By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk
The draws haven’t done him any favours but Marketplace will start a commanding favourite in Friday night’s $200,000 Group 1 New Zealand Sires’ Stakes 3YO Colts and Geldings Final (9.34pm).
The Final is the feature on a big night of Group and Listed races at Addington that includes the Group 2 Ricoh Bionic Chance 2YO Fillies Bracelet, the Group 3 Sport Nation – NZ 2YO Trotting Stakes, the NZB Standardbred Uncut Gems Aged Trotters Classic, the Rico Lodge Uncut Gems Mares’ Classic and the Betavet Uncut Gems Geldings and Entires Classic.
Marketplace, the Regan Todd-trained gelding who’s been widely hailed as harness racing’s next big star, will start from the outside of the second row in the Group 1 feature over 1980 metres. Despite that, such has been his dominance of late, he is still at a $1.28 quote with the TAB.
He has won nine from 15 overall including his seven length romp in last month’s Woodlands Stud Northern Derby which he won in a new New Zealand 2700 metre (Mobile) record of 3:14.7.
His two key rivals on Friday night Bettors Anvil ($4.60FF) and 7 Got The Chocolates ($6.50 FF) have both drawn the front row.
Those three clearly dominate the market with the sole Purdon-trained runner Five Crowns, who is drawn one the second line, next at $31.
That would have once been unthinkable seeing as Mark Purdon is gunning for his 11th consecutive training success in the Group 1.
With Mark now at Matamata and Nathan based at Pukekohe the Purdon stable is not the force it once was when it swept all before them especially in lucrative age group features but their history in this race is undeniable.
Purdon has driven six of those winners – Il Vicolo (1994), Jack Cade (2001), Auckland Reactor (2007), Lazarus (2015), It’s All About Faith (2020), and Franco Indie (2021) as has former partner Natalie Rasmusssen. She won four in a row with her successes being with Chase A Dream (2024), Don’t Stop Dreaming (2023), One Change (2019), Ultimate Sniper (2018), Chase Auckland (2017) and Ultimate Machete (2016).
Of Purdon’s 10 training successes he’s had seven in partnership with Rasmussen, two with son Nathan (Chase A Dream and Don’t Dreaming) and one with Hayden Cullen (Franco Indie).
The only victory where Purdon and Rasmussen weren’t driving was in 2014 when Have Faith In Me prevailed for then stable driver Tim Williams. It was a Purdon- Rasmussen trained trifecta though with Hug The Wind and Alta Orlando running second and third.
There were a number of stable quinellas along the way with Franco Indie and Franco Mac (2021), Chase A Dream and We Walk By Faith (2024), Don’t Stop Dreaming and Sinbad (2023), Ultimate Sniper and Jesse Duke (2018), Ultimate Machete and More The Better (2016) and Lazarus and Chase The Dream (2015).
Of the Purdon runners Ultimate Sniper recorded the fastest time over Friday’s distance of 1980 metres. He won in 2018 in 2:19.0. When it was a 1950 metre race it was Chase Auckland with the race record, with 2:16.1.
Now Marketplace (and the likes of Bettors Anvil and Got The Chocolates) get their chance to become the first non-Purdon trained horse to win the race since the mighty Tiger Tara in 2013. He beat six Purdon stablemates that day and went on to win 37 races and nearly $2.5m in stakes.
To see Addington’s fields on Friday click here
