Zacada set for VRC Derby
Classically-bred gelding will bypass New Zealand to contest Australian lead-up events Purdon takes four to the races for winning quadrella
Along-standing friendship with Sir Patrick Hogan is providing two Rotorua thoroughbred enthusiasts with special reason to look forward to spring.
Dairy farmers Andrew Bryant and Dave Armstrong bred and raced the highly-regarded Zacada with the Cambridge Stud principal.
The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained son of Zabeel was an impressive winner at his juvenile debut at Arawa Park earlier this month and he has been set for the Melbourne spring carnival.
The A$1.5 million ($1.67 million) VRC Derby at Flemington on October 31 is the ultimate goal for the rising 3-year-old.
“We’ve had a few horses with Murray and we’re all quite excited about this one,” Bryant said. “He won’t race here again before he goes to Australia.
“We’re mainly a breeding operation and race a few that we can’t sell, which is where Zacada fits in and we’ve been told the racing gods were on our shoulders when he didn’t go.”
Bryant and Armstrong, who operate under the Andari banner, have enjoyed a strong association with Cambridge Stud for many years.
“We started out share milking next to Patrick way back in the ‘70s and he initially helped us with our horse selections,” Bryant said.
Andari are currently breeding from a broodmare band of five, which includes Zacada’s dam Lacada, also the mother of the now Hong Kongbased Waikato Guineas runner-up Giant Turtle.
“We’re hunting around for a stallion for Lacada at the moment,” Bryant said. “She’s in foal to Declaration of War and we’ve got her Mark Purdon may have created a unique piece of harness racing history in Sydney yesterday.
Purdon and training partner Natalie Rasmussen dominated the Breeders Crown heat meeting, winning with all four of their representatives.
The personal quaddie started with Classical Art, who Purdon was concerned could be below her best, coming from the trail to beat former Kiwi-trained Katy Perry in the 3-yearold fillies’ heat.
Harness Jewels winner Dream About Me was never out of second gear, winning at her Australia debut Encosta de Lago filly, who is a rising yearling.” Also in the band is Veronica Franco, a group three winner for them from Roger James’ stable, who lost a Fastnet Rock foal.
While Veronica Franco’s defeat of Katie Lee in the Eulogy Stakes has been their racing highlight so far, in the 2-year-old fillies’ heat, while Follow The Stars easily led throughout in the 3-year-old boys’ heat at Menangle.
Then it was Waikiki Beach who remained unbeaten, stretching his sequence to 10 wins when he paced 54.7 seconds for his last 800m in the juvenile male pace.
All four automatically qualified for the August 22 semifinals of the Breeders Crown with their wins but what Purdon and Rasmussen accomplished might be a first.
While both codes have seen New Zealand trainers pull off successful transtasman raids for decades, there wouldn’t have been many, if any, New Zealand-based trainers who Andari’s major breeding triumph was the New Zealand Oaks success of Keeper’s daughter Midnight Oil.
Cambridge trainer Lee Somervell is edging closer to a pair of milestones.
He is three shy of preparing a century of career winners and one short of equalling his best of 14 in a season, which he achieved last term.
While Somervell, who has always been content with a small team, will have to wait for another day to hit the 100 mark he does have two good chances at Matamata today to match or better his 2013-14 return.
He is confident of a bold showing from Son Of Civics, who has battled injuries in the past, in the Electrico Ltd 1600.
“He’s a big fellow with a lot of ability, but he did a tendon after he ran third at Ellerslie and he was out have lined up just four horses at the one Australian meeting and won with the lot.
Meanwhile, the New Zealand TAB has recognised the interest in the Breeders Crown heats even with their small fields and will accept fixed odds bets on the heat at Cambridge tomorrow night featuring champion filly The Orange Agent.
She hasn’t raced since her national record win at the Jewels and meets only two opponents in the heat, so it was made a non-tote race by the club.
But the TAB will operate a fixed odds market on the race and it will still be shown live on Trackside, mirroring a similar effort from the for two years,” Somervell said.
“I feel he’s a good chance and I’ve got Trudy Thornton on him; he needs a strong rider. He’s a one-pacer and the 1600m on a rain-affected track will suit him.”
Somervell also believes Son Of Civics’ stablemate Fair Fleet can make her presence felt in the NZI 2000 after an improved showing for fourth at her last outing.
“Viktoria Gatu will be riding her and with 3kg off she’ll carry 51kg,” he said. “She’s well off at the weights and I think she’s close to her best form again. She’s won at Matamata before as well.
“She’s a strong mare who gets out of her ground, but she does have a very good finish and the distance won’t worry her at all.” TAB a few years ago when Changeover and Gotta Go Cullen clashed in an ABC heat at Cambridge.
That isn’t the only example of TAB bookies improving their service for harness punters, with a far bigger initiative to be trialled next month.
The TAB will open betting on all Friday night harness meetings at 6pm on Thursdays for August and if the trial goes well it will be extended for two more months with a view to becoming the norm.
That would allow harness punters to multi up their Thursday night bets into Friday’s fixed odds and bring harness racing fixed odds opening times in line with Saturday thoroughbred meetings.