Racing: Purdon plans fresh assault

Had he stayed sound I Can Doosit would have helped Mark Purdon's premiership bid. Photo / Natalie Slade

Champion trainer Mark Purdon may be about to lose the national premiership but changes in his stable set-up could see him bounce back even stronger next season.

Purdon (113 wins) has won the past five premierships but is under attack from Cran Dalgety, who has significantly more firepower engaged in the last week of the season.

Dalgety trails by two and expects to start eight or nine horses this week, whereas Purdon will line up just two, at Rangiora on Sunday.

He says that makes Dalgety a slight favourite and while Purdon never sets out to win the premiership you can detect a slight rankle in his voice that he may lose it.

"I thought we had a good enough lead a month ago to hang on but it may not work out that way," he told the Herald.

"But it is never the first priority at the start of the season. The group races and winning money for the owners is, with the premiership being a nice bonus."

While Dalgety may train more winners than Purdon by season's end, Purdon is still the king of cash, with his charges having won more than $2.8 million in New Zealand this season and plenty more in Australia, compared with Dalgety's $1.2 million domestically.

Remarkably, Purdon's stable has averaged $2.94 million in domestic stake earnings over the past five seasons, with at least another $500,000 a season in Australian earnings.

That puts him in a different league from any other New Zealand horse trainer of either code but he is still refining his business.

The next change could make him even more potent domestically next season.

Purdon enters a training partnership with life partner Natalie Rasmussen from August 1 and wants to spend more time at his Rolleston base outside Christchurch.

"Ideally, I don't want to travel as much next season," he says.

"We have Ross Payne coming on board as foreman next season and he will do a lot of the travelling to places like Australia.

"Natalie and I will be based more at home getting horses ready and then campaigning them at the best venues for them after that.

"I think that will be best for the stable and for me personally too."

Rasmussen brings a different skill set to the partnership than Purdon and is a relentless worker so the prospect of the two training greats working even closer together is a daunting one for their rivals.

While many trainers struggle with maintaining large stables for a prolonged period, Purdon and Rasmussen will be able to boast a support team of not just Payne but top driver Blair Orange and there are no plans to cut back.

"We have a lot of good owners and want to do the best by them."

While he could be about to lose the premiership, Purdon has had some good news this week with stable star I Can Doosit reported to be recovering well from a season-ending operation.

Had thedual Interdominion champ stayed sound his extra couple of wins would have guaranteed Purdon another premiership but it appears he could race again by January. "The vet reports are good and he should be able to come back into work by September."

Meanwhile, one of the biggest contributors to Purdon's domestic haul is expected back in the winners' circle in Victoria tomorrow night.

Border Control has won five races in New Zealand this season but is campaigning in Victoria, where he was a slightly disappointing second in the Vicbred Final last start.

"But he has worked well since and I expect him to win his Breeders Crown heat at Kilmore," said Purdon.