By Michael Guerin
If you are considering a Mark Multi at Alexandra Park tonight tread cautiously.
Because while champion trainer Mark Purdon will provide favourites in up to five of the races on the premier night, he has reservation about two of his biggest names.
Purdon is looking after the domestic team tonight before heading to Victoria tomorrow morning to partner favourite Spankem in the Inter Dominion Pacing Final, where he has been prepared by partner Natalie Rasmussen, who will drive Cruz Bromac in the same race.
There will be plenty of punters willing to multi up all sorts of All Stars-trained runners over the weekend but Purdon says any time he brings a horse to Alexandra Park for the first time there is an element of the unknown.
And that applies to both Ultimate Sniper in the $50,000 Alabar Classic and Turn It Up in the $50,000 Lincoln Farms Franklin Cup.
Ultimate Sniper was stunningly good winning the Sires’ Stakes Final at Addington last month and will have Tony Helihy sitting in for Rasmussen tonight but the $1.35 might be a little short.
“We all know how good he is but he has never raced right-handed and he hasn’t been 100 per cent comfortable yet when working that way,” says Purdon.
“He should be better on the bigger track at Alexandra Park but I wouldn’t be saying he will just win because he has to overcome that hurdle first.” Turn It Up is one of the more exciting pacers in the country and it took Interdom star Cruz Bromac to beat him in the NZ Free-For-All last start but has hasn’t raced for four weeks and also hasn’t been right-handed.
“We have four good chances in that race and while he might be the best of them I can separate them with any confidence, again because he hasn’t raced right-handed.
“So a horse like Ashley Locaz could be hard to beat, he had to be very good to win like he did here last week.”
Purdon’s confidence levels boost to closer to 100 per cent when discussing Dream About Me in the Queen Of Hearts and Princess Tiffany in the Ladyship Stakes.
The latter lost her unbeaten record when third in a similar field last Friday but is better drawn and with natural improvement should win, although Wainui Creek is an exciting rival.
Dream About Me held off stablemate Elle Mac in their lead-up race last Friday and a similar racing pattern and result looks likely in tonight’s group one, especially with main rival Utmost Delight drawn wider than the favoured pair.
Purdon and his army of punting followers won’t just have eyes for Alexandra Park, with Ultimate Machete returning to mobile racing at Addington tonight too, where A G’s White Socks and Alta Maestro will test any chinks in his armour.
Back at Alexandra Park, Marcoola has the draw and the gate speed to dominate the $50,000 Lyell Creek Trot and he would only need to turn up in his Dominion winning form of a month ago to make the $1.90 quote looks luxurious.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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