 | RACING HISTORY |
YEAR: 2002
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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Light And Sound's rivals had their best chance to put an end to the brilliant colt's winning streak at Addington last Friday night, but they probably didn't even know it.
Light And Sound was justifiably a red hot favourite for the biggest race of his career, the $194,000 PGG Yearling Sales Series Final, and he duly obliged by breaking his own national record. But afterwards, trainer/driver Mark Purdon revealed that he wasn't as happy as he could have been leading into the event. "Because it was such a big race, I decided to get him blood-tested at the start of the week," Purdon said.
"The results came back showing he was lacking in iron, and that his white cell count was at the top end of normal. Then on the Wednesday he didn't work that good. A southerly came up while he was out on the track, which we thought might have been part of the reason, but he didn't feel like his old self. And later in the day he developed a slight cough. "Purdon kept close tabs on his champion 2-year-old over the next couple of days, and history now shows that they didn't have much to worry about.
As always with the consummate professional though, the welfare of his horse came first and he says he would not have hesitated to scratch Light And Sound if he had thought it necessary. Having compiled a record of eight starts for a first-up second and seven straight victories, Light And Sound has netted his owners $222,885. He should add the biggest slice of this Friday night's $150,000 Sires' Stakes Final to that, and then it is the spelling paddock for the In The Pocket colt. Purdon is still deliberating over the decision to geld Light And Sounds between seasons. "I am still in two minds about it. He has matured a lot in that respect recently."
Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 08May02