Rubira looks to have stolen a march on his key rivals landing the ace gate in the Group 3 Redcliffe Derby (9.46) on Saturday but top trainers leave nothing to chance. "Its the ideal track to have...

  THE STARS BEFORE THE DAWN  Pic. Childe Harold the celebrated  19th century racehorse and stallion (1500 words) Even harness historians use  the opening of Addington as the main starting point...

The best news for Nathan at the weekend was not necessarily Saturday night when he and Aaron Sanderson hit a hundred with both OSCAR BONAVENA and RUBINA   (pictured in work at Addington) scoring...

Nathan was more then happy when RUBIRA and OSCAR BONAVENA both completed their training tasks yesterday as they begin their Australian winter campaigns at Albion Park on Saturday. 'They have...

Long time Purdon stable assistant, Brooke Wilkins,has three competitive drives at Alexandra Park in only her second outing on the track on racenight -but in her typically realistic way she is not...

The best news Mark had this week didn't happen at  the Pukekohe trials on Tuesday. It came from a phone call he made on Wednbesday  to check on how Akuta had come through his long awaited return to...

It might seem slightly odd that Brooke Wilkins will make her debut as a junior driver in New Zealand at Alexandra Park on Friday-more than  eight years after her first winning drive in Sydney. Among...

Unbeaten three year old Rubira could pencil in a booking to Queensland for the winter Inter Dominion carnival if he is as forward at the trials next week as Nathan expects. A winter campaign for...

In some ways the forgotten star of standardbred racing,Akuta, is preparing to trial next week at Pukehohe. Racing plans however, are much further  in the future. Akuta has been based at Matamata...

It is a lower key week for the Purdon stable after last week's highlights (and lowlights) and with the Rolleston stable now at an end and the gradual transfer to Auckland, Nathan is looking to his...

PIC:MARK'S MASTERPIECE   As the Purdon era ends at Rolleston with Hayden and Amanda Cullen taking over until the most successful training base in South Island harness history  bows finally to...

There have been many magical moments for Mark in his close to 3000 wins as a harness trainer but not many more memorable than posting his first with a thoroughbred in Auckland on Saturday-at his...