Rasmussen fixated by Cup win
Tiger Tara and Australian driver Todd McCarthy looked as though they would spoil the Natalie Rasmussen and Mark Purdon party with a win in the $800,000 New Zealand Trotting Cup, only for Rasmussen and Thefixer to have the last say.
Tiger Tara had mastered the Purdon-Rasmussen horse Dream About Me at the 200m mark in the 3200m staying test, and Thefixer looked to be struggling. But he responded to Rasmussen’s urgings, sneaking up on the fence to win by a head from the gallant former Kiwi, giving Rasmussen her first driving success in the race.
‘‘It was so, so close. That other horse was so brave, he deserved to win as well,’’ Rasmussen told Trackside after the race.
She said Thefixer was ‘‘flat out’’ at the 300m mark trying to keep up with Tiger Tara and Dream About Me. ‘‘The others just came back to him more than him gaining on them.’’
It had been a rocky ride for Rasmussen as Thefixer, who was only having his 16th start, had had his Cup preparation interrupted by a foot abscess.
It was a day of achievements for the Purdon and Rasmussen partnership, a juggernaut in harness racing in New Zealand.
It was the fourth win in five years for them following on from Adore Me (2014) and Lazarus (2016 and 2017). It was Purdon’s sixth win as a trainer, joining Cecil Devine and James Bryce as the most successful trainer Cup history with six wins.
They dominated the Cup card, winning eight of the 12 races.
Rasmussen became the second woman driver to win the Cup, after Australian Kerryn Manning’s win with Arden Rooney in 2015, and having been a dominant force in Australian racing with the mighty pacer Blacks A Fake, she is now top of the New Zealand harness tree.
‘‘New Zealand is home now and this is their pinnacle race. To come here and win this race, it means everything. I could happily retire now.’’
Thefixer is owned by Phil and Glenys Kennard, from Christchurch, Pauline Gillan from Winton, Raymond Fleetwood from Wellington and John Magness from Auckland.
The Kennards are familiar with Cup success as they were also part-owners of the Purdon and Rasmussen superstar Lazarus, so it was their third year in a row as Cup owners. in
‘‘To come here and win this race, it means everything. I could happily retire now.’’ Natalie Rasmussen