Purdon key to Spankem breaking age hoodoo
HISTORY is stacked against Inter Dominion favourite Spankem.
And the same can be said for another key player, Im Pats Delight, headed into tonight’s $500,000 Inter Dominion pacing final at Melton in Victoria.
It is almost 28 years since a four-year-old won an Inter Dominion final run in the traditional format.
Both Spankem and Im Pats Delight are four-year-olds.
It was Auckland back in 1991 when Mark Hanover led home a trifecta for four-yearolds. Stablemate Christopher Vance was second and the luckless Franco Ice was third.
Maybe champion New Zealand horseman Mark Purdon is the key? He drove Mark Hanover and takes the reins on Spankem.
Some will point out Shakamaker was four when he won the 2000 final at Moonee Valley but that was a radical format and didn’t require him to contest three rounds of heats before the final.
Im Pats Delight has another layer of history against him as well with his driver, champion Victorian Gavin Lang, being winless from 10 tries in the Inter Dominion pacing final.
But the punters seem to have dismissed history with Spankem favourite at $3.30 in Ladbrokes’ market and Im Pats Delight the $5.50 third elect.
Spankem’s stablemate, Cruz Bromac, splits the pair at $3.80, in from $4.80 straight after Monday’s barrier draw where he landed gate nine on the back row.
Purdon thinks Spankem is the sort of horse who can defy history.
“Lots of young horses might struggle with the four runs in two weeks but not Spankem,” he said.
“In fact, that’s why we decided fairly late to send him across.”