By Chris Barsby
The 2015 Queensland winter carnival has been another success for the all-conquering All Stars stables.
The juggernaut which is steered by Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen, added another Group One feature to their unbelievable tally this season following the success of star filly Fight For Glory in last week’s Queensland Oaks.
That victory took their seasonal tally to twenty-four.
Yes, that’s right – 24 Group One winners this season!
And there’s every possibility they can extend on that figure with the third and final night of the Albion Park carnival set to be staged this weekend while the Australasian Breeders Crown comes up next month in Melbourne.
On Saturday night, the All Stars are represented by open class star Smolda in the $125,000 Blacks A Fake while Hug The Wind and Fight For Glory are both starting in the $150,000 Queensland Derby.
Both events will be staged over the staying distance of 2680m.
“Most definitely we’re happy with how the team has performed in Brisbane during this carnival, but we’re thrilled with how the stable has performed overall this season. It all started back in November with Cup week and it’s just kept rolling along, we’ve got Saturday night and the Breeders Crown to go but hopefully things remain on track for us and then we can sit down and look closely at what the stable has achieved.” Rasmussen said.
For the first time during the Brisbane carnival, both Purdon and Rasmussen will be driving this weekend at Albion Park, the draws for their starters are unkind leaving little room for error.
Smolda has drawn awkwardly and will start from gate eight, the inside of the second-line while Hug The Wind starts from gate five and Fight For Glory landed gate eleven.
Respective race favourites Philadelphia Man (gate 5) and Menin Gate (gate 2) have drawn ideally and look likely of finding the lead.
“It’s probably the worst draw for Smolda; the barrier draw for this race was always going to play a major role in the outcome and it makes it very difficult for him now. The bonus for him will be the distance, he’s a good stayer and he’s trained on well since his run in the Sunshine Sprint two weeks ago so we just need luck.
“The fact that Fight For Glory has come through the Oaks so well and she’s not eligible for the Breeders Crown made the decision to back her up this week quite easy, so we’re happy to give her a chance against the boys. We got a good run last week and her speed will be a big asset in the Derby, it’s never easy for a filly to beat a colt but I think this filly will give them a shake.
“I’ve been disappointed with Hug The Wind in his last two starts, maybe the long season is now starting to catch up with him but we’ve changed things around with him this week. He’s a big and burly colt so we’ve cut back his feed and increased his workload so hopefully he’ll be a sharper horse this week; he’s off to the paddock on Monday.”
The stable also have recent Premiers Cup winner Gentle Western engaged on Saturday night, he lines up in the Gr.2 $50,000 4yo Championship and must overcome a tricky second-line draw.
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