Rasmussen takes command
Purdon will get driving instructions from a new boss at Ballarat on Saturday night
Champion trainer Mark Purdon is transferring six of his superstar horses out of respect for partner Natalie Rasmussen. The pair, a couple away from racing, train in partnership in New Zealand but with partnerships not allowed in Australian harness racing, Purdon has been forced to campaign horses in Victoria and New South Wales this season with his name as the sole trainer.
With the serious end of the rich Breeders Crown series beginning at Ballarat on Saturday night, Purdon says the six All Stars stables reps will race in Rasmussen’s name for the carnival.
“I would really prefer them to race in both our names, like they do back home, and asked if we could do that but we weren’t allowed,” Purdon told the Herald.
“So they will all race in Natalie’s name. She does so much of the work that I want to her to have an official role in their campaigns.”
In a reversal of their huge Inter Dominion day at Menangle in March, when Adore Me and Fight For Glory won group ones races, Purdon will drive the team during the Breeders Crown Carnival.
At Menangle, they raced in his name as trainer but Rasmussen did the driving.
So it will officially be Rasmussen who unleashes the big names on the A$1.5 million series headlined by unbeaten juvenile pacers Dream About Me and Our Waikiki Beach, who will be making their Victorian debuts this Saturday.
They will be joined by Follow The Stars, Linda Lovegrace and Our Classical Art, while star juvenile trotter High Gait goes straight into her final at Melton on August 30.
Purdon has struggled to find suitable lead-up races for some of the stable, as the All Stars blue colours have been so dominant in Australia that local trainers steer away from them in lesser races when they can.
“I wanted to start Follow The Stars and Dream About Me at Melton last Friday night but their races didn’t get off the ground, which didn’t surprise me to be honest,” admits Purdon.
“But we worked them privately at good speed on the weekend and I am very happy with where they are at.
“A few of them were a bit off about 10 days ago after they travelled from NSW to Victoria; the colder weather just seemed to affect them.
“But they have bounced back and I couldn’t be happier with them now, they are all spot on.”
The stable has the favourite in four divisions of the Breeders Crown, most importantly in the two richest events, for juvenile pacers.
They will be joined at the Crown by potentially four other New Zealand-trained favourites, suggesting we could have six favourites in the group one races come August 30.
Both The Orange Agent and trotter Speeding Spur warmed up for the Crown with wins on Friday night, The Orange Agent setting another national record at Alexandra Park.
She claimed the mares’ all-aged 1700m mobile mark with a breathtaking come-from-last win and reverts to being a 3-year-old again this Saturday.
Speeding Spur beat smart older trotters at Melton on Friday and should be a $1.30 chance to win his division.
The other Kiwi-trained favourite could be 2-year-old trotter Conon Bridge, who benefits from the young trotters’ series being split by sex, with the juvenile fillies actually looking stronger than the colts.
He races at Kilmore tomorrow in his final lead-up.
The draws for Saturday night’s pacing semifinals are today.
Meanwhile, two former Hunter Cup winners clash at the Ashburton trials today, with Christen Me taking on forgotten pacer Choise Achiever in the 2400m stand.
The trial is Christen Me’s second run back this campaign as he aims at a September 4 comeback to the races.