Akuta to miss Friday's Canterbury Classic at Addington

By Michael Guerin

Akuta’s New Zealand Cup campaign has hit a speed bump with the wonderful pacer set to miss this Friday’s Lamb and Hayward Canterbury Classic at Addington.

The former Auckland Cup winner has been the comeback story of the spring but was found to have mucus in his throat after failing at Addington last Friday.

Co-trainer Nathan Purdon says Akuta will start treatment straight away and with five runs under his belt already this spring and plenty of lead-up options left he can still make the IRT-sponsored Cup at Addington on November 11.

“It is not ideal of course but at least we know why he performed below his best,” says Purdon.

Akuta remains a $12 chance in the Cup market as the road to the great race has taken some surprise turns around Leap To Fame and Swayzee in the last week.

Team Purdon have already withdrawn Chase A Dream from the NZ Cup but it was never a certain target for the four-year-old.

“We are really happy with him and he will trial this week and then be ready to race,” says Nathan.

“We are aiming him at races like the Christian Cullen and the Invercargill Cup but the [NZ] Cup is just going to come too soon.”

While they won the $150,000 NZBS Harness Million for two-year-old fillies with Wat Next, the stable also had plenty of bad luck on Friday night.

Oscar Bonavena got back and never looked a winner chance in the Worthy Queen Trot but will back up this Friday at Addington while Rubira was locked away three back in the Flying Stakes.

And juvenile pacer Special Occasion was also found to have a similar mucus issue to Akuta after his eighth in the NZBS Harness Million won by Jumal.