Dolmio would not surprise.
Purdon will watch the race from Victoria, where he is putting the final touches on his powerful pair for Saturday night’s Breeders Crown finals at Melton.
He is thrilled with unbeaten filly Princess Tiffany before her $A290,000 juvenile pace final, while Another Masterpiece is also spot on heading into the boy’s equivalent, but faces a secondline draw.
‘‘Princess Tiffany has handled the season incredibly well and she is as good if not better than she has been all year. I can’t fault her,’’ says Purdon.
‘‘Another Masterpiece is also good but might have to sit parked, which is a hard way to win.’’
Purdon will also drive trotting filly Show Gait for young Canterbury trainer Regan Todd, and says she worked the best she has this campaign yesterday morning and is the horse to beat in her $A70,000 final.
Kiwi hero Lazarus will head straight to the $C615,000 Canadian Derby on Sunday week (NZ time) after there were only 10 entries, negating the need for heats this weekend.