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Canterbury horseman Bob Butt continued his family’s legacy in the Gr.1 Livamol NZ Trotting Free-For-All Mobile Trot (1980m) at Addington Raceway on Tuesday when winning the feature trot with Heavyweight Hero.

Butt became the third generation of his family to win the race after his father David Butt drove Call Me Now to back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995, and again in 2008 with Stig. While Butt’s grandfather, Robin Butt, won the race in 1971 with Tony Bear.

Fittingly Butt, who also trains Heavyweight Hero, carried his grandfather’s green and white colours to victory on Friday, and he was duly rapt with the win.
“It is great,” he said. “If you can’t be happy with that I don’t know what is wrong with you.”

After an initial false start in which The Dominator broke from the ace barrier, he galloped once again on take two, which allowed Butt to find the perfect running position three back on the markers.

Heavyweight Hero did no work when trailing race favourite Majestic Man and Cracker Hill throughout and Butt was able to utilise the passing lane to slingshot the leaders and win by three-quarters of a length over Cracker Hill with a further three-quarters of a length back to Muscle Mountain in third.

“When The Dominator galloped early I thought I would try and get Nathan’s (Williamson, driver) back (on Majestic Man) but Cracker Hill was punting through and with those two in front of me, three back on the fence was the place to be because I wouldn’t have to go around one and it worked out well,” Butt said.

“I got a slingshot through (when Brad Williamson elected not to take the passing lane with Cracker Hill) and he is a great old horse and is so genuine.”

Heavyweight Hero shaved almost one second off the 1980m national record to go alongside his other national record over 2600m.

Heavyweight Hero headed into Tuesday off the back of four consecutive runner-up results and Butt was delighted to get that elusive Group One victory with his consistent trotter.

“He hasn’t gone a bad race so he deserves it,” Butt said.

“He seemed as good as ever ahead of today, he just needed a run. He is thereabouts always so we just needed a bit of luck and we got it.

Credit : Joshua Smith, HRNZ Harness News 10 Nov 2020


Credit: Joshua Smith

Amazing Dream may have been backed into $1.40 favouritism for the Gr.1 Nevele R Fillies Series Final Mobile Pace (1980m) at Addington on Tuesday, but she had to call on all of her class to nab her sixth Group One victory.

The Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen-trained mare was three-wide for the majority of the trip behind On A Roll, but was forced to improve four-wide at the 1000m mark when her opponent began to tire.

Pacemaker Need You Now continued to set a solid tempo up front, making Amazing Dream work to find the parked position 600m from home.

Need You Now turned for home with a two-length advantage, however, Amazing Dream showed her willpower to slowly eek into that lead and eventually overcome Need You Now to win by a neck in a new New Zealand record of 2:20.3.

Rasmussen was thrilled with the win and was full of praise for her charge.

“It was never going to be easy from the barrier draw (9) and just the way it panned out with that one that got caught three-wide (On A Roll) in front of me made it even harder when she had to go four-wide around her,” she said.

“But just credit to her, she is just a real little winner. She was tired at the top of the straight but she just really wanted to win.”

It was almost déjà vu for her connections, with Amazing Dream overcoming a similar run to win on Cup Day last year.

“She has just got so many attributes,” Rasmussen said. “She is so quick and so strong. You have just got to love her, she just wants to win.”

Amazing Dream was purchased at the 2018 PGG Wrightson National Yearling Sale for $77,5000 by Victoria-based owner Jean Feiss who was unable to be on course at Addington on Tuesday as a result of COVID-19 enforced travel restrictions.

“Poor Jean will be tearing her hair out over in Melbourne,” Rasmussen quipped.

Rasmussen and Purdon are now turning their attention towards the Gr.1 NZ Pacing Free-For-All (1980m) at Addington on Friday with the daughter of Bettor’s Delight.

“She does seem to bounce back really well, but we will just wait until we get home and see how she pulls up,” Rasmussen said.

“If she is great then I don’t see any reason why we wouldn’t run her on Friday.”

Credit : Joshua Smith, HRNZ Harness News 10 Nov 2020


Credit: Joshua Smith

Champion trainers Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen took a chance with Self Assured and it paid off when the star pacer exploded away from his opposition to seal their fifth consecutive win in New Zealand Cup at Addington.



The All Stars stable duo went into the country’s biggest harness race knowing they had the most talented of horses, but one they rated just a 50-50 chance of stepping away safely when the starting tapes flew.

Those concerns evaporated in the first few strides when Self Assured effectively sealed his victory with a brilliant beginning.

The faultless display came after Purdon and Rasmussen took a calculated gamble by taking the five-year-old off the unruly starting position and then putting their masterful training skills to work.

“The Cup is about winning and I took him off the unruly because I didn’t think he could win it from there,” Purdon said.

“He was going to have to go around the field.”
“It was a risk, if he had drawn on the inside you would say I have done the wrong thing.”

“I was disappointed when he missed away in the Cup trial, but we did a lot of practice between then and today and he got it right.”

Purdon and Rasmussen not only cemented their place in New Zealand Cup history with Self Assured’s three and a half-length win for his Victorian owner Jean Feiss.
Spankem and Rasmussen held down second, ahead third placed Ashley Locaz and Tim Williams, to seal a race trifecta for the superstar trainers.

Yesterday may have appeared like just another day at the office for Purdon and Rasmussen as they collected three group 1 wins and the trifecta in New Zealand’s most sought after race.

But that is far from how Purdon sees it.
“Having horses like this is what you do it for.”
“And you have got to count yourself lucky.”

“Most trainers have only got one of these type of horses and we have just filled the first three placings in the New Zealand Cup.”

Self Assured’s victory was Purdon’s sixth win in the New Zealand Cup as a driver, equalling the late Cecil Devine.

The master horseman has now trained winner eight times, six of them in partnership with Rasmussen.
The thrill of winning the country’s biggest harness race is yet to fade as Purdon keeps etching his name into its history books.

“You do get the same thrill from each win in the Cup, especially when you do it for different connections each time.”

“It is lovely to do it for Jean, she has been such a great supporter of ours.”

“She is so passionate.”

“We have had horses in the past where I have suggested they have a better earning capacity in Australia after they’ve climbed the ladder here.”

“But she wouldn’t take them off us.”

The beginning that handed Self Assured a huge early advantage over his stablemate Spankem and the favourite Copy That was the biggest talking point following the running of this year’s New Zealand Cup.

As Self Assured was settling into his handy spot in the trail behind his stablemate Ashley Locaz, Copy That was drifting back through the field.

The North Island pacer was among several runners drawn on the inner that appeared to be disadvantaged when the starting tapes were released.

After his slow start from barrier 1, Copy That eventually settled last with a huge task in front of him to catch Self Assured and Spankem.

The effort the Ray Green trained pacer put in to try to get into the race told and Copy That faded into eight placing.

Green labelled the start of the New Zealand Cup a disgrace, after the race.

Credit : Johnny Turner, Harnesslink, 10 Nov 2020


Credit: Johnny Turner

Spankem’s dished up a powerful reminder of his status as the country’s leading short-course pacer when calling on his sensational speed to win the New Zealand Free-For-All at Addington on Friday.

The first 100m of the 1980m group 1 feature proved as vital as its last furlong after driver Natalie Rasmussen made Spankem’s rivals pay when controlling the race in front.

Rasmussen used the All Stars’ pacer’s speed to cross to the lead early, which proved the key to her six-year-old getting a deserved victory after having to settle for second behind his stablemate Self Assured in Tuesday’s New Zealand Cup.




Though his early burn was important Rasmussen said it was what happened immediately after Spankem crossed to the lead that set up his front-running win.

“He just dropped the bit, he is one that can get up on the chewy a bit,” the trainer-driver said.
“It was nice that he was able to drop the bit and relax and do his own thing and then starting picking up from the 1000m and start rolling.”

Though Rasmussen was clearly able to give Spankem a comfortable middle section of the New Zealand Free-For-All there was little respite for his rivals.

The six-year-old stopped the clock in 2-19.2 equating to a 1.53.1 milerate for 1980m
“He is fast, I think the 3200m just sees him out, but over the short trips he is pretty lethal.”

Self Assured clearly had Spankem’s measure over the 3200m of the New Zealand Cup, but there was no chance to compare the pair over 1980m under group 1 conditions after the former was scratched from yesterday’s race.
Rasmussen expects it to be a mighty clash when the pair meet in a similar race in the future.

“They are both so fast.”

“I do think Self Assured has everything, he is just so quick and he is so strong.”

“Spankem is quick and I would hate to see Self Assured try to sit outside him and beat him over a short trip.”
Spankem scored by three-lengths over Thefixer, who went the best race of his spring campaign when running into second from near the rear.

Ashley Locaz backed up his third in the New Zealand Cup with a strong third after sitting parked in Friday’s feature.

Credit : Johnny Turner, Harnesslink, 13 Nov 2020


Credit: Johnny Turner

Sundees Son shone brightly at Addington on Friday, leaving his rivals chasing his shadow when he won the fastest ever running of the Dominion with perfect poise.

The Robert Dunn trained trotter produced one of the most polished performances of his career to show New Zealand Cup week fans exactly how good he is when bolting away with the 3200m feature by nearly four lengths.

The scare Sundees Son put into his legion of backers and that camp that prepares when galloping in his last start at Kaikoura him looked a distant memory when the six-year-old trotted off the mark to take up a handy early position.

From there, driver John Dunn’s intentions looked clear – to keep his horse relaxed and out of trouble – and the reinsman was rewarded with New Zealand Trotting’s ultimate trophy.

“After Kaikoura Johnny and I had a talk and we decided we had to take bad luck out of the equation,” Robert Dun said.

“Pres The Belle was keen and had to come off the fence, but it wasn’t long until Johnny decided to get around to sit parked.”



“He is just such a beautifully relaxed horse outside the leader, he goes to sleep.”

Sundees Son’s Dominion win was made possible by a family effort led by the Dunn’s father and son combination.
John Dunn’s father-in-law Craig Edmonds also played a huge role in the horse’s record-breaking victory with his dedication.

“Craig does all the shoeing with him and he takes him down to the beach all the time,” Dunn said.

“We can show up at 5.30 in the morning and Craig is already gone with him, taking him down for a paddle in the water on his jog days.”

“He loves the horse and Johnny obviously has a wonderful combination with him, too.”

Sundees Son will now head to Auckland where he is set to take part in one of the biggest clashes in open class trotting in recent history.

Trotting purists are set to be treated to a clash of two trotters with raw ability like few others in the past decade when Sundees Son will almost certainly take on speed machine Bolt For Brilliance in the Lyell Creek Stakes and National Trot at Alexandra Park.

“He will go to Auckland next, he handles the Auckland way of going as good as he does going the Addington way,” Dunn said.

Sundees Son’s Dominion victory topped an outstanding past 12 months for Robert Dunn and his team.
The trainer notched both his 1500th career win in New Zealand and his first national premiership in the past year.

During that time, Sundees Son has provided a few headaches for the Dunn camp and his breeder-owners, Colin and Nancy Hair.

The squaregaiter went 12 months without trotting throughout an entire race and his tilt at last year’s Dominion had to be abandoned.

“He tells us when he is not right and though he made a break at Kaikoura, it was because he had to take a slight bit of evasive action,” Dunn said.

“And it doesn’t take much with him.”

“The key to him is his soundness and when he is sound he is such a pleasure to have around the place.”

Clearly, nothing was bothering Sundees Son on Friday as he trotted to victory in 4-00.5, taking 0.2sec off Monbet’s national 3200m record, set in his 2016 Dominion win.

Sundees Son’s performance meant runner-up Majestic Man had to settle for yet another big race placing.
Despite that trainer Phil Williamson was proud of his six-year-old
“He gave it all he could, the winner is just a great, great horse.”

“I am proud of him.”

“He would have to be the best one I have had that hasn’t won a group 1.”

Aussie raider Tough Monarch turned around two disappointing efforts in New Zealand when running into third, half a length behind Majestic Man.

Credit : Johnny Turner, Harnesslink, 13 Nov 2020



Credit: Johnny Turner

Patience was rewarded and the winner’s podium overflowed with happy owners when Chase Auckland sprinted to victory in the New Zealand Free-For-All at Addington yesterday.

Driver Tim Williams helped the All Stars pacer get group 1 rewards for his consistent spring when securing a perfect run in the trial that set up the 5yr-old’s win.

The win meant the Addington Birdcage was again flooded with jubilant owners as the large Alabar Racing Syndicate celebrated their pacer’s first win in an open class group 1 feature.

Syndicate manager, Ivan Behrnes, poured praise on Williams after the race and not just for his cool and calm drive.

The reinsman has been instrumental in helping Chase Auckland developing in to a genuine open class force, Behrnes said.

“He can be a bit of a handful, as you could see after the race, but he has been really in the zone in his races this season.”

“It is a credit to Tim, you can often see them just going around in the prelim on his own, keeping him relaxed.”

“They have really got a great combination since he has become his regular driver.”

A patient approach from his trainers has also been key to Chase Auckland developing from one-time age group star to top line Grand Circuit performer.

All Stars trainers Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen did not rush the horse after he suffered a muscle problem that set his 4yr-old season back.

“Mark and Natalie kept saying be patient, he wasn’t ready for these kind of races last year, it was too soon for him,” Behrnes said.

“But this season everything has gone perfectly and he has looked a picture.”

“He has had a fantastic build up, he has looked a picture and we were hopeful he could develop in to a stayer.”

“He has always had the speed, which you could see again today.”

Many expected Chase Auckland to blast off the arm and easily slot in to the trail behind the likely leader, Classie Brigade.

That was not the case when the newly relaxed Chase Auckland was too chilled out behind the mobile and did not display the blazing gate speed he has in the past.

“I was back off the gate - It’s the first time he has raced from behind the mobile this season,” Williams said.

“But it just shows how quick out the others were.”

Despite the early moves not playing out as expected, Chase Auckland and Williams still landed in the trail behind Classie Brigade.

In a complete turnaround in race fortunes from the New Zealand Cup, the breaks went Chase Auckland’s way when they went against his stablemates in the New Zealand Free-For-All.

Spankem was unable to take the lead from Classie Brigade and Cruz Bromac went roughly, losing a handy spot.


An overflowing winners podium after Chase Auckland's FFA win

On Tuesday, Chase Auckland copped the bad luck in Cruz Bromac’s New Zealand Cup.

The pacer was forced to make his run wide on the track after two of his rivals started stopping quickly in front of him.

The Auckland Reactor gelding charged home pacing the fastest closing 400m and 200m sectional times of the great 3200m race. The Alabar Racing Syndicate were left wondering what might have been after having to settle for fourth placing.

“We were so disappointed on cup day, he was in a excellent spot and Tim drove him tremendously,” Behrnes said.

“He was ready to go today after running the fastest sectionals in the cup.”

“It was a huge thrill.”

Classie Brigade, who also came out of the New Zealand Cup with a hard luck story held second in the New Zealand Free-For-All, a length from Chase Auckland.

Cruz Bromac recovered from his early gallop to produce a huge performance to run third.


Credit: Johnny Turner, Harness Link Media, 15 Nov 2019; Reprinted with permission of HRNZ

The most unlikely New Zealand Cup of champion trainer Mark Purdon’s career meant so much more because he didn’t drive the winner.

Purdon provided the training quinella in the $750,000 New Zealand Cup at Addington yesterday but had to settle for second as a driver, as Cruz Bromac surged past his drive Spankem in the last 50m.

But for Purdon the win means as much if not more than if he had clung on to win the race himself because of the man in the sulky behind Cruz Bromac.

Blair Orange has won the last two national driver’s premierships but to any Canterbury harness racing driver, the New Zealand Cup is the holy grail and Purdon was thrilled to provide his former protege with the chance to get his hands on it.

Orange was a long-time employee of Purdon’s famous All Stars barn and a close personal friend of Purdon, who has stuck by him in the toughest of times.

He originally wasn’t in the frame to drive Cruz Bromac, who divides his time between Victoria and New Zealand. But through a series of events, including other horses being injured and other drivers being unavailable, Orange got his Cup with an inch-perfect display.

“I am thrilled for Blair,” said Purdon.

“He did a great job when he worked for us and has been very successful since he left.

“So to be able to give him the drive on a Cup winner is immensley satisfying for us. He is a good guy and he deserves it.” Orange sure did after the drive he pulled off, firstly managing to negotiate the standing start safely with Cruz Bromac, who only rejoined the All Stars three weeks ago after spending the whole year in Victoria. They don’t have standing starts in Victoria any more so that first mini win was crucial.


Once safely away he has to wrest the lead off Classie Brigade and that could have left him vulnerable as Cruz Bromac is probably best known as a sprinter but the sedate Cup speed of 3:56.9 and the inches Orange saved around the marker pegs proved the difference.

He grabbed Spankem, who had worked to the lead at the 1400m mark late and only by a neck, with Classie Brigade slightly luckless when forced to change ground in the home straight in third just ahead of Chase Auckland. Defending champion Thefixer was a battling fifth.

There was great irony in Orange partnering Cruz Bromac to win as he had only driven him in public once before.

That was when he failed to even qualify him in an early trial when Cruz Bromac was trained by Mark Jones before being sold to Australian interests and then coming back across this side of the Tasman to join the All Stars last year.

He won the NZ Free-For-All then and could return to that race this Friday and now looms as a major contender for the Inter Dominions which begin at Alexandra Park in 16 days.

Cruz Bromac’s win yesterday ticked him just over $1million in stakes and suggests the Australians could have a far greater role to play in the Inter Dominions than would have been expected even a few weeks ago.

The horse who beat him in the Victoria Cup three starts ago in Bling It On is being set for the Auckland series while local stars like Self Assured have fallen by the wayside and while Cruz Bromac is officially trained here he will be very much claimed by the Australians as one of their's come the Inters.

For Purdon it was his seventh New Zealand Cup training success as he continues to pen new pages in the record books with no end in sight.

But that wasn’t why he was smiling last night. He was beaming because of what he had done for a friend.


Credit: Harnesslink Media, 13 Nov 2019, Michael Guerin

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

An old-fashioned workload produced a new best version of Habibi Inta in the $300,000 Dominion at Addington yesterday.

And after his graphic demolition job in our richest trot the big stallion has thrown down the gauntlet to his rivals in the Inter Dominion Trotting series which starts at Alexandra Park in 13 days.

Habibi Inta made the most of a perfect Blair Orange drive and the early gallop of favourite Oscar Bonavena to bolt away with the group one, giving Orange the dream double of Cup week after his New Zealand Cup on Tuesday.

Already a group one winner at the Harness Jewels two seasons ago, Habibi Inta went to a whole new level yesterday and that was after some tough love from trainer extraordinaire Paul Nairn.

“After he won at Kaikoura last week I kept the work right up to him,” explains Nairn.

“I knew he would have to be fit, really fit for the 3200m and he handled the work beautifully.

“I thought he could win because he was so fit but I’ll be honest, I didn’t think he could do that.”
 It was a career statement win from Habibi Inta as he sat off the hot speed set by Marcola and jogged past him at the top of the straight.

It was a dramatic reversal of their previous clash at Ashburton when Marcoola thrashed him by 13 lengths, showing how the right horse on the day wins the group ones this season.

Nairn will now bring the big, muscular six-year-old to Auckland for an Inter Dominion where some of his key rivals have question marks hanging over their heads.

Aussie raider Tough Monarch was a brave second yesterday capping a great week while veteran Monty Python surged into third while Marcoola was out of gas at the top of the straight.

Another Australian visitor in McLovin suffered a case of the thumps but should be good to go for the Inters, a series Oscar Bonavena will miss.

The latter was slightly checked into a gallop after 400m when horses galloped both inside and outside, leaving trainer-driver Mark Purdon enormously disappointed as he tailed off. Punters didn’t enjoy it much either.

But Purdon bounced back two races later when Chase Auckland made the most of the trail-passing lane run to win the $200,000 NZ Free-For-All.

A brave and luckless fourth in the NZ Cup three days earlier, Chase Auckland got all the luck this time as he was destined to be three back on the inside but Cruz Bromac galloped when heading to the lead, which left Classie Brigade in front and Chase Auckland in the luxury spot.

All the main players from the F-F-A will head to the Inter Dominions where they will be met by a fresh wave of Australians.



Credit: Harnesslink Media, 16 Nov 2019, Michael Guerin

The NZ Oaks was won easily in the end but it might well have been won at the beginning.

Natalie, in superb form with three Group wins from three drives, thought so when she was able to swing in from three wide and get in front of Belle of Montana.

But her decision to improve in the middle stages to take the front while the sectionals were a little relaxed was the key to an easy win.

“She felt good and I though I will be off and make the ones most likely work to beat her. She never really felt like she would be beaten in the run home. A great filly and she was on her game tonight”


The win heightened the 3yo Filly of the Year award contest which Belle of Montana looked to have a lead after the Nevele R last week. Now it is likely to come down to the Harness Jewels in two weeks.

Princess Tiffany ran close 3.08 for the 2600m breaking by close to a second the record set by Spanish Armada two years ago. She continued a great run for owners Phil and Margaret Creighton and Braeden and Caroline Whitelock who separately set new records on the night.

One aspect of that was that the Whitelocks Kayla Marie completed a “double second” chasing Belle of Montana home in the Nevele R Final and Princess Tiffany in the NZ Oaks.

Bubbled Up again looked a little off her peak finishing midfield after having enjoyed a nice run


Credit: Harnesslink Media, 18 May 2019; Courtesy of All Stars Racing Stables