By Michael Guerin
It wasn’t perfect but it was the next best thing.
Because while Akuta may not have won his comeback race at Alexandra Park on Friday he came out of the race with a big tick and trainers Mark and Nathan Purdon still came away with the win.
That was courtesy of Treacherous Baby, the stablemate of the hot favourite in the $20,000 World’s Best Hoof Oil Pace, the 1700m centrepiece of the Alex Park meeting.
Akuta was fresh up to the races after 20 months and what once seemed a career-ending injury and he peaked on his run in the last 100m to go down fighting in third.
Co-trainer and part-owner Mark Purdon was more than satisfied and had the bonus of watching Treacherous Baby peel off Akuta’s back to slingshot past leader You Little Beauty.
“She has been racing really well and was obviously a lot fitter than Akuta,” says Purdon.
“He had a really good blow after and blew up over his back.
“At this stage he will come back here in two weeks for a similar race then head south.”
Treacherous Baby will join Akuta in Canterbury as she is being set for the new series of mares races in the region, which are already looking a winner with the depth of talent they are attracting.
Earlier in the night the father-and-son stable also produced juvenile Georgie Best to win on debut even if things didn’t go to plan for him early.
He was forced to go back to near last but got the one-one a lap from home and sprinted like a good colt to down the talented Captain Moonlight.
“He is a nice horse, still with plenty to learn but a nice motor,” says Purdon.
The stable will have at least six horses in Canterbury from early next month, with Akuta and Treacherous Baby to be joined by Oscar Bonavena, juvenile Andretti and Chase A Dream.
Later in the night there was a huge thank you wave of the whip from Taitlyn Hanara when she won the main trot on Castana.
The emotion was because it was the 200th New Zealand training success for trainers Dave and Clare McGowan, Hanara’s long-time employers and biggest supporters.
