Eagle can make flier to join NZ Cup army

TRAINER MARK PURDON is confident Fly Like An Eagle can step cleanly in tomorrow’s Ashburton Flying Stakes and cement his place in the $600,000 Christchurch Casino New Zealand Trotting Cup.

Purdon’s run into the November 13 feature has been punctuated by standing start blues, Auckland Reactor injuring himself when he galloped at Addington, Sleepy Tripp showing no signs of going away, and even Fly Like An Eagle making a mess of it when winning the Methven Cup.

But Purdon’s tip for punters tomorrow, in what is a shadow field for the New Zealand Cup, with 10 leading chances engaged, is to forgive him his laststart blemish.

‘‘He was just feeling a little too well at Methven, playing up, and tried to get off the mark too quickly.

‘‘But he’s a beautifully gaited horse and I’m hoping he will turn into a good standing start horse.’’

In his only other attempt behind the tapes, Fly Like An Eagle began like a rocket at Auckland, leading all the way in June’s Winter Cup.

Purdon admitted he had been surprised by the way Fly Like An Eagle, already ranked 13th for the 15-horse cup field, had improved.

When the horse’s owners called him in Australia, during Fly Like An Eagle’s heroic Breeders’ Crown campaign in August, and floated putting in a cup nomination, he agreed but never dreamed the fouryear-old would step up to the mark in time.

‘‘He kept improving all the time in Melbourne to the point I thought he was up to good intermediate grade, but I wasn’t thinking he’d be up to cup class.

‘‘But he really impressed me at Methven and I’ve got no doubts he can run a strong two miles [3200m]. He couldn’t do mid-race work but, given a nice run, and one crack at them, he’d be right in the firing line.’’

Purdon said while many people might think of Fly Like An Eagle as only a high speed horse – most of his racing has been in sprints – they forget he beat Smolda and Scandalman in the NZ Derby, when the 2600 metres was run in a slick 3:12.3.

‘‘He got the perfect trip in the derby, and only just won it, but if he had the same trip now I’m sure he’d win it by five lengths.’’

‘‘He’s so much stronger now than last year – he’s a real standout to look at.’’

While tomorrow’s run at Ashburton will decide whether Fly Like An Eagle joins Purdon’s blue army in the cup, the country’s top trainer is warming every day to the idea.

Having raced from March through August and only having 10 days off after returning from Australia, Fly Like An Eagle would be the fittest horse at Addington. And with his conditioning comes a real air of arrogance.

‘‘He’s quite aggressive now when he looms up outside another horse – he really wants to put his head in front.’’

But Purdon has not welcomed a fiery streak in new stablemate Sushi Sushi who, after finding the open, pulled himself into the ground last time at Addington, and still finished only two-and-a-half lengths away in fourth for driver Natalie Rasmussen.

‘‘I don’t know what triggered that,’’ Purdon said. ‘‘I’d seen him do it a couple of times in Aussie but he’s been a lovely horse to work at home.

‘‘Natalie felt he would have been hard to beat if he’d relaxed – he went down the back in 27s and a bit and still fought on.’’

Purdon hinted Sushi Sushi would be driven differently tomorrow, kept in behind other runners which include perfectly drawn stablemate Highview Tommy.

Meanwhile, the chances of Purdon’s toprated cup chance, Auckland Reactor, making the starting line are guardedly positive.

The cut and bruising on the coronet of the Reactor’s off-fore foot, which he hurt when galloping away in the Canterbury Classic, are clearing up.

Purdon said the injury was similar to the one which forced Auckland Reactor out of the NZ Cup last year, but not as bad. It had coped well with his work in the last week.

‘‘The worry is whether he will do any damage to it when he has a hard run.’’

That test will come on Thursday and, all going well, Auckland Reactor will line up in the Kaikoura Cup four days later when he will be back on the unruly mark.

‘‘We’ll evaluate what we’re going to do after that. At this stage we’re still 100 per cent focused on getting him to the cup.

‘‘I know a lot of the owners would be happy to keep him for mobiles but we’ll just wait to see how he begins at Kaikoura.’’