Purdon Racing plays its part in the World Driving Championships at Addington tonight with LOOK TO DA STARS and RIVER both making appeal at Addington.While tomorrow everywhere man Mark can be found saddling up BUSTER SHAW in the first of the Cup meeting at Riccarton Park.
That Look to Da Stars is at $6 suggests this is not the strongest field he has met and while something of a heartbreaker there may be a secret weapon at work here.
His name is KERRY ESTREICH and for at least 25 years he has been a mainstay in the stable success with his expert blacksmithing. He has travelled far and wide for the stable in search of the best prizes and there are not many his charges have missed.
Kerry Estreich Maestro of the Racing Plate
Names like I Can Doosit and Oscar Bonavena among the trotting stars of the stable owed a lot to his expertise and Mark and Nathan have always been the biggest fans of his skills.
Can he work the oracle with the gait- break prone Look To Da Stars ?
Nathan has hinted it could be the answer
“It’s always good to get Kerry’s opinion and he has been working on Look To Da Stars down here” said Nathan before the horse’s projected return to racing.He is doing it right at home at least”
Lack of racing could be against the trotter who was good enough to run fourth in the NZ Trotting Derby this time last year. He has not raced in a month but has done plenty and as the song goes “tonight’s the night”.
River is favourite in her two year old heat and with the ace gate and James McDonald (no,not that one) in the cart she is due some reward. She has the pace to use the gate and a win is no surprise.
Mark would appear to have a royal chance of producing an Ellerslie-Riccarton training double with Buster Shaw who is at $10 over his favourite 1600 trip. The rating of the race at 61 has eliminated some stronger chances he would normally meet in an R65 event and he can only improve on his first up run.
Mark was pleased with the grey going into that and he has done well since,going into Rangiora for fast work when required. This week he has been happy working off the lead with the standarbreds
The fresh run was a bit of a nightmare being trapped three wide in the open throughout at Riccarton and is best forgotten in assessing this race. He won his maiden at Ellerslie 2nd up at this trip.
The problem is the gate and how Jasmine Fawcett,who returns to the saddle tomorrow, can ease him into the field from a wide draw. Everything else being equal he should be a major factor in the race.
Mark will not be there to witness the race instead taking AKUTA and OSCAR BONAVENA to the beach for light exercise. Akuta pleased Mark at Kaikoura had “a wee blow” afterward and worked up well on Friday.
PANTANI has joined Purdon Racing in Auckland.Co-bred and raced by Ross Paynter of Lemond etc fame who moved to Sweden last year,Pantani has not had strong recent form but showed a lot of promise early in his career and gave Ross his 100th winner as a trainer when a three year old.