Success on and off the track for Nathan Purdon

By Michael Guerin

A training double at Alexandra Park wasn’t the only high point of Nathan Purdon’s working week.

Because he also welcomed back one of New Zealand’s most talented but enigmatic pacers in Chase A Dream to his stable.

Purdon trained three-year-olds Wat Next and Just Us Two to win on Friday after both were heavily backed with his father Mark doing the driving on both occasions.

Wat Next was always going to be too good for her opponents as she fell into a perfect race while Just Us Two was smashed in the betting from $3.70 on opening into $1.50 on the tote before he used the passing lane to beat a brave Amazing Captain.

“I was actually a little worried with Just Us Two because he is at his best when they go hard and I thought they went a little slow down the back,” explained Nathan.

“But he got home to win well and I think be will keep improving.”

The stable also unleashed a smart two-year-old in Envy Of Angels, who paced good sectionals to close late on another heavily backed winner on the night in We Will Rise Again.

“I think he will make a really nice three-year-old so he might have an easy campaign, with just a couple more runs and we will bring him back for next season,” said Nathan.

For all the promising youngsters in Purdon’s 20-strong team though one horse that doesn’t need any introduction is Chase A Dream.

The one time age-group star and Race by Betcha runner-up has returned from Australia where he won one race in six starts for Jason Grimson but also qualified for the Miracle Mile.

“He has come home and is back with us at Pukekohe now,” confirmed Purdon.

“He has been a headache horse at some stages but we know the ability he has so it is great to have a horse of his calibre in the team.”

Chase A Dream will not be ready for the NZ Cup, hence why he wasn’t entered, but would have plenty of options in the north around Christmas time and after as the open class pacing ranks go through some re-shaping.

Nathan and Mark weren’t the only Purdons having a big night at The Park as Barry trained two winners in partnership with Scott Phelan with War Chief the second half of their double after We Will Rise Again’s all the way win.

Not to be outdone though was Jay Aberbethy who also produced a training double with Midfrew Lucre in the hands of Harry Orange in the junior driver’s event before Mick Konstantin led throughout to beat hot favourite Secret Beach in a 1:56.8 mile rate for 1700m in one of the better races.

They stung punters as too did Skee Princess for trainer Tim Hall and driver Brooke Wilkins before Bolt For the Hill paid huge overs for driver and owner Steph Burley in the main trot, the under-rated trotter giving the Wallis/Hackett stable a training double of their own on a night when wins seemed to come in pairs.