Green gets top drive in Kindergarten Stakes

By Jonny Turner

Kirstin Green has landed in the perfect spot as the All Stars stable attempt to continue their dominance of the Group 3 Macca Lodge Kindergarten Stakes.

Green links up with Mark and Nathan Purdon trained Vessem who starts in the time-honoured Wyndham feature alongside his stablemate Major Hot.

The All Stars stable have produced nine of the last ten Kindergarten winners with Mark Purdon involved in eight, while Hayden Cullen produced Akuta to win two years ago.

Green is thrilled to get the chance to pull on the All Stars colours behind Vessem who ran to a professional debut win at Addington last week.

“It is an absolute bonus and I feel like I have peaked pulling on those colours,” Green quipped.

“He looks like he is a wee tradesman, one start for one win and you can’t do better than that.”

Though defeated, Major Hot looked to run as impressively at the winner in his debut alongside Vessem.

After being buried four back on the markers, the two-year-old flashed home for fourth.

Major Hot went into his debut after beating Vessem in their previous trial and there looks to be little between the pair heading into the Kindergarten Stakes.

Brett Gray lines up the biggest of the southern hopes in Thursday’s feature.

Sodoyahavtime has impressed in several recent trials ahead of his debut.

“I really like this horse, I think he is really nice and all going well he should get a bit of it,” Gray said.

Kirstin Green will shoot for back-to-back wins at Wyndham with Madrik in the Eastern Southland Trotters Cup.

The trotter brought perfect manners to his last start win and Green is hopeful he can do the same again.

“He had a few easy days after his win, we took him back to the workouts for another practice run and his manners were bang on.”

“He seems to be really happy at the moment, so hopefully that continues.”

Ruby Seddon and Insarchatwist look among the strongest of Green’s outside drives beyond her Kindergarten steer in Vessem.

Ruby Seddon has been brilliantly consistent recently and she ran on nicely behind Miss Jessica at Winton last week.

Insarchatwist was only just nailed late by Morries Girl at Wyndham two starts ago before going on to run another second in her last start at Oamaru.

Tyler Dewe lines up Northview Rock who takes on both Insarchatwist and Morries Girl in race 6.

Dewe also lines up stable newcomer Gronkowski who brings respectable Canterbury form to race 2.

“We gave him a private trial on Saturday and he went really well and his work on Tuesday was pretty good,” the trainer said.

“He comes into 2 on the second row which is ideal because he follows out the horse to beat in my opinion.”

Gronkowski follows out the favourite Razor’s Edge who debuts for the Brad Williamson barn.