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RACING HISTORY

INTERDOMINIONS

BRISBANE - YULESTAR
It had been decades since we had cracked it on Aussie soil but Yulestar did it. He turned around fair form in the heats to smash the Inter-Dominion Grand Final field and the Aussie hearts. After three minor placings in the heats Yulestar was clearly behind the Championship stars of Atitagain, Shakamaker and Courage Under Fire in the betting but Yulestar produced a world record shattering run to break the hoodoo.

FEATURE RACE COMMENT

Young Rufus & City Rogue (inner) at the end of the Derby

2001 SMOKEFREE NZ DERBY

Looking back, David Butt knows he could not have done it better. He gave City Rogue every possible chance to win the $100,000 Smokefree New Zealand Derby, and he ran second. He should have won. And he would have had there not been a man named Mark Purdon in the race.

Butt was visiting Purdon country when he set off to win the Derby at Addington. The history of the race, in which Purdon has been the star player in recent years, might have been far from his mind when he led out and then eased when Purdon and Young Rufus took the lead with 2000m to run. On the corner, when he sent City Rogue into the passing lane, it was still not an issue. "I'd done everything right," he said. And he had.

For the first time in many starts, City Rogue had been given a good draw and a good run. He deserved to win a good race, and he was looking it in the face. It appeared a safe prediction that with a trip like this he would gather in Young Rufus, whose form and well-being had been under scrutiny. There was none of this fear in the City Rogue camp; they had been bullish on his health and form all week. Indeed, for much of the trip to the finish, City Rogue narrowed the gap but not with the resolve and hard crunch that was needed. Butt was to discover very quickly that this was not the Young Rufus of the lead-up a week before. This was not the same performer who had run a meek eigth behind Country Ways and six places back from City Rogue, and whose class was on notice. In a few days, Purdon had turned him into a tiger.

Butt knew before most that the 'Derby Man' was back in town. "I knew some way out that I wasn't getting to him like I should," he said. And neither he did, for Young Rufus won without a strain on the eye in the end, though the margin was just a half-head. Country Ways ran the race of a good horse, third, challenging four-wide on the corner.

The Purdon legacy on the Derby is almost a copyright. He has won the classic with Mark Roy (1993), Il Vicolo (1995), The Court Owl (1996) and Bogan Fella (1997). Mark Roy was by Soky's Atom, and so is Young Rufus, who is owned by the Let's Party Syndicate, a group of six members from Australia and New Zealand. A brother to the Free-For-All pacer Captain Rufus, Young Rufus has always been rated highly by Purdon. He was on fire with some brilliant races at the Cup meeting in November, but did not return well for his racing after a break. "He has always shown a lot of potential. We had him checked out on the Tuesday before the race and soundness-wise he was fine. The next day I got Fred Fletcher to go over him, and he found him to be quite sore at the base of the neck, and also in the muscular area in his hind quarters. He felt good when I worked him on the Friday, and I just felt all week that he was turning the corner," he said.

In spite of wearing a pole, Young Rufus still lost ground on the bends, especially the one near the 1000m on the last lap. When called up for real determination in the straight, Young Rufus was ready for it.

Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRNZ Weekly

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Kym's Girl

2001 CANTERBURY DRAUGHT NZ TROTTING CUP

The day before winning the Canterbury Draught NZ Cup, Colin De Filippi made a comment in the media that he would not be afraid to lead in the race with Kym's Girl.
"It wouldn't worry me if I lead throughout," he said.

This was a surprising declaration about a mare whose trademark has been a late and lethal sprint - one that won her the Hannon Memorial at Oamaru three starts ago, the same one that took her into the money at long odds behind Yulestar and Bogan Fella in last year's Cup. But through a conspiracy of events during the running, Kym's Girl didn't get to see the front until it counted - at the finish. And she was there first - the glory girl bred on the wrong side of the sticks. A daughter of Man Around Town, a siring "cheapie" who has done a wonderful job since making his mark with the Grand Circuit performer, Kiwi John.

It was also a major triumph for Colin and Julie De Filippi, a couple who stoically overcame a tragic treble of family setbacks that included the death of their son Darren and illnesses that affected Colin and their daughter, Mandy. Their middle name may well be modesty, for they have always taken success without fuss or fanfare.

Colin has seen many great drivers go through their careers without driving a NZ Cup winner, and after numerous placings from 18 drives he might even have put himself in amongst them. "I've run three seconds - two with Our Mana and one with Dillon Dean - and a couple of thirds and I think two fourths in the race. I've never driven a favourite, and when I look back I don't think I could have done my drives any better. With Dillon Dean, I thought I'd driven the perfect race, and I'm tipped out by Inky Lord. But when I looked back to see what he had done, he deserved it," he said.

This time, De Filippi had given some thought to leading, but this idea went straight to the cellar when Kym's Girl settled off the pace set by Atitagain but still nicely in the race. "I wasn't happy with a round to go, and I thought this isn't going to plan."

At this stage of the race, Atitagain was still in front. Flight South was still sitting sweetly in the trail, but their were some big moves from the back. Holmes D G, who had been slow and lost 20 metres, was up there, so was Yulestar and Makati Gallahad who had been busy on the front end throughout.

Where was Kym's Girl while all this activity was going on? Well back, in fact in the last four at the 1000m, and tracking a battler up in Cigar. "I wasn't happy, but we got to the quarter and I thought we'd get a bit of it,"said De Filippi. It was more than a bit as Kym's Girl closed on Holmes D G. She tugged the Addington heartstrings as she swept alongside. Pedigree was out for the count as she bombed the big horse and went to the line for a gracious and popular win. The old hands came in next. Homin Hosed, who struggled to regain his form after an injury following his win in the race two years ago, looked sharp as he fought on for second, followed by last year's winner Yulestar whose luck was out after moving up at the 2000m, and Holmes D G.


Credit: Mike Grainger writing in the HR Weekly

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Vicki Purdon with Young Rufus after the FFA

2001 AIR NEW ZEALAND NZ FREE-FOR-ALL

Young Rufus earned a ticket to contest the Miracle Mile in Sydney, but he won't be going. Harness Racing's latest budding star was officially issued with an invitation to the event after his sensational victory in the $100,000 Air New Zealand Free-For-All at Addington on Show Day. But trainer Mark Purdon says at this stage of the pacer's season it was not in his best interests to trek across the Tasman, where four of his six owners live. "He's done a big job this week, winning those two races," Purdon said. "And if we went over there we'd have to keep him up, plus there's all the travelling with a float trip to Auckland and a flight to Sydney. I just thought we are doing the best by the horse to decline to offer."

Young Rufus's elevation to centre stage this season has been sudden but not totally unexpected, although his trainer/driver is slightly surprised. "He has always been a nice horse, but I never expected him to rise to this level so soon," Purdon continued. "The night he finished sixth first-up at Alexandra Park he was supposed to be in a 4-year-old race that never got of the ground, so he ended up racing against his own class and they went 2:42.5 (2200 metres), home in 55. He probably wasn't ready for that. But after he came back from Auckland he went super one day at the trials, beating a couple of nice horses including Kym's Girl, and I thought then that he may have just turned the corner."

To Ashburton on Labour Weekend and Young Rufus scored impressively there, so impressively in fact that Purdon thought he could have almost won the Flying Stakes earlier that afternoon had he got the run that stablemate Bogan Fella did in the event. Purdon kept his feet firmly on the ground though, and come the minor Free-For-All on Cup Day he had some reservations very late in the piece. "When we were walking around at the start I looked at the other horses in the race and thought 'gee, I hope I'm not being too tough on him here'. But he put up a huge preformance that day, and it looked even better when I watched the replay of the race later that night. You just don't see horses do what he did."

Nominated for Show Day's Air New Zealand FFA just so Purdon had the option up his sleeve, Young Rufus showed no ill-effects from his tough Cup Day outing so he started him in it. And what the young pretender did to his older more experienced rivals was simply outstanding.

Having just his 19th raceday appearance, Young Rufus eventually got to the lead, ran them along, and still kept enough gas in the tank to kick with the best of them in the home straight. "In front was the place I wanted to be," Purdon confirmed afterwards. "Kym's Girl was the horse to beat, because the Cup winner generally is in the Free-For-All, and you can count on Colin (De Filippi) to be timing his run to perfection. I looked round turning for home because I thought 'she'll be turning up here very shortly'. But when you run your last quarter in 27.7 in front and on the fence like he did, it makes it hard for the rest,"Purdon said.

Credit: John Robinson writing in NZHR Weekly

FEATURE RACE COMMENT

Take A Moment and Anthony Butt

2001 CLARKE BOYCE LAWYERS DOMINION TROTTING HANDICAP

A lap from home, Tim Butt didn't like it. His runner Take A Moment was halfway through a move around the field; Last Sunset had not spent a lot of gas in front and Mountain Gold looked even fresher in the trail. "I didn't think he had much chance," Butt said. "I could see he was going to have to sit parked over the last thousand metres. Outside two good horses that had done nothing, that probably would've been enough."

Then the unthinkable happened. Last Sunset galloped and came back onto Mountain Gold. Both horses chances were extinguished in the blink of an eye - not to mention others who were up handy but had to take evasive action; out wide and out of trouble, Take A Moment trotted around to the front and then made the race his by reeling off a last half of 57.8 seconds. "I think God had ten each way on Take A Moment tonight," said Butt in his usual jovial manner, still shaking his head at what had unfolded.

All joking aside, it was a magnificent effort by Tim and his brother Anthony to get Take A Moment ready for this big assignment. "A few people had written him off a bit, but I suppose that's understandable after his disappointing run on Show Day," Butt continued. "Still, he was the only one off ten metres tonight and people forget that. His coat was not good at all on Saturday after last week's run, so we just concentrated on keeping him fresh and well within himself. We gave him a bowl around the day before the Dominion and it was only then when I thought he was starting to come back. I still thought it was possibly a week to soon for him though."

Butt said it was a special feeling to win three Dominion Handicaps in a row. Looking through the list of big trotting races that he's won with Lyell Creek and Take A Moment you would almost think that pressure wouldn't play a part, but funnily enough it's the Dominion that has tested Butt the most. "When Lyell Creek won it two years ado he was still on his way up, and he was meeting Mountain Gold for the first time. Then the following season Lyell had been beaten on Show Day after galloping, so the pressure was on to fix that. And this year we were playing catch up with Take A Moment. You can never take these big races for granted," he said.

Amazingly, Take A Moment has won an Inter-Dominion Grand Final and a Dominion Handicap, and has only had 25 starts. "He's still a year away from being able to handle the tough runs against the gun horses week in and week out. He's not thriving on it yet, but he's got the potential to in another twelve months time."


Credit: John Robinson writing in NZHR Weekly

FEATURE RACE COMMENT

Shania Patron winning the Oaks from Sands A Flyin

2001 WAYNE FRANCIS MEMORIAL NZ OAKS

Cran Dalgety stood patiently, waiting for the call. He had just watched the Wayne Francis Memorial NZ Oaks from in front of the public stand and like everyone his eyes were glued to the finish line as Sparks A Flyin and Shania Patron crossed it locked together.

You could tell Dalgety's instinct was worrying him; he knew what the judge's findings were going to be even before they barked across the loud speaker. "Favourites don't have a great record in this event," he muttered, shaking his head as he turned and walked away. He was right. But he wasn't feeling hard done by. Sparks A Flyin had gone to the front starting the last mile, pinged along at a super clip, and in the end done everything but win. Bombed late by a flying Shania Patron, a nose was the difference between Dalgety staying to give a victory speech, or heading back to the stables to un-gear a runner-up.

The man who did step up to the microphone was Shania Patron's driver Ricky May, and quite rightly so too because he and his parents Terry and Pat had looked after the Holmes Hanover filly since her fourth in the Southland Oaks on April 8. Shania Patron's first-up effort from her temporary base a week earlier was much better than the '0' in her formline reflected, and last Friday night her telling late strides were even bigger still and she thoroughly deserved her victory. "You just can't have them right all the time," Terry said shrugging off the suggestion that Shania Patron hadn't been at her best in recent weeks. She's a horrible track worker, we even ran her with Pure Adrenalin last week just to spark her up a bit."

Shania Patron is raced by Jim and Irene Holland, of Mokoreta Valley near Wyndham, together with the filly's trainer Brendon McLellan and his wife Megan. None of the quartet were on-course for the victory. "I asked Brendon if he was going to come up for the race, but he just said 'no, you'll do the job'," May continued. Jim and Irene are lovely old people, and we've trained horses for them for years; there has been so many of them I've lost count. One of their first winners with us was Adios Adieu, and the others include Young Beau, Elderberry and Some Legacy, who won the DB Fillies Final in 1990."

The McLellans dedicated Shania Patron's victory to Brendon's late mother Marlene, who died a month ago today (Wednesday) after a brief battle with cancer. "She got a lot of enjoyment out of following Shania Patron, so yes, this win is definitely for her," Brendon said. "I know her formline has not been the best lately, but she's been letting herself down. She's had a few niggly problems like over-racing and hanging during her events, and that has been enough to make the difference. Just in the last month I reckon she's come back to her old self again."

McLellan says he can't remember when there was ever a better crop of 3-year-old fillies, and that the results in races like the Oaks and this week's Nevele R Fillies Final come down to luck in the running. "Shania Patron was always going to have a broodmare career, winning a race like this is the icing on the cake." he said.


Credit: John Robinson writing in NZHR Weekly

FEATURE RACE COMMENT

2001 AVON CITY FORD MOBILE

Barry Purdon had one eye on the road and one ear on the radio as he drove into Addington Raceway last Friday afternoon. With the second wave of his stable's Show Day runners in tow, Purdon was just arriving when Lord Vicolo contested the $25,000 Avon City Ford Mobile. To him his 3-year-old's victory sounded good, but it looked even better.

As expected, Tricky Vic sped out from the ace and led, with Lord Vicolo following him through from his second-line draw to settle in the trail. Punters who patted themselves on the back for their 'brilliant' pre-race deduction were soon biting their fingernails though, because at the 1800m point Croker pressed to the lead before he too handed up, to Galleons Treasure, leaving Lord Vicolo snookered four-deep. Driver Tony Herlihy managed to work off the tight spot passing the 1000m pole, but nothing carted Lord Vicolo into the race all the way down the back straight and come the home turn it was time to move. With big strides he powered down the stretch, picking up the leaders in grand style as he hit the line a half-neck in front. Lord Vicolo's time for the 2600m mobile event was a super 3:12.5. "I wish you wouldn't make me so nervous like that," quipped Purdon to Herlihy as he greeted them back at the stabling area.

It was a continuation of some superb for for the striking black son of Il Vicolo, who narrowly failed to capture the Sires' Stakes Final three days earlier after winning his previous three outings. "Brains," Purdon said, casting an adoring eye over his gelding as he helped to ungear him, the one-word sentence typifying every-thing he liked about Lord Vicolo. "He has always been a nice horse. He was the best yearling I had a couple of years ago; he could run a half in 60 around my track - and that is good. But he got a real bad cold late that season and never really got over it."

Finishing fourth on debut in December last year, Lord Vicolo won next-up at Alexandra Park before his 2-year-old season came to an abrupt halt after he finished fourth to Jack Cade at Cambridge. "He stood on a shoe and tripped up during a workout so we had to stop with him. It has been a blessing in disguise though because during his spell he grew a lot and really blossomed," Purdon said.

Having won two trials prior to resuming this season, Lord Vicolo was expected to resume on a bold note at Cambridge in September where he finished fourth in Elect To Live's 1:55.5 mile. "I was a little bit disappointed with that run, but Tony came back in and said that he hit the wheels of his cart and panicked. So now he races in the same cart that Pic Me Pockets and Mountain Gold use, a Challenger quick hitch sulky - but on the longest setting. He has got an enormous stride," Purdon said. Lord Vicolo's sire was the same in this respect. Il Vicolo used a sulky that had to be made especially for him which was about three inches longer.

"I will take him home now and give him a freshen-up before the Great Northern Derby," Purdon said. "Australia is a possibility later on , at this stage we will look at everything. On what he has done today I would expect him to go a long way."

Lord Vicolo is raced by Purdon and Kevin Riseley, who owns a chain of panelbeating shops in Melbourne. Riseley managed to fly across for the gelding's race on Cup Day, but work commitments dragged him home again before Show day's event.


Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 21Nov01

FEATURE RACE COMMENT

Robbie Holmes & Facta Non Verba

2001 SBS BANKING LIKE IT SHOULD BE/ HELLER SMALLGOODS FREE-FOR-ALL

Mike Berger will never forget last week. On a positive note he won races with Black Maire at Alexandra Park and Facta Non Verba at Addington, but sadly he also lost his father Geoff who died after a long battle with cancer. "He had been quite ill so it was expected, but it still hits you a bit when it happens," Berger said.

Geoff,76, had been a regular around his son's stable since he retired and moved from South Auckland to Morrinsville almost a decade ago. "He quickly made himself 'head boy'," Berger recalled fondly. "He loved the horses non-stop, and as soon as the fields came out he would be booking his seat on the truck no matter where the meeting was. Facta Non Verba was his all-time favourite, and I think the old fella was pushing him over the line when he won at Addington the other night."

Facta Non Verba's victory in the SBS/ Heller Smallgoods Fre-For-All turned around a luckless fortnight that the pacer had had in Christchurch. After looking sensational at the Cup Trials he never got much of a go in the big one when settling on the rails, then in Show Day's Free-For-All it was much of the same when he settled three then four deep.

Berger says that all the credit for this latest win has to go to Robbie and Carla Holmes, who Facta Non Verba was stabled with, and his employee Charles Te Tomo. "Charles really looked after him, and it was such a shame that he missed out on the horse's moment of glory. He had stayed with Facta Non Verba since he had gone south, but when we were getting busy back home and I needed him to come back he did so without a second thought. Charles is absolutely dedicated, and he is the sort of guy I'd trust with my life," Berger said.

Facta Non Verba has had two campaigns in Australia since July last year, winning six of his 13 starts across the Tasman, and Berger says that over Winter this is where the pacer's future lies. "His latest trip wasn't hugely successful, but we actually gained a lot out of it because a vet named Peter Hill talked us into trying a specific shoe on him and it has worked wonders. It is a three-quarter shoe with a bar across, which is a bit of an old-fashioned idea, but it doesn't put any pressure on his heel at all. I am just so pleased for Facta Non Verba because he is such a great personality; when you walk into the barn every morning he will call out to you. In this business you are not supposed to have favourites, but having been through as much as we have with this horse it is hard not to be attached to him," Berger said.

Robbie Holmes said driving Facta Non Verba to victory in the Free-For-All was the highlight of his career. "He is a front-runner. He went so well in the Cup trial in the lead and I wanted to get there at some stage tonight," he said. Berger said Holmes would be 'thanked' for looking after Facta Non Verba by being offered the drive on him in the upcoming Franklin and Auckland Cups.

Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 28Nov01

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Keith Gibson presents the trophy

2001 ROYDON LODGE STUD NZ 2YO TROTTING STAKES

Jo Anne was swift and sure-footed and greatly superior to 11 others in the Roydon Lodge Stud NZ 2yo Trotting Stakes. She was trotting poetry from start to finish and won by half a length short of ten in 2:29.1 for the mobile 1950m.

Northerner Tony H who surprisingly defeated her a fortnight earlier by half a length was never a factor this time after taking too long to start trotting.

Driver Ken Barron was glowing in his praise. "Initially, I compared her with Gees Pride, but she is really a step above that. She has a beautiful gait and has got speed, too. I have not driven one as good at this age before," he said.

Jo Anne is trained at Templeton by Mark Smolenski for Allan, Lorraine and Anya Georgeson. She is by Sundon from Janetta's Pride, a Gee Whiz II mare owned by Keith and Bevan Grice and more recently the dam of a yearling filly by Britewell, a weanling filly by Sundon, and she was served by Sundon last season.

Credit: Harness Racing Weekly 23May01

FEATURE RACE COMMENT

Dependable beating stablmate All Action Son

2001 CHRISTCHURCH CASINO NZ TROTTING STAKES

Dependable might have been the name of the horse that won the Christchurch Casino NZ Trotting Stakes, but it was 'Mr Dependable' sitting in the sulky behind him.

These days, harness racing has to work awfully hard for every last betting dollar it can get out of the public's pockets, so people like Mark Purdon are what the industry needs and they do it proud; punters know that by backing a Purdon runner they not only get a run for their money, more often than not they are in the money. And that is important.

For those living on the inside of the fishbowl, Purdon's results set the standard for everyone else to aspire to. Since beginning training in the 1995/96 season he has put his name on almost every Group Race trophy there is, but surprisingly, the NZ Trotting Stakes wasn't one of them. Purdon changed that on Saturday night.

Using Dependable's gate speed to hold the lead from their ideal draw, Purdon kept his trotter pinging along like a well-oiled machine and they never looked in danger of defeat. Dependable's time of 3:21.8 was well outside Flame Up's New Zealand record for the distance, but it was fast enough to give Purdon his first victory on 'home' soil since relocating from the North Island. The victory was also notch number 79 in the belt that will win him his second consecutive trainer's premiership, and it wrapped up the 3YO Trotter of the Year title for Dependable.

"He is a lovely horse, and he is very quiet in his work," Purdon says. "I am really enjoying working with him, because when you do things to try and help him he tries to help himself too. We had a couple of wee problems to sort out when he first arrived up in Auckland. To get him to trot better that way round we replaced his bar shoes in behind with pacing shoes that had weight on the outside," he said.

Talking of weight, the strapping son of Sundon looked even bigger and stronger on Saturday and his trainer/driver agreed, believing he was carrying more condition than ever before. Understandably, Purdon is excited about Dependable's potential. "Apart from Pride Of Petite, I have never had a trotter that works as good as him at home. He will go to the spelling paddock for a couple of months now. There are other big 3-year-old races in Australia but they are not until July, which can bugger up your season a bit." Some of the aims Purdon has for Dependable next season include teaching him to relax in the field, because he has done a lot of racing from in front to this point, and giving him experience from standing starts.


Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 19Apr01