<\/p>\n

The Mark Purdon showed rolled-on as expected at today\u2019s huge Breeders Challenge day at Menangle\u2019s Tabcorp Park. <\/p>\n

Purdon and partner Natalie Rasmussen lined-up four starters across four different Group 1 finals and finished three wins and a fourth. <\/p>\n

The wins came with hot favourites Our Waikiki Beach in the 2YO colts and geldings final and Supersonic Miss in the 3YO fillies\u2019 final. <\/p>\n

Purdon then completed the treble when Kept Under Wraps defied a huge betting drift – $1.60 out to $2.70 \u2013 to scrape home in the 3YO colts and geldings final. <\/p>\n

As many great performances as there were on the day, Our Waikiki Beach was the star of the show with yet another win \u2013 his ninth from as many starts. <\/p>\n

In contrast to his recent wins where the colt has led and dictated, this time he really had to earn it by sitting parked throughout and still winning strongly in 1min53.7sec mile. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe race caught me by surprise a bit when Mike (Formosa, driving Shadow Runner) came out under me, took the lead and wanted to hold it,\u201d Purdon said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt took a big effort from my horse to win and he up to it. He still felt really strong on the line. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he left NZ he was behind Lazarus and a couple of my other two-year-olds, but he\u2019s thrived over here and he\u2019s now as good as any of them.\u201d <\/p>\n

Our Waikiki Beach\u2019s next target is a trip to Melbourne for the Breeders Crown. <\/p>\n

His nine wins have so far netted a staggering $319,881 in stakemoney. <\/p>\n

Supersonic Miss made the most of a lovely run in the one-one trail and ripped home in 56.1 and 27.1sec to win her final by 5.7m over a gallant Ameretto, who ran a fantastic second after making an early break. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a lovely filly, who had a great run and won as I expected her too,\u201d Purdon said. <\/p>\n

It was much harder work for Kept Under Wraps, who had to pull-out everything despite a fairly easy run in front to win the 3Y) colts and geldings final. <\/p>\n

Main danger Mouse In The House worked to the front early, then took a trail on Kept Under Wraps, who \u201cpinched\u201d a 32sec opening quarter of the last mile. <\/p>\n

Outsider Pompidou emerged from the one-one on the home bend and really put it to Kept Under Wraps in the home straight, but Purdon\u2019s colt just did enough to win by a half-head in a 1min57.4sec mile rate for 2400m. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe did what he had to. It was a neck-and-neck battle with Pompidou in the last 150m and could\u2019ve gone either way, but my horse kept finding something,\u201d Purdon said. <\/p>\n

Purdon said his focus now moved to Victoria for the Breeders Crown where he\u2019ll have six to eight key runners across the divisions. <\/p>\n

Pompidou\u2019s narrow defeat denied trainer Kerry Ann Turner her first Group 1 winner, but she only had to wait an hour to address that. <\/p>\n

New stable addition Lettucerockthem, an Australian Gold-winning juvenile, added to his CV with a dominant win in the 4YO entires and geldings final. <\/p>\n

The son of Art Major, driven by Turner\u2019s partner Robbie Morris, powered home by 15.6m in a very sharp 1min56.5sec mile rate for 2400m.
\nLettucerockthem became the first horse to cleansweep the Breeders Challenge, winning the two, three and four-year-old finals.
\nIn the following race, another Morris, David, joined the Group 1 club with his first winning drive at the highest level.<\/p>\n

Morris teamed with young trainer David Neagoe and honest mare Luda for an all-the-way win in the 4YO mares\u2019 final in a 1min58.5sec mile rate for 2400m. <\/p>\n

IT takes something special to beat the Purdon\/Rasmussen team in Group 1 races these days. <\/p>\n

But two-year-old filly Heavens Trend is \u201ca bit special\u201d, according to her trainer Emma Stewart. <\/p>\n

The daughter of Rock N Roll Heaven made it five wins on end and posted yet another scorching time \u2013 a 1min52.9sec mile \u2013 to win the 2YO fillies\u2019 final by 3.8m. <\/p>\n

Heavens Trend had previously posted a 1min52.1sec mile winning her semi-final of the Breeders Challenge two weeks earlier, but this win was better. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s because the filly had to burn off the gate in a 26.1sec opening quarter when Mark Purdon unleashed his filly, Our Golden Goddess, off the gate in search of the lead. <\/p>\n

\u201cHeavens Trend had the draw so I thought I had to try something. I really dashed my filly out at the start and thought I was just about across Heavens Trend, but Gavin just got enough from her to hold us out,\u201d Purdon said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat obviously changed the race and then when I wasn\u2019t able to drop in (behind the leader), I was really up against it.
\n\u201cI wasn\u2019t at all disappointed by my filly. She stuck on well to finish fourth and will keep on improving.\u201d <\/p>\n

But Heavens Trend was stunning. She appeared to win with a fair bit left in the tank. <\/p>\n

Stewart said she would now chat with connections and recommend a trip to Queensland next month. <\/p>\n

TRAINER Blake Fitzpatrick and leviathan owner Pat Driscoll are becoming a formidable force in trotting ranks.<\/p>\n

While their headline act is open-class star Vincennes, it\u2019s a vast array of young and superbly-bred talent emerging which is molst exciting. <\/p>\n

Fitzpatrick and Driscoll, under his Yabby Dams banner, won both NSW Breeders Challenge trotting finals at Menangle. <\/p>\n

They only had the one runner in the 3YO final and that was enough with filly Justines Amore (Love You-Justine H) winning by 1.3m in a 2min2.9sec mile rate for 2400m. <\/p>\n

With four of the six runners in the 2YO final, they were expected to dominate and did with the quinella \u2013 Parisian Chic (Love You-Xena Hest) beating Hudson Bay in a 2min0.3sec mile. <\/p>\n

 
\nBy Adam Hamilton<\/b><\/p>\n

 
\nDriving the Future of Harness Racing<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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