All Stars’ NZ Trotting Cup artillery adds another gun

Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen’s New Zealand Trotting Cup arsenal is about to stretch to four.

Following a strong workout victory at Ashburton yesterday, former Otago pacer Titan Banner could join his elite stablemates — Lazarus, Have Faith In Me and Smolda — in Friday week’s Canterbury Classic at Addington.

But even if he isn’t seen there he will be at Methven a week after, so he is very much on track for the Cup.

The patiently handled five-yearold held off the strong challenge of last season’s leading two-year-old pacer, More The Better, in his heat yesterday after working to the lead and dominating from the 1000 metre mark — running his last 800m in 56 seconds.

Rasmussen, who drove the gelding, said the run was exactly what was required and that he had “blown up over his back” after the heat suggesting that he will improve with the run.

“He’s such a lovely horse to do anything with, he came to us and you could tell he had been really well trained and looked after.”

A couple of boxes down from Titan Banner, Purdon was smiling just as broadly as Rasmussen after the run of More The Better. “He’s gone great, he’s come back up very well and should be in for a pretty big season.”

It was a big day for the All Stars stable with 13 runners entered.

Sires’ Stakes bound pacers More The Better and Ultimate Machete impressed greatly while there were some new kids on the block to get excited about too.

Major Hippie, a three-year-old by Art Major, showed an explosive turn of foot to win impressively while others to salute the judge were Spondulicks, Smiley Sophie and Boults On Fire.

Later in the day, Zachary Binx readied himself to defend his crown in the DG Jones Banks Peninsula Trotting Cup this weekend with a dour victory over Quite A Moment, Sheemon and Marcoola.

The Ken Ford trained and Amanda Tomlinson driven square gaiter seems his happiest on the grass surface.

Tomlinson’s brother Clint was beaming after the run of Marcoola whom he never pulled off the back of Zachary Binx.

“He felt super, and also felt like he could have come out and really sprinted,” he said.