NZ HARNESS NEWS
Chase Auckland, a younger replica of former track great Auckland Reactor, completed the fairytale repeat of his sire’s win in the 2007 NRM NZ Sires Stakes Final when taking out the 2017 version in record time at Addington on Tuesday.
Auckland Reactor (1:51.4), like Chase Auckland, didn’t begin racing until a spring three-year-old.
Both sire and son won their race debuts a decade apart on the same day, September 16.
Auckland Reactor brilliantly overcame the outside front row draw of nine to win the Gr. 1 $184,000 NRM Sires Stakes 3YO Final at Addington in 2007 at his fifth start.
The son of Mach Three won his first 17 on end and retired winning 32 of 53 starts for $1.8 million in stakes.
Chase Auckland emulated his sire’s path, stretching his unbeaten run to four in the $170,000 NRM Sires Stakes Final.
Mark Purdon, who co-trained Auckland Reactor for his early racing with Grant Payne, selected Chase Auckland (from the first crop of Auckland Reactor) at the Australasian Classic Yearling Sales at Karaka.
From a two-win Falcon Seelster mare in Delicata, a sister to Tuesday’s fast class free-for-all runnerup Hug The Wind (1:56.3, 10 wins & $427,656), Chase Auckland was secured for $45,000 for the Alabar Racing Syndicate.
Purdon felt Chase Auckland had the closest resemblance to his sire of the yearlings he inspected.
He co-trains Chase Auckland with Rolleston training partner, Natalie Rasmussen, who reined Chase Auckland from the trail to complete the sire-son fairytale.
Chase Auckland dashed away in the run home to win untested by 2 and ¾ lengths in 2:16.1 for the 1950m, a sizzling 1:52.2 mile rate, and 0.4 of a second quicker than Ultimate Machete recorded for the Allstars stable in the race 12 months ago.
Rasmussen said Chase Auckland will keep getting better.
“He’s tough and quick. He has a bit of everything,” Rasmussen said.
Purdon was very confident Chase Auckland would deliver if he found room in the Sires Final.
“I said to Natalie if there was one horse that was a winner today it would be him. He was bucking and kicking in his paddock and was so well,” Purdon said.
Chase Auckland will now target the rich PGG Wrightson NZ Yearling Sales race at Auckland on New Year’s eve.
Purdon said one of the Australian Derby races is also in the pipeline for the unbeaten excitement machine.
Australasian Breeders Crown 2YO champ King Of Swing made a gallant attempt to lead throughout from the ace barrier in the Sires Stakes Final, but had Chase Auckland perfectly poised on his back.
He held the others by 2 ½ length for second with outsider Cullenburn from three back, running into third a further two and a half lengths away, with All U Need Is Faith, a stablemate of the winner, fourth after being parked early, then taking a one-one sit behind Pat’s Delight beginning the last lap.
Purdon said he wasn’t disappointed with second favourite Spankem being unable to finish closer than ninth.
“He was three out for the last lap and going the speed they were going he just couldn’t get to them,” Purdon said.
- NZ Harness News
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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