The Star: January 13, 2022

Thursday January 13 2022 The Star
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
SPORT 29
Budding champion off to solid start
• By Joshua Smith
A NELSON pitstop has proven
fruitful for exciting pacer Akuta.
The threeyear-old
colt is on his
way north
to tackle the
Listed NZB
Standardbred
Harness Million
3yo colt
Mark Purdon
and gelding
final (2200m)
next month and Rolleston-based
trainers Mark Purdon and
Hayden Cullen thought the Nelson
Pine Nelson Classic
FFA (1609m) on Sunday was
an ideal starting point for their
charge.
The standout juvenile of last
season was sent out a $1.40 favourite
following three pleasing
trials and he duly delivered for
punters after a textbook drive by
Blair Orange.
Akuta’s victory pleased cotrainer
and part-owner Mark
Purdon who had to watch the
race on his phone en route to
Southland.
“I was on my way down to
Invercargill but I was thrilled,”
Purdon said.
“I pulled over and watched
the race on my phone and I
was thrilled with the way
Blair handled him and the way
he won.
“He is very exciting and I
have been thrilled with his
training and preparation for
this.”
While Purdon was pleased
with Akuta’s training, finding
a suitable starting point for his
campaign proved more difficult,
but he was pleased to land on the
Nelson FFA on his way north to
Auckland.
“I have been concerned with
trying to find a race for him with
his 66 rating, but this worked out
perfect,” Purdon said.
“I like starting a horse out
over a short distance first-up,
it doesn’t knock the stuffing
out of them.
“It worked out well with this
free-for-all being on his way
north.”
Purdon is looking forward to
heading to Auckland himself
next month for the inaugural
Harness Millions night, which
follows a similar structure to
the Karaka Millions twilight
meeting in the thoroughbred
code.
“We have got the race on
February 12th (Harness Millions)
and I did want to give him
a couple of runs at Auckland
before we take that big one on.
The plan is working perfectly so
far,” Purdon said.
Purdon purchased the son of
Bettor’s Delight out of Broadfield
Lodge’s 2020 New Zealand
Bloodstock Standardbred
National Yearling Sale draft
for $170,000 and stayed in for a
share with well-known owner
Ian Dobson.
“He ticked all the boxes – good
conformation, a good head and
eye on him. He was well put
together,” Purdon said.
“Ian (Dobson) wanted me to
come in on a couple of other
horses in earlier years and we
were committed elsewhere but
when I purchased the horse he
said: ‘If I take him Mark you
better come in too’. It has worked
out well.”
– Harness News Desk
Tricky greens give home advantage
• By Chris Barclay
CAROLE STEELE likens golf’s
Boyle Cup to the Ranfurly
Shield, an apt comparison as
holders Charteris Bay zero in on
matching the province’s famed
rugby side’s achievement from
1982-85.
With 17 challengers denied
this tenure, and another six on
the cards following a ballot draw
in March, the experienced fivestrong
women’s team is close to
emulating Canterbury’s streak
of 25 log o’ wood defences under
coach Grizz Wyllie.
Had Covid-19 not intervened
in 2020, Charteris Bay might
have already been on the
brink of eclipsing that mark as
they missed hosting another
half-dozen opponents at the
picturesque course.
Christchurch, who introduced
the inter-club challenge
trophy in 1914, Everglades,
Rangiora, Coringa, Russley
and Waimakariri Gorge were
beaten last year as Charteris Bay
dropped only 4.5 matches from a
possible 30.
They started the reign by
beating Greendale in April,
2018, with Steele, the senior
player at 81-years-old, citing
home course advantage for their
prolonged success in the match
play format.
The greens can be deceiving
when putting towards the
harbour, while the nine-hole
layout’s terrain can also catch
visitors unawares.
“In reality, we’ve only got one
funny little bunker. There are no
real hard things on the course
but people don’t find it easy,”
Steele said.
“It’s the greens and the fact
it is undulating . . . people do
find that quite daunting when
they’re used to flat courses. It’s
HOLDERS: The Charteris
Bay Boyle Cup team aims
to retain the trophy they
claimed in 2018 through
another calendar of fixtures
in 2022. Chris Brodie holds
the silverware before (from
left) Denise Whitbread, Julie
Sims, Alice Lewis and Carole
Steele.
a physical test, the course does
keep us up to scratch fitnesswise.”
Steele, after all, has no plans to
retire, nor do Denise Whitbread,
the youngest team member at
68, Julie Sims, Alice Lewis and
captain Chris Brodie.
Continuity is another factor
with personnel changes kept to
a minimum with Sharon Screen
now playing for Tai Tapu and
Nicky Coop on call if required as
a reserve.
Although Charteris Bay’s
team is made up of
superannuitants, Steele clarified
the Boyle Cup is not a mastersstyle
competition.
“We haven’t got anyone else to
choose from,” she laughed.
“There’s only 15 active playing
ladies and some of them are
older than me.”
Steele was farming in Port
Levy when she joined the club 48
years ago.
“Back then a group of us
girls said: ‘Let’s go and try
this silly game called golf’,
and I’m still there. I love it,” she
said.
Steele was a golfing novice
when Charteris Bay fashioned
a sequence of 34 defences in the
1970s; their previous tenure only
lasted a couple of games about
seven years ago so they’re keen
for this stretch to last as long as
possible.
“We say it’s the Ranfurly
Shield of Canterbury ladies golf,”
she said.
“It’s a prestigious trophy, very
special.”