There was class personified when some of the biggest names in Australasian harness racing flew into Melbourne from Queensland winter campaigns this week.
Heading the list was the next superstar for the powerful New Zealand All Stars stables, three-year-old gelding Self Assured (Bettors Delight-Star of Venus (Christian Cullen), who is unbeaten in six race starts.
Two of his Kiwi stablemates in Princess Tiffany (Art Major-Dancing Diamonds (Bettors Delight) and Jesse Duke (Bettors Delight-Daisy Dundee (In The Pocket) also made the trip.
Boom Victorian colt Lochinvar Art (Modern Art-Ponder In Paris (Ponder), possibly the best Australian juvenile going around at the moment, was also on the plane south.
The quartet were all air freighted from Brisbane.
Check out the composure of Lochinvar Art and Jesse Duke arriving at Melbourne airport here:
https://www.facebook.com/laura.crossland.965/videos/10219563655342554/?t=10
https://www.facebook.com/laura.crossland.965/videos/10219563656222576/?t=0
David Moran, partner of trainer Laura Crossland, said Lochinvar Art had enjoyed a few days off in a grass paddock before making the trip home.
"We left him with some friends of ours in Kylie Rasmussen and Darren Weeks and he looks a picture. The short lay-off has done him wonders," Moran said.
Lochinvar Art was sensational in two runs at Albion Park, finishing runner-up both times to Self Assured in the $31,600 South East Derby G3 (July 13) and then the $100,000 Group 1 Queensland Derby.
"He needed the run on the first night, but he showed he was cherry ripe with an amazing performance to hang in there in the Derby which was run in race record time," Moran said.
"Both Laura and I believe that effort wasn't far off being his best-ever run in his 25 career starts," he said.
"And after all that, he pulled up unbelievably. He reminds me a bit of the old-school horses – he's so tough, he's got a big heart and just gives it his all."
Lochinvar Art at the beach with Alex Alchin
Self Assured recorded a mile rate of 1.54-2 for the 2680m Derby with closing quarters of 26.7 and 27.1. To put it into perspective, the time was only 0.5sec slower than that of Colt Thirty One who took out the Group 1 Blacks A Fake – a Grand Circuit event – at the same meeting.
Lochinvar Art, Our Princess Tiffany and Jesse Duke will now campaign in the coming Breeders Crown Series, kicking off at Ballarat on August 9. Semis will be run at Bendigo eight days later with the $200,000 final at Melton on August 24.
Self Assured, owned by Jean Feiss, is not Breeders Crown eligible so is heading home to New Zealand, to prepare for his next campaign – the All Stars website confirming a nomination for the Alexandra Park Inter Dominion is likely.
"He will fly out to Auckland soon and spend time on agistment. We aim to have him back up and going in November," Purdon said
Purdon and his partner Rasmussen are currently taking a short holiday on the famous Gold Coast, before also heading "back to work".
"We always try and pencil in a break after a major carnival, otherwise it's so difficult to get away. We cut our numbers back to 40 after the Jewels and our next focus is on the new season."
The recent victory was Purdon's 182nd Group One as a winning driver and his 100th as a trainer.
Terry Gange
NewsAlert PR Mildura