Draws favour favourites
Every year there are winners and losers when the Harness Jewels draws are released but nobody was smiling more than Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen on Friday afternoon.
Before Friday’s barrier draws for the nine Group I mile races at Ashburton, the All Stars stable of Purdon and Rasmussen held favouritism in all six pacing events and on the back of a string of good draws, TAB bookmakers will possibly tighten up four of them even further when the markets reopen on Saturday.
The stable has won 10 of the last 18 Jewels races and another domination looks likely on June 3 with four of their runners priced at $1.50 before the draws.
Many of the leading contenders will have a dress rehearsal for the Jewels at Saturday’s Ashburton workouts. The post draw odds will not be available until they are completed.
All Stars runner Piccadilly Princess was a $1.50 chance in the four-year-old Diamond but she is likely to start even shorter now she has drawn barrier one.
Spankem was another All Stars $1.50 shot that should be crunched in even tighter thanks to drawing barrier two in the two-year-old Emerald.
His dominance will be accentuated by main rival Alta Maestro drawing the outside of the second line.
The second stringer of the five All Stars runners in the race, The Devils Own, will start from the outside of the second line. Fivetime Group I winner Spanish Armada was another $1.50 chance but she could drift slightly in the three-year-old Diamond after drawing barrier seven with arch rival Delightful Memphis starting from barrier one.
Partyon and Bonnie Joan will both start from the second line.
Heaven Rocks who was $1.50, was unlikely to shorten in the fouryear-old Emerald market because he was always starting from the unruly. Australian invite and former All Stars runner Mr Mojito will start from barrier two and could be the main danger if Heaven Rocks does not behave. Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen’s other two runners in the race Waikiki Beach and Cash N Flow have drawn barriers six and eight.
Elle Mac, already a two-time Group I winner for Purdon and Rasmussen, has come up with barrier two in the two-year-old Diamond and is likely to shorten from her $2.20 pre-barrier draw quote.
All Stars stablemates Ultimate Machete, Thefixer and More The Better have drawn barriers three, four and five in the three-year-old Emerald. The draw is likely to see pre-barrier favourite Ultimate Machete shorten from his $2 quote.
Enghien, a $1.50 favourite before the draws for the threeyear-old Ruby, will leave the gate from barrier seven in the threeyear-old Ruby but main danger and yet another Purdon and Rasmussen runner President Roydon has drawn barrier two.
The second Australian invite One Muscle Hill has been dealt a cruel blow. Trained by ex-pat Kiwi Nicole Molander, he has drawn the inside of the second line in the twoyear-old Ruby.
Wilma’s Mate has been given a massive leg up by drawing barrier one in the competitive four-yearold Ruby. Dark Horse should be barrier three when the emergency (Trouble Giero) comes out but Marcoola and Temporale have both drawn wide.