Purdons Hoping To Plunder Harness Million Titles
9 October 2025
Mark and Nathan Purdon may now be based in the North Island, but they have returned south in a bid to plunder the big prizemoney on offer in the NZB Standardbred Harness Million at Addington Raceway on Friday.
Their charge will be led in the $150,000 NZB Standardbred Harness Million 2YO Fillies Mobile Pace (1980m) where they will have a three-pronged attack courtesy of Shezsofast (NZ) (Vincent), River (NZ) (Bettor’s Delight), and Wat Next (NZ) (Art Major).
Last-start Group One Caduceus Club 2YO Fillies Classic (2200m) victor Shezsofast will be hunting a hat-trick of wins, and Nathan Purdon is hopeful she will be able to overcome her outside draw in the eight-horse field.
“She has been going well,” he said. “Even though she has drawn the outside of the gate, she has got that bit of class there to overcome it if it is run right.”
Stablemate River has drawn more favourably in one, while TAB bookmakers have marked Wat Next as an early $2.45 fixed odds favourite for Friday’s fillies feature.
“River is a little bit of an underdog, her work has been really good and she has always promised that she is going to be a nice filly,” Purdon said. “I think she can run a big race from the one, she is one I would keep pretty close.
“Wat Next is a nice filly but she just lacks the ringcraft of the other two. She will be looking for shortcuts and running home.”
Later on the card, Special Occasion (NZ) (Captaintreacherous) will be the stable’s sole representative in the $200,000 Listed NZB Standardbred Harness Million 6 2YO C&G Mobile Pace (1980m).
He weakened to finish last at Addington Raceway last Friday, but Purdon said he didn’t handle the wet track conditions.
“You have to put a line through last week,” he said. “His work last week was really good and on Monday he trained and he worked super.
“When Dad came in he said he felt like he didn’t handle the track, which is obviously abnormal when you have got the standardbreds, you hear it a lot in the thoroughbred world.
“Dad said there have been a few over his time that don’t go at all (on wet tracks), and he said that is the way he felt on the night, he never travelled at all throughout the race.”
The stable will also be hunting Group One success with NZB Standardbred graduates Rubira (NZ) (Always B Miki) and Midnight Miki (NZ) (Always B Miki) in the Dakins Group 3YO Flying Stakes (1980m).
“Rubira is a horse that keeps on getting better and better,” Purdon said. “Marketplace (NZ) (Bettor’s Delight) is still the headline act and he is going to take a lot of beating, alongside Got The Chocolates (NZ) (Art Major) too. He has got the right draw (1) to capitalise again, and I think he is where he needs to be to be able to win the race.
“Midnight Miki is going to need luck and a strong tempo. One thing with Got The Chocolates in the race, you know you are going to have a hot tempo. He is the sort of horse that if he got the right trip he won’t be far off them.”
| Draw | Horse | Vendor | Purchaser | Breeders | Sale | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | River (NZ) (Bettor's Delight xLady Gilpin) | Dancingonmoonlight Ltd, | Mrs JL Feiss | Dancingonmoonlight Limited | 2024 National Standardbred Yearling Sale,Christchurch ($80,000) | Mrs J L Feiss |
| 2 | Smackdown (NZ) (Downbytheseaside-Lady Smack) | Woodlands Stud (NZ) Ltd / Hollis & Robertson Equine Services | Jordash Breeding Trust | Charles Joseph Limited | 2023 National Weanling Sale ($45,000) / 2024 National Standardbred Yearling Sale, Karaka ($70,000) | H R Kaplan, Mrs S F Kaplan, R J Dawe, M G Wrigley, Off N Racing Smackdown Syndicate, S J Reid |
| 3 | Wat Next (NZ) (Art Major-Wat A Woman) | Studholme Bloodstock Ltd | Mark and Nathan Purdon Racing | Studholme Bloodstock Limited | 2024 National Yearling Sale, Chirstchurch ($50,000) | S J Byrne, S R Thompson, B R Irvine, J C T Cutler, M N Frost, M W Frost, M J W Skilling, M T Pratt |
| 4 | Larissa Lily (NZ) | Ms D Harrison | Stonewall Stud Ltd | Miss D L Harrison, J P Mathers | 2024 National Standardbred Yearling Sale, Christchurch ($23,000) | Stonewall Stud Ltd, Stonewall Stud No.22 Syndicate, We Three Syndicate, Always 'B' Syndicate |
| 5 | Cool For Cats (NZ) (Always B Miki-Bunter's Dream) | Belmont Park | Diamond Racing Stables | W E Bain, Mrs P M Bain | 2024 National Standardbred Yearling Sale, Christchurch ($14,000) | Westview Racing No.26 Syndicate, Fitzgerald Family Syndicate, The Witches Of Westview No.2 Syndicate, Unhinged Racing Syndicate |
| 6 | War Cry (NZ) (Lazarus-Thirsty Thursday) | Alabar NZ | Montana Park Pty Ltd | Alabar (NZ) Ltd | 2023 National Weanling Sale, Karaka ($21,000) | Montana Park Pty Ltd |
| 7 | Bettor Belle (NZ) ( Bettor's Delight-Ideal Belle) | Studholme Bloodstock Limited | Kentuckiana Lodge Ltd | Charles Joseph Limited | 2024 National Yearling Sale, Christchurch ($95,000) | Charles Joseph Limited, G P Merlo, Chanelle Dickie, S M Higgs, Mrs A Schollum, Ms J M Banks, R T Murdoch, S G Pulley, Bee Buzz Apiaries Limited |
| 8 | Shezsofast (NZ) ( Vincent(AUS)-River Polka) | P. B. Fleming | Mark and Nathan Purdon Racing | P B Fleming | 2024 National Yearling Sale, Karaka ($35,000) | J A Gibbs MNZM, Mrs A Gibbs, J R Fairweather, S J Dobson |