An apparent anomaly in the programmes leading to the Met’s new Slot Races on Showday has Nathan Purdon considering going into the $500,000 feature fresh up from Friday’s Flying Stakes with CHASE A DREAM.
“From our point of view its a bit of a cockup really to be honest. The only races available to him as leadups are the standing start races against the Cup horses. He is not yet confident enough from the stand to take those on but there are no age group races he is eligible for that are suitable. So at the moment we are of a mind to go into the Slot Race fresh with Chase a Dream.That’s not ideal even though he did win first up he other night.
We actually have the same problem with Vessem. The conditions of the Ashburton race he would have previously qualified for have been changed and beside barring Group One winners it now bars winners of over $100,000 which takes Vessem out.Previously it was winning a $100,000 race under which he would have qualified..So I am not sure where to go with him at this stage”
In what was an all round satisfying night for Nathan Mark and Blair -not to mention Michael-and the Purdon Racing team,Chase a Dream provided the highlight with a dashing win in the Flying Stakes to bring up 10 wins in 15 starts -all the more impressive because he was fresh up against several more seasoned runners. He has only once been further back than 4th.
Blair drove a canny race early drifting off the early pace before swooping on the leaders and taking control of the race. When many might have expected a first upper to start feeling the pinch in the run home “Chase” just kept on coming and won in the end with something in hand. A 55.9 last 800 was icing on the cake with the major events coming up in the next few weeks. Nathan was pleased though not surprised.
“I thought he was in the right place to do something like that ” said Nathan who had been confident midweek on the outcome.
Chase a Dream,bred by Studholme Bloodstock principal Brian West in partnership and raced by the group, is the 15th winner of the feature for Mark and partners and while it hasn’t always been a Group 1 race Friday’s event was right up to the mark with plenty of action to match the class of his rivals.
After Il Vicolo won under the Barry and Roy Purdon banner in 1995, Mark trained Sharp and Telford to win the folloiwng year in his record breaking first season training. After setting up in Canterbury in 2000 the strike rate increased quickly chiefly in partnership with Grant Payne.
Auckland Reactor in 2008 was the first leg of a hattrick of winners,Sleepy Tripp and Kotare Mach featuring next,while the mighty Smolda added to the tally in 2012 and Isaiah in 2014, the first season with Natalie in partnership.Both the latter were owned Phil and Glenys Kennard syndicates who have won the race four times.
Then followed a remarkable five year streak of successes with Have Faith In Me, Lazarus, Ultimate Machete, the Bill Feiss-raced Sicario; and Bill and Jean- owned 2019 winner Jesse Duke.Now the stable has another hattrick with Akuta (with Hayden Cullen) and Nathan joining in with Don’t Stop Dreaming last year.
It would be an even more amazing record except that multiple successes in so many other Group ones of that era tend to dull the senses.
DON’T STOP DREAMING came through his Friday run in top condition and so did OSCAR BONAVENA and both will go to Ashburton.”Don’t Stop Dreaming in in a nice place at the moment and we hope it can stay like that. Oscar should be hard to beat at Ashburton on how he is going”
The doubt surrounding Leap to Fame coming to Addington is a blow for Cup promotions but has put a spring int he steip of local trainers of Cup prospects,and with his half-brother,Saturday’s Victoria Cup winner Swayzee ,not a contender either the “home” team look set to dominate.
PIC: Don’t Stop Dreaming-Cup chances will be lifted by Australian no shows