WAT NEXT is ready to debut next week for Mark and Nathan after a smart qualifying effort behind SPECIAL OCCASION at Ashburton midweek.
Wat Next trailed her stablemate but Mark eased out at the corner to give her her shot and she chased strongly to the line in a 1.59 mile rate. She will meet a filly field of her age next week while Special Occasion will contest a Sires Stakes Heat on the same night.
The only live foal by Art Major from her dam,Wat a Woman, Wat next is a half-sister to No Matter Wat the NZ Oaks and Breeder’s Stakes winner of recent vintage for the Purdon stable. Mark bred the 3rd dam,Super Smooth, and Vicki Purdon the following two dams. Wat Next was purchased as a yearling by a syndicate assembled for the occasion headed by Steve Byrne a Steve Thompson and Bruce Irvine,also principals in Millwood Nike, among others.
No Matter Wat was noted for her determination in overcoming an at times uncertain gait but Wat Next is cut from a different cloth.
“Nathan said from the start what a smooth pacer she was so it was a good start” said Steve Byrne of the filly while confirming her plans. Another for the syndicate,Georgie Best, already a winner, is Sires Stakes bound at Alexandra Park next Friday.
Mark couldn’t afford to be casual in Tuesday’s heat after an unfortunate experience in Auckland the previous week.
“She was coming south anyway because she is not eligible for the Caduceus Classic (G1;next Friday also at Alexandra Park) but we had a bit of a disaster last week. There was confusion over which day the trials were to be held up there and then they were cancelled. So she could race next week she came south for a trial and is now ready to go”
Mark was also impressed with Special Occasion driving by John Morrison who was never in danger of defeat.
“He is going along well”
The stable had IMON down to debut in Cambridge on Thursday. at odds on. She is a daughter of Rozelski who raced out of the Purdon stable as a youngster when part- owned by Mick Guerin. She reached a good level on the track and Imon is a half-brother by Vincent to the highly- performed age group performer Cosmic Major.
On Friday the stable produces two solid betting propositions in MIDNIGHT MIKI (8.02: $4.60)having his leadup to the Harness 7000 and TREACHEROUS BABY (9pm:$3.20) out for a hat trick. Both are at attractive odds considering the form. Midnight Miki as Mark has previously said,has improved a level and his odds benefit from the rush to odds-on for Tact Teva and while that is a challenge he is expected to be competitive. Treacherous Baby has a wide draw in a small field like he has but the run matters more to her than the draw and she has really hit her straps in recent weeks.
LOOK TO DE STARS the stable runner at Alexandra Park can be unpredictable and should improve with this run but can never be discounted in a field of this calibre. That leaves AKUTA in the Hannon Memorial on Sunday before Mark returns north for next week as Nathan heads south.
Akuta himself is on of the past four winners for the stable in the Oamaru feature having won 3 years ago. There is little doubt he will be hard to beat again though Mark prefers to view it as primarily a stepping stone.
“He is going to improve again. He had quite a hard run last week especially down the back with a fast quarter, and he blew out which was no surprise. He has taken another step, came through the race well and has thrived since so I think he can go a big race-with some more improvement to come”
PIC: No Matter Wat gaining her second G1 for Olivia Thornley and Purdon /Cullen Racing