by Trots Media – Michael Guerin
The best horse champion trainer Mark Purdon takes to tomorrow’s $1.2million Harness Jewels meeting is the one he is the most unsure of.
Because while Purdon and partner Natalie Rasmussen are favoured to win two-thirds of the all-Group 1 programme, it is $1.50 chance Heaven Rocks who he doesn’t know what to expect from.
The giant pacer with the small brain might be the second-best pacer in the country behind Lazarus and routinely gives away huge starts and still smashes quality opponents in races like the Easter Cup.
But tomorrow he faces settling six to 10 lengths off Waikiki Beach, his stablemate with two sub-1:50 mile times to his name in the $150,000 four-year-old Emerald.
And for all his admiration for Heaven Rocks’s motor, Purdon knows that sort of disadvantage could be near impossible to overcome in a sizzling mile.
“We all know how good he is but he could be close to last while I think Waikiki Beach will probably lead,” said Purdon.
“And logic tells you that will be a very hard advantage to overcome, especially if they run hard the whole way.”
Purdon says he hasn’t been put off by a loose workout from Heaven Rocks at Ashburton last Saturday where he paced roughly.
“He still could have won that had I asked him to go and he will improve. But it could be the tricky race of the day.”
Barrier draws have been very kind to Piccadilly Princess, Elle Mac and Spankem from the All Stars stable so Purdon expects them to perform up to their optimum while he rates President Roydon a chance to upset Enghien in race five for the same reason.
“He got very close to him last start and has improved since. I think we can lead and Enghien might have to sit parked so we can test him.”
Sitting parked is where the All Stars flying filly Spanish Armada might find herself in the three-year-old Diamond, with her widish draw suggesting she could take a while to get alongside arch rival Delightful Memphis.
She has dominated the latter most of the season and the fact she sat parked to crush her NZ Oaks opposition last start suggests Spanish Armada can do so again but it may not be a comfortable watch for punters.
“She is very much in the zone and while she didn’t dominate Delightful Memphis and Partyon at trackwork on Monday, she is always a bit like that in her work.
“On raceday she seems to go to another level, especially with Natalie driving her.”
But Purdon saves his most definitive quote of Jewels day for his pic of his four contenders in the last on the card, for the three-year-old pacing boys.
This time last year’s More The Better just held out Ultimate Machete in the two-year-old division but since then the latter has been too strong in races like the Sires’ Stakes Final and Sales Series Pace.
Neither horse has had an ideal lead-up to tomorrow because their high ratings made it hard to find suitable races but Purdon was very pleased with how Ultimate Machete worked in private at Addington on Monday.
“More The Better is very well and as close as he can be to ready Ultimate Machete just has a bigger motor than him these days and he is our clear best chance in that race.”
KING OF THE JEWELS
Mark Purdon’s top three hopes
1: Piccadilly Princess: “The draw is perfect and she will lead and she was very impressive working on Monday.”
2: Ultimate Machete: “He also worked well on Monday and I think his motor is too big for the others.”
3: Spankem: “The draw should see him lead and I could see him pacing 1:51 around Ashburton.”
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