| HORSES |
YEAR: 2021
Mark Purdon had a New Zealand Cup day to remember at Addington Raceway on Tuesday with six wins, but the one that stood out above the rest was Oscar Bonavena’s victory in the Group 1 Livamol NZ Trotting Free-For-All (1980m).
The Canterbury horseman, who trains the entire in partnership with Hayden Cullen, reined home the five-year-old to win his maiden Group One victory for Purdon’s father, legendary trainer Roy Purdon, and American-based expat Kiwi trainer Chris Ryder.
“It will be very special for him (Roy),” Mark Purdon said. “He is 94 now, but he still looks forward to the races and it will give him a great thrill to watch it.”
Drawn the outside of the front row, Purdon eased his charge to sit off a hot pace set by Majestic Man, who burnt early for the lead.
Purdon navigated his charge into the one-one behind Midnight Dash before driver Jim Curtin extricated Bolt For Brilliance off the fence to sit parked outside Majestic Man.
Turning for home Purdon guided Oscar Bonavena four-wide where he was able to show a blistering turn of foot to run down the leaders to win by 1-1/4 lengths over Bolt For Brilliance, with a further three-quarters of a length back to Majestic Man in third.
A talented youngster, Oscar Bonavena was purchased out of Phil Williamson’s barn after his runner-up effort in the Group 2 Sires’ Stakes 2YO Trot (1950m) but has faced a number of setbacks, which made Tuesday’s win even sweeter for Purdon.
“He has had a lot of issues along the way and it is hard to get them back to this level too,” Purdon said.
“I am very proud of him today. They went hard early which helped and he finished over the top of them.”
Co-trainer Hayden Cullen was also jubilant after the win given Oscar Bonavena’s past issues.
“He really deserved it, he has had a few niggles along the way,” Cullen said.
“He had a bone chip taken out and he had a cyst in a knee, just a few niggles there that held up his career a wee bit. He seems good at the moment so hopefully he will carry on.”
It was Oscar Bonavena’s third run this preparation and Cullen said he needed those first two hit-outs to have him hard-fit for Tuesday’s assignment.
“He has had a couple of runs under his belt this time in and he showed his true form today,” Cullen said.
“Mark and I have been very pleased with him. At that grade you need a few runs under your belt to be hardened to those better horses. He was third-up today and he went very well.”
Tuesday will be Cullen’s last Cup Day as official training partner with Purdon before he reverts back to his former stable foreman role, and he said it was great to notch his first Group One victory on Cup Day.
“It is a great thrill,” he said. “It is the day you want to win races on.”
Credit: Joshua Smith
YEAR: 2019
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