Racing: Star may soar across the Tasman

Fly Like An Eagle now ranks alongside Franco Hemmingway as the favourite for the $150,000 Young Guns Final on March 11. Photo / Thinkstock

Fly Like An Eagle is bucking harness racing's most prominent trans-tasman trends.

The 2-year-old in the hands of stable driver Blair Orange dashed away from his rivals on debut in the third heat of the Breckon Bloodstock Young Guns series at Alexandra Park last Friday, winning by nearly five lengths after leading.

He was the first of the Mark Purdon army of 2-year-olds to be unleashed this season and just for good measure Purdon provided the quinella for the event, with filly Veste overcoming an early gallop to finish second.

Purdon's 2-year-olds are always the most feared in harness racing and with good reason, but Fly Like An Eagle has a vastly different background to most of them and for that reason his major targets will be different as well.

He is not a graduate of the New Zealand yearling sales but was instead bought in Melbourne in February.

This is a reversal of the usual trend in harness racing in which Australian buyers spend up big at the New Zealand yearling sales and take our stock back to Australia where they dominate.

Purdon and close friend Neil Pilcher went to the Australian sales looking to buy stock of Art Major but couldn't find many that suited.

"But we came home with five yearlings anyway. In fact, we spent a bit more than we intended," he said.

Being bought in Melbourne means Fly Like An Eagle isn't eligible for the rich New Zealand Sales Series race but is in the running for the APG Sales Series.

That culminates in a A$300,000 final in Melbourne in May which, with the exchange rate, ranks as the second richest juvenile race in Australasia.

"That is the obvious aim for him," said Purdon.

"It is a lot of money and Mr Nickel [who also started last Friday] is eligible for the APG as well."

Purdon said while buying yearlings in Australia was an unusual experience, Fly Like An Eagle traced back to a good New Zealand family and was by Mach Three, sire of Purdon stars Auckland Reactor and Russley Rascal.

"It made sense to buy some over there because we were finding a lot of our best juveniles were all clashing in the same races.

"Whereas this horse and maybe some of the others can now be set for a different big race."

Fly Like An Eagle looks a natural and now ranks alongside Franco Hemmingway as the favourite for the $150,000 Young Guns Final on March 11.

"He would be the best of ours so far," said Purdon. "But we have about seven other juveniles in Canterbury ready to go as well and I like them as well.

"So we should have a decent crop."

Horses bought in Australia as yearlings and winning in New Zealand are extremely rare, but last Friday's premier meeting actually started with two. The Hayne Train, winner of the first race, was bought there and then sent to New Zealand to be trained by Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan.