Mark Purdon aims for double success in Cambridge slot races

Oscar Bonavena (outer, blue), seen here beating Just Believe in November, will contest tonight's $1 million Race by Betcha at Cambridge. Photo / Supplied

• Mark Purdon has runners in both slot races at Cambridge: Oscar Bonavena and Chase A Dream.
• Both horses need to come from off the speed to challenge the Australian favourites.
• Purdon believes Oscar Bonavena is his best chance, hoping for a fast pace to aid their strategy.

At least Mark Purdon knows it can be done.

The genius trainer of New Zealand harness racing proves just how bad he is at being semi-retired by having runners in both slot races at Cambridge tonight: Oscar Bonavena in the $600,000 TAB Trot and target="_blank">Chase A Dream in the $1 million Race by Betcha.

He co-trains both with son Nathan and the two horses, who are at different ends of their careers, face a similar challenge tonight. Both are expected to have to come from off the speed to run past the all-conquering Australians.

Oscar Bonavena looks likely to be midfield at best in the TAB Trot with Purdon loath to rush him off the gate from barrier three because of his hit-and-miss mobile manners.

Chase A Dream has drawn one on the second line with the best Purdon can hope for in the pace being three deep on the markers with Don Hugo being attacked to create late gaps.

Both horses swooped to win their warm-up Flying Miles last Friday and in the brief history of the big-money slot races at Cambridge, Purdon is the only driver to come from back in the field at the bell to win one.

He came from last to win the first running of the Pace with Self Assured in 2022. The subsequent two editions were won by the leader Copy That in 2023 and Merlin coming out of the one-one last year.

The only running of the TAB Trot saw Just Believe sit parked last year to beat the leader, with the elite horses usually making Cambridge feel smaller than most 1000m tracks.

“I’d love to be able to use Oscar early from barrier three but I really don’t think it is the best thing to do with some of the issues he has had early in some mobile races this season,” said Purdon.

“He is at his most potent when driven for speed so I hope they go hard early and we get a sit handy to them.

“He can definitely win because he is really well.”

Chase A Dream benefited from a tougher training regime last week to improve dramatically but his task, and that of all the horses who get back in the Race by Betcha, is a daunting one.

Not only do they have to hope for a brutal pace to soften the leaders up but for gaps on a track that rarely sees the best fields break up over 2200m and a home straight that will disappear below their hooves quickly.

If Purdon is going to become the first driver to win two Cambridge slot races, Oscar Bonavena is by far his best chance of pulling it off.

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.