For the first time since the pandemic, Mark and Barry Purdon will once again face off in Australia.

by Adam Hamilton

Down Under harness racing feels whole again.

The last lingering damage of the pandemic has subsided and the biggest names in New Zealand harness racing – two Hall of Famers – Mark and Barry Purdon have crossed the ditch to Australia to chase feature race riches.

In the modern era, the Purdon family has driven the Trans-Tasman rivalry.

And, for many, stirred some of the great rivalries and races in recent memory.

Long ago, Mark and Barry trained together, alongside their late, great father, Roy.

But over the past couple of decades, they have been rivals as such in so many major races across Australia and NZ.

Mark’s had megastars like Lazarus, Il Vicolo, Pride Of
Petite, Smolda, I Can Doosit, Adore Me, Amazing Dream and others.

Barry’s best includes champions like Chokin, Holmes DG, Christopher Vance, Luxury Liner and Diamond Field, to name just a few.

Aussie majors like the Miracle Mile, Hunter Cup and Chariots Of Fire were the “Purdon’s Playground” for so long.

Then along came the pandemic and, around the same time, a major reshaping of the racing calendar across Australia and NZ.

Sadly, the two countries drifted apart.

But a healthy Down Under harness industry wants —
no, absolutely needs — the intermingling. The Trans-Tasman rivalry.

It adds intrigue, adds tremendous and much-needed depth to our biggest races and stirs wonderful memories of great rivalries of years gone by.

And now it’s back.

It’s happening again and it feels like this is just beginning.

Mark was part of Melbourne’s big Nights Of Glory carnival recently. It’s the first time he has personally competed at that Melton carnival since 2020.

And, to the surprise of nobody, he almost weaved his magic and won the $500,000 Group 1 Hunter Cup with what looks to potentially be his next pacing superstar, 4-year-old Don’t Stop Dreaming.

Just a few weeks before the Hunter Cup, Don’t Stop Dreaming wasn’t even going to contest the race. His goal was the lesser 4YO Bonanza on the same night.

But an untimely and potentially career-ending injury to Mark’s top pacer Akuta, changed his plans.

“When Akuta didn’t go across, I thought it was worth putting Don’t Stop Dreaming in the big one and he went so close,” Mark said. “It was so good to be back in Victoria. It’s been such a big part of my career and some of the best times I’ve had in the sport have been across in Melbourne, going back to those Moonee Valley days [at the old Melbourne track].

“I’ve met so many great people over the years and hadn’t seen them for so long. I loved it.”

Don’t Stop Dreaming then headed straight to Sydney to chase more Group 1 glory.

Just seven days after the fantastic Hunter Cup second, he blitzed his rivals to win the Hondo Grattan Stakes at Menangle, which guaranteed him a spot in Australia’s biggest 4-year-old race, the $250,000 Group 1 Chariots Of Fire at Menangle on March 2.

Mark will further bolster his Sydney raid when 3-year-old We Walk By Faith heads across to chase the Group 1 NSW Derby, which starts with qualifying heats at Menangle on March 2.

But back to the Chariots Of Fire and, ironically, Mark’s biggest danger in the Chariots looks to be his fellow Kiwi, Merlin, who is trained by Barry, in partnership with Scott Phelan.

Merlin is booked on a flight from Auckland to Sydney on Sunday morning. He will try and book his spot in the Chariots Of Fire via the Paleface Adios Stakes at Menangle on Saturday (Feb. 24).

Barry has a confirmed Chariots competitor with his second-stringer, Sooner The Bettor, racing a terrific fourth to Don’t Stop Dreaming in the Hondo Grattan.

Merlin and Don’t Stop Dreaming already built a fascinating and spirited rivalry in NZ and will carry that to Menangle.

“It’s been a good rivalry and it’s still got some chapters to come,” Barry said. “It’s been great to see Don’t Stop Dreaming go over and do so well, especially getting so close to Leap To Fame, who is the benchmark horse. It shows the form stacks up and points to a good future for both young horses.

“I think Merlin has the qualities to take that step from being a top young horse to open-class. He won [at Auckland’s Alexandra Park] last Friday and needed the [race] too. He should be very, very close to his top by the time he lines up at Menangle.”

Barry is looking forward to crossing the ditch.

“It’s nice to be back on the circuit… we went through a stage where we had to send the right horses across to other trainers rather than take them ourselves,” he said. “[Going to the big Australian races] was such a big part of my life for so long.”

If Merlin and/or Don’t Stop Dreaming win or race extra well in the Chariots, one or both could get invites to Australia’s premier speed test, the $1mil Miracle Mile at Menangle on March 9.

And that would truly mark the return of the Purdon clan to the biggest Aussie stage.

Barry has won five Miracle Miles: Christopher Vance (1991), Chokin (1993 and ’94) and Holmes DG (1999 and 2000).

Mark won his first Miracle Mile with Have Faith In Me in 2016.

Could it be an omen that Have Faith In Me was a 4-year-old when he won it, just as Don’t Stop Dreaming is now?

He then added a second Miracle Mile victory with Spankem in 2019 when training in partnership with Natalie Rasmussen.

Adding a third on March 9 would be extra special now that he trains in partnership with son, Nathan, who looks destined to take over the stable in the coming years.