Selwyn Times: October 20, 2021

Selwyn Times Wednesday October 20 2021
28
SPORT
TOP HARNESS racing trainers
Mark Purdon and Natalie
Rasmussen will be back as a
team from January 1.
Purdon and Rasmussen announced
last November they
were taking a break from training.
Then stable foreman Hayden
Cullen taking over their famous
All Stars property at Rolleston.
Purdon officially returned to
the training ranks with Cullen
in a short-term partnership two
weeks ago.
Now he has announced Rasmussen
will partner him in the
training ranks from January 1,
and Cullen will revert to stable
foreman from that point.
Cullen has filled the void
admirably with Purdon and
Rasmussen helping out with
training and the majority of
the big-race driving around the
major carnivals.
Said Purdon: “It has worked
really well for us because it has
given both Nat and I the chance
to have a break and re-fresh,
which was the idea all along.
“I’m so glad we did it. As soon
as we stopped training full-time
we realised how exhausted we
were and how time poor we had
been.
“But we have had a great break
and we are ready to get back into
it.
“That coincided with Hayden
and Amanda (Cullen’s wife)
coming to us and suggesting
they would love to have us back
because with summer coming
up, a big team and how hard it
can be to get staff it was going to
be a huge challenge for them to
do all the horse’s justice.
“Nat and I talked about it and
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Top trotting trainers to join forces again
TEAMWORK: Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen will be back training together in
January.
PHOTO: RACE IMAGES
think the time is right to come
back but with Hayden having
done all the hard work over winter
getting the horses ready we
don’t want to go straight back to
it being Nat and I training.
“So it will be Hayden and I
training together until January 1
so he can get the rightful credit
for any results we have at the
big carnivals coming up and
then Nat and I will be back in
partnership from January 1 and
Hayden and Amanda back as
crucial members of the team.”
Purdon, who is now 57, says
the break from racing has taught
him and Rasmussen to approach
it differently in the next phase of
their career.
“We are looking forward to
getting back to it and we have
some exciting horses but we have
also learned a lot about taking
breaks.
“I think that is really important
in winter when there are
going to be fewer major races to
take some time away and even
on a really rainy day when we
decide the horses won’t be fast
worked to let the horses have a
jog day and not need to be at the
stables all day, every day.
“Having the break has been
great for us both though and we
have no regrets and we are also
proud of the job Hayden and his
team have done this year.”
The return means Purdon will
be in charge of Self Assured’s
defence of the IRT New Zealand
Cup in November as well as
overseeing the stable’s elite
young horses including Jewels
winners Akuta, Bettor Twist and
A Bettor You.
“Akuta won’t be back racing
until Christmas or later but
Bettor Twist, A Bettor You and
maybe even True Fantasy could
go to Victoria for the Breeders
Crown, although I think the
Victoria Oaks will come up too
soon for Bettor Twist.”
– Harness Racing Desk
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