By Michael Guerin
Chase A Dream’s Queensland campaign is hanging by a thread.
The rollercoaster four-year-old didn’t thrill co-owner and trainer Mark Purdon with one of his below performances in a three-horse trial at Pukekohe on Tuesday.
Chase A Dream took on stablemates Rubira and comeback pacer Akuta in the 2050m mobile, with Purdon driving Chase A Dream and giving them a small start early to try and maximise the trial’s effectiveness.
He then looped the field to lead but was run down by Rubira, leaving Purdon pleased with that runner but perplexed by Chase A Dream, as has been the case more often that not this year.
“I wasn’t impressed,” was Purdon’s blunt assessment.
“I will sleep on it tonight after having a chat with Chris [Ryder, co-owner] and see what he thinks.
“If he was only going to Queensland for the Inter Dominion that trial wouldn’t be good enough to send him.
“But he has an invite to the Rising Sun on July 5 and it might not be anywhere as strong.
“So we will decide tomorrow.”
It is extremely rare for a Purdon-trained runner to be as erratic as Chase A Dream has proven this season.
On his best nights he has won the Waikato Flying Mile and finished second to Leap To Fame in the $1million Race by betcha but in stark contrast his other five starts this season have produced a 7th, 8th, two 9th placings and a 10th.
“We have had him checked out for everything physical, we have done chiropractic work on him and we really can’t find anything else wrong.
“So it is a very tricky one.”
Purdon says Rubira will definitely still head to Brisbane via Sydney on Sunday to compete in the best three-year-old races at the winter carnival while stablemate Oscar Bonavena will be on the same flight to target the A$500,000 Inter Dominion Trotting Final on July 19.
Purdon was pleased with Akuta’s first public appearance since December 2023 in Tuesday’s trial but the muscular son of Bettors Delight will now head to the paddock as part of a in-and-out rehabilitation from a tendon issue.
“The vets seem to think that is the best way to handle those sort of issues these days, bring them up to near full speed then ease off them and do it again,” explains Purdon.
“He seems good at this stage so he can have another break now and hopefully come back for the second half of the season.”
