By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk
Amazing Dream may have been backed into $1.40 favouritism for the Gr.1 Nevele R Fillies Series Final Mobile Pace (1980m) at Addington on Tuesday, but she had to call on all of her class to nab her sixth Group One victory.
The Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen-trained mare was three-wide for the majority of the trip behind On A Roll, but was forced to improve four-wide at the 1000m mark when her opponent began to tire.
Pacemaker Need You Now continued to set a solid tempo up front, making Amazing Dream work to find the parked position 600m from home.
Need You Now turned for home with a two-length advantage, however, Amazing Dream showed her willpower to slowly eek into that lead and eventually overcome Need You Now to win by a neck in a new New Zealand record of 2:20.3.
Rasmussen was thrilled with the win and was full of praise for her charge.
“It was never going to be easy from the barrier draw (9) and just the way it panned out with that one that got caught three-wide (On A Roll) in front of me made it even harder when she had to go four-wide around her,” she said.
“But just credit to her, she is just a real little winner. She was tired at the top of the straight but she just really wanted to win.”
It was almost déjà vu for her connections, with Amazing Dream overcoming a similar run to win on Cup Day last year.
“She has just got so many attributes,” Rasmussen said. “She is so quick and so strong. You have just got to love her, she just wants to win.”
Amazing Dream was purchased at the 2018 PGG Wrightson National Yearling Sale for $77,5000 by Victoria-based owner Jean Feiss who was unable to be on course at Addington on Tuesday as a result of COVID-19 enforced travel restrictions.
“Poor Jean will be tearing her hair out over in Melbourne,” Rasmussen quipped.
Rasmussen and Purdon are now turning their attention towards the Gr.1 NZ Pacing Free-For-All (1980m) at Addington on Friday with the daughter of Bettor’s Delight.
“She does seem to bounce back really well, but we will just wait until we get home and see how she pulls up,” Rasmussen said.
“If she is great then I don’t see any reason why we wouldn’t run her on Friday.”
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