By Michael Guerin
Champion trainer Mark Purdon has admitted this year’s Inter Dominion is proving tougher for Lazarus than he ever imagined.
And that has dented his confidence the stable can defend the title Smolda won last season.
Lazarus suffered his second defeat of the series when a brave second to Tiger Tara in a track record heat at Bunbury late on Tuesday night, the first time in his career Lazarus has been beaten in successive races.
“I am happy enough with his performances, especially on Tuesday, but it is very, very hard sitting parked on these tight tracks,” says Purdon.
“When you have good horses like Soho Tribeca and Tiger Tara running those sort of times against the markers and you have to come wide you lose so much ground.
“So hopefully we can draw well in the final (draw on Sunday) and try and stay in front of them.”
Purdon admits he is less confident of winning the series than he was a week ago, not just because of Lazarus’s defeats but because of the enormous advantage leaders have on the smaller West Australia tracks.
“That doesn’t help and either does the fact the series was a week closer to New Zealand Cup week than it was last year.
“But I am happy with how Laz is going and now we start getting out to the longer trips I think it will suit him better.”
Lazarus has copped his third bad draw of series in the last heat tomorrow night (2am NZ time Saturday morning) but is in by far the weakest heat of the night away from the other four favourites for the series.
So he will still be expected to dominate the race and with the suitable 2536m distance anything but a win will be a disappointment.
“It looks a good race for him and hopefully he doesn’t have a hard run because he has had two back to back, whereas horses like Soho Tribeca and Chicago Bull have both had an easy series so far.
Tomorrow night’s heats see Soho Tribeca facing his hardest trip of the series after drawing barrier nine but if he can overcome that to beat San Carlo and Lennytheshark he could well replace Lazarus as the pre-draw favourite for the final.
Lennytheshark was the shock failure on Tuesday night, fading to third after leading easily and while driver Chris Alford wasn’t fazed, bookmakers have drifted him out to $10 to win the final.
Chicago Bull (1) meets Tiger Tara (6) in the other heat tomorrow night and whether the tiny Perth pacer chooses to stay in front or take a trail behind Tiger Tara will be an interesting pointer his tactics in tomorrow week’s final.
Purdon mare Piccadilly Princess is in a winnable mares race tomorrow while four-year-old Ultimate Machete skips tomorrow’s meeting to prepare for the A$200,000 Golden Nugget next week.
Meanwhile, Alexandra Park hold rare back to back meetings tonight and tomorrow night to accommodate their huge pre-Christmas bookings.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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