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It is a harness racing truth that you don’t second guess people in harness racing with the names of Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen.

If you were a doubter you would not have been after Friday night at Addington.

They produced an incredible training feat to win the 3200m Easter Cup with Turn It Up. Probably Mark can take the credit for concluding after his recent Rangiora trial that he could win a race of that calibre first up in two months. Even in the new age of open class racing where stars rise and fall much faster than they used to it was an extraordinary feat to win his second 3200m G1 at just his 11th start.

Mark never lacked confidence in the move after Rangiora.

“He hasn’t raced for a while but he is a very athletic type and while he wasn’t racing he was doing conditioning work up north before coming down to us so I don’t think it is beyond him”

Admittedly, after Mark used him early to take the lead and then trailed, Turn It Up was stretched to hold out A G White Sox but in a 3.58 and change in a charge through the slush it was still a great effort.

But, to be fair the New Zealand Cup winner, Thefixer, lost no caste in defeat.

He renewed memories of the (good?) old days of handicap racing. Starting from behind the front line means at some stage you have to go around the field. Turn It Up got rid of that early to reach the lead but Spankem and Thefixer weren’t going to manage that .

Thefixer moved around and sat parked then Spankem took over that role so Thefixer would have run about the same time as the winner,

Not to forget Elle Mac went a great race too under the radar perhaps.

The Turn It Up is a fairy story in most respects likely to be a pointer to the 2019 New Zealand Cup. Mark selected him in Australia largely for his treasued friend Neil Pilcher and the ghost of that special man, with the trademark sly grin, surely hovered over Addington on Friday.

It was typical of Mark and Natalie they had handed a share in the horse to Neil’s brother Lee

Credit: Harnesslink Media, 6 Apr 2019, Courtesy of All Stars Stables

TURN IT UP:4 Br g Courage Under Fire - O Narutac Bella

OWNERS: J A Gibbs MNZM, L Pilcher, Mark Purdon, Mrs A Gibbs

BREEDERS: B C Edward, Mrs V A Edward

TIME: 2:22.6 Mile Rate: 1-55.8 Last 800m: 58.1 Last 400m: 27.5



20“I certainly still get a thrill in seeing horses I bred win big races as they are few and far between. That was my first breeding winner of a Jewels. “Belle Of Montana actually beat the last horse I still had an ownership interest in called Big On Personality. We have sold her since but when Belle beat her, I realized how good she was. Croon has had a distinguished career as Chairman and long term committee member of the ATC and more recently HRNZ’s appointee to the soon to be refocused NZ Racing Board, under its new name of Racing Industry Transition Agency. Rod’s term on the board will come to an end with the Minister taking the power to make all future appointments. “It’s been good to be on the Board but there have been some frustrating times as well. Politics had gotten in the way a bit towards the end with race fields legislation getting delayed which was annoying, but it is what it is I suppose. “We’ve just signed on a new CEO at the Auckland Trotting Club. Our current President is retiring from the ATC in October which will probably see me step into that role for two years and then that will likely be the end of my involvement from an administration level also,” said Croon.

Credit: Brad Reid

TURN IT UP:4 Br g Courage Under Fire - O Narutac Bella

OWNERS: J A Gibbs MNZM, L Pilcher, Mark Purdon, Mrs A Gibbs

BREEDERS: B C Edward, Mrs V A Edward



On paper, the Four-Year-Old Emerald looked a race where Turn It Up, only had to turn up, and that would be all that was needed.

When he blasted to the top off the mobile, it was nothing more than an armchair drive for his co/trainer Mark Purdon.

Turn It Up may have thought he had come along way after leaving Melbourne as a $28,000 APG Sales Purchase in 2016 then simply arriving at the All Stars Rolleston base in Canterbury.

However he started the 2018/19 season a Rating 73 and finds himself the pre-nom favourite for the 2019 New Zealand Cup.

The son of Courage Under Fire has been a revelation this season winning the Franklin Cup, Auckland Cup, Cambridge Flying Mile and Easter Cup, with his only blemishes if you could call them that, coming at the hands of some highly credentialed stablemates.

Turn It Up was bred by Bruce and Vicki Edward of Durham Park in Victoria. For those unfamiliar with Durham Park, you won’t be unfamiliar with some of his Honour Roll.

HORSE	PRIZE MONEY	WINS
PETACULAR	$454,083	19
HEAVENS TREND	$385,683	21
BARIMAH	$384,374	26
IDEAL FOR REAL	$324,600	13
TURN IT UP	$338,500	9
STARS ALIGN	$233,930	15
RED VEE HANOVER	$179,716	20
DOUBLE YOUR BET US	$177,737	15
ONEONTHEWOOD	$173,720	24
KUALOA	$227,940	10

Durham Park was established in 2006 by the Edward’s on an undulating, sheltered 400 acre property at Durham Lead, 30 minutes south east of Ballarat. The stud is a commercial breeding operation, currently with 28 highly credentialed broodmares, including 12 mares imported from the US, and five from New Zealand.

Vicki and Bruce’s involvement in standardbreds started out similar to how a lot of new participants are involved with to harness racing over the last decade.

“We were introduced through some friends really, we started out in a syndicate, leased a few horses and had a really good time doing it. We took it from there,” said Edwards.

The journey has seen the Edward’s pick up multiple Group Races across the ditch, but none possibly as smart as the Four Year Old Emerald winner.

Turn It Up is the third foal and fourth winner from O Narutac Bella (US1.51.2, 11 wins, $154,000), an imported American-bred mare by Western Ideal.

“Breeding O Narurtac Bella to Courage Under Fire was me really just saying to myself you have this fairly unique Northern Hemisphere pedigree here, let’s have a crack at one of our own stallions and see what happens. That’s the level of the science involved with his mating if I’m being honest.

“Everybody loved Courage Under Fire. The mare had the size and the speed and he had the heart I think ” said Bruce.

“Turn It Up was a little bit different from the time he was born. He always looked very tall, was very leggy and come sales time he was a bit of a stand out.

While Turn It Up is the best performed from O Narurtac Bella, she has been a fine producer since arriving in Australia for the Edwards.

“The mare has been a terrific for us. We imported her from U.S and I was actually talking to her previous owner the other day. At the time he had three or four mares for sale and she wasn’t one of them. I negotiated a deal with the ones he wanted to sell on the basis I would buy them if she was included. He really didn’t want to sell her as she was a family favourite of theirs, but ultimately she wound up coming here.

“She was in foal to Bettor’s Delight but being born here in April, she was very young and always on the back foot a bit. The 2011 Bettors Delight filly was named Illawong Bella and would win two races from 19 starts, and has since had a colt by Rock N Roll Heaven for her owners.

The second foal is the good Art Major filly Perfect Sense (Aus1.55.5, 9 Aus wins, $143,000). She was second in the APG Final for two-year-old fillies at Menangle two years ago and also second to Petacular in a Vicbred Final at Melton that season.

Petacular has been one of the top fillies in Australia in recent seasons and like Turn It Up, the daughter of Somebeachsomewhere was bred by Durham Park and is from an imported Western Ideal mare in Ideal Priority.

The fourth foal by Mach Three is only O Narurtac Bella’s second colt, but hasn’t shown much with only a second placing from eight starts.

The fifth foal is a full sister to Perfect Sense, by Art Major and if her two-year-old season is anything to go by, has inherited a lot of the family ability. Treasure capped her season with a Group 2 feature win to take her to four wins from five.

The element of interest with the pedigree of O Narutac Bella, as she was bred on a
Western Ideal-Life Sign cross and they belong to the same maternal line, or the quite outstanding family established by Adora, a top filly in the 1950s by Adios.
Western Ideal and Life Sign emanate from the sisters Angel Hair and Ambiguity respectively, they being by Bret Hanover from K Nora, by Knight Dream from Adora.

Also Life Sign and Western Ideal’s dam Leah Almahurst were both by Abercrombie, giving O Narutac Bella a 3x3 reverse sex cross to him on top of being from the same maternal line.

We have touched on these sort of possibilities in the past with American Ideal also being a son of Western Ideal and from a half-sister to Life Sign, or a good example of a Rasmussen.

Edward hasn’t tried the American Ideal option as yet, but that could be interesting particularly if one got a filly and then bred away from three crosses to the same maternal line.

O Narutac Bella was bred by Yankeeland Farms and whether there was any intention on their part is not known, nor whether the Western Ideal-Life Sign cross was even beneficial in the overall scheme of things, but one can certainly say it wasn’t detrimental in any way.

The immediate family of O Narutac Bella has actually been very ordinary, although her grandam Yankee Velvet was a half-sister to Lovin Yankee (1.53, $256,000), the dam of five 100k plus performers, and also Arizona Yankee, the dam of Toucam Sam (1.49.2, $615,000).

The fact that the dam and grandam of O Narutac Bella produced very little, suggests the double up may well have given this line a boost.

What we do know is that Western Ideal was a big horse and while he also generally produces big horses, they are also often blessed with early speed and natural ability.

Life Sign was not known for siring early speed in keeping with his sire Abercrombie, with Artsplace being an exception to the rule. However, a mare bred on such a cross appeals as a suitable consort for a small horse and a sire such as Courage Under Fire.

Edward has three Western Ideal broodmares in his band of 28, and admits to having a fond opinion of the sire, particularly as a broodmare sire.

“In deciding to be a breeder, you have to start somewhere. I am a bit of a student of bloodlines and there is just not a lot of Western Ideal mares around. I think there are only 5 or 6 of them around Australia and we’ve just had tremendous success with them.

“Clearly O Narurtac Bella, and also Ideal Priority who left Petacular they’re very big roomy mares and they cross well with a lot of the well performed stallions,” he said.

Turn It Up marked the 16th Group One credit for his late sire, Courage Under Fire. He joins Smolda as the second winner of an Emerald for his sire and adds to the very fine list of Group One winning progeny: Pembrook Benny, Sleepy Tripp, Choise Achiever, Courage To Rule, Lanercost, Lancome, Glengowan, Carlas Pixel & Secret Potion his other G1 credits.

Those looking to rush over to the APG sales and snap up a sibling to the current Cup Fave will have to wait some time.

“The mare missed last year but is back in foal this season to boom sire Captaintreacherous,” said Edward.

Credit: Brad Reid

Harness racing driver Natalie Rasmussen capped off an amazing week by reining Cruz Bromac to an easy front running victory in yesterdays $184,000 Woodlands New Zealand Pacing Free For All at Addington Raceway.

After an unlucky run in Tuesday's New Zealand Trotting Cup, Cruz Bromac relished the shorter 1980m distance of yesterday's race and the son of Falcon Seelster blasted to the lead shortly after the mobile barrier arms folded.

From there the race turned into a procession. With main rival and TAB favourite Tiger Tara caught three wide early and then parked, Cruz Bromac never really eased the pace and won easing down in a super quick 2-18.5 for the 1980m mobile. That equated to a mile rate of 1-52.5 with the last 800m cut out in 55.6 and the closing 400m run in 27.0 seconds.

Stable mate of the winner Turn It Up ran on from three deep on the fence to grab second off the trailing Jack's Legend who battled on well for third. Tiger Tara wilted to last after finding his early efforts out wide too big a hurdle to overcome.

Natalie Rasmussen really burned early on Cruz Bromac and thought he might be found wanting at the finish,

"I really maxed him out to get across and sometimes they are found wanting when you do that, but he really tried hard down the straight.He was getting tired but he really gave it his all.

"Since he joined us he has really impressed us, each run he has been really solid and good.

"Mark and I will sit down next week and work out where we go, but I would say more than likely Inter Dominions first and then go from there," she said.

The win by Cruz Bromac gave Natalie her third Group one success for the week after also winning the NZ Cup with Thefixer and the Sires Stakes Final with Ultimate Sniper on Tuesday.

Credit: Harnesslink Media, 17 Nov 2018