Top harness racing trainers Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen, appear to hold all the cards in tonights NRM Sires Stakes Heat 3 at Addington Raceway.
The powerful All Stars stable have a team of four horses entered for the $22,000 heat tonight and all are good chances in what will be a hotly contested race.
Unbeaten Auckland Reactor gelding "Chase Auckland" is currently the TAB fixed odds favourite at $1.90 .
TAB bookmaker Stephen Richardson said "We took a bet of $2000 to win on him just after the market opened last night and he might close shorter than what he is at now."
Chase Auckland will be driven again by Natalie Rasmussen, who said on the All Stars website, "The Sires Stakes heat on Friday is going to be a fascinating race and not just for the public. It will also be a major guide to us because there are a couple of questions we are looking forward to finding the answers to as well."
"Chase Auckland is my drive but this is is big test. It is one thing to be dealing to maiden and one win fields and another to line up against horses like in this field. He has the draw and I guess I would be using that otherwise I could end up locked up on the pegs but there will be quite a bit of movement in the race I would say."
The two win, unbeaten pacer has drawn handily in barrier two tonight, which will aid his chances in getting a handy spot early, with second favourite Spankem drawn to follow him through from the second line.
Spankem ($3.70) and The Devils Own ($4.20) both performed well in the 2yo Sires Stakes heats and final earlier in the year and are worthy second and third favourites.
The Devils Own ran a meritorious second behind Pats Delight two weeks ago at Addington in the second Sires Stakes Heat and will again be driven by stable driver Tim Williams.
Mark Purdon will take the reins on Spankem, who looks ready to run a big race, after a good third at the trials last week behind the Cran Dalgety trained Bonnie Joan.
All U Need Is Faith is the fourth runner from the stable and is fresh up from a win two weeks ago. He can not be discounted either. as he was not far behind The Devils Own and Spankem in the 2yo Sires Stakes series last year and looks to be a better horse this season.
Add in the Robert Dunn trained Alta Maestro, plus Aloka and a host of other top form horses and you get an intriguing race, full of quality and one of the best 3yo fields you could hope to see anywhere in the country.
Harnesslink Media