Selwyn_Times: September 21, 2022

Selwyn Times Wednesday September 21 2022
30
RACING
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Akuta wins in NZ Cup build-up
• By Jonny Turner
STAR three-year-old Akuta
unleashed speed and power to
take a big step towards the New
Zealand Cup with victory in the
Hannon Memorial on Sunday.
The pacer gave Rolleston-based
trainer-driver Mark Purdon a
huge reason continue forward
with his New Zealand Cup
nomination with a narrow but
emphatic win over his over rivals
in the Oamaru feature.
Usually a winner by much
bigger margins, Akuta showed
fighting qualities that could
come in very handy at the
business end of the hard fought
New Zealand Cup in his win by
a nose over a game Alta Wiseguy.
“The other horse had the perfect
run and he was always going
main thing was that he was safe Akuta’s agenda.
and he made a good beginning,” Said Purdon: “There is a threeyear-old
race for him coming
to be tough to beat, but I really
Purdon said.
admire this guy’s tenacity and
In frightening news for
up at the end of the month, so
the way he stuck to it,” Purdon
owners of three-year-olds in we will go that way if it goes
said.
the South Island, Purdon won’t ahead. There are other races like
Amid his brilliant victory, immediately aim Akuta at Ashburton and Kaikoura that we
sitting outside older rivals before another New Zealand Cup leadup
race.
Alta Wiseguy again boosted
have options on.”
beating them, Akuta stepped
away cleanly in his standing start The trainer instead has his eye his New Zealand Cup credentials
debut.
on the Lazarus Stakes, named running a very creditable second
And that only strengthens the after his former two-time New to Akuta following his recent
early hopes that the three-yearold
Zealand Cup champion.
New Brighton Cup win.
263
will be seen in November’s However,
x
races like the
180
Ashburton
Flying Stakes and the trained pacer made ground on
The Steve and Amanda Telfer-
New Zealand Cup.
“I was happy with him, the Kaikoura Cup remain on the Akuta when speeding along the
inner, coming up a nose short at
the line.
Pembrook Playboy, who was
fresh up on the back of two soft
trials, fought on for third after
leading throughout.
Purdon effectively turned the
Hannon Memorial meeting into
a one man show, taking out three
of four feature races.
He and training partner
Hayden Cullen produced Queen
Of Diamonds for a Nevele R
Fillies Series heat win, while
Purdon also drove I Dream Of
Jeanie to victory in the inaugural
FIGHT:
Akuta wins
the Hannon
Memorial at
Oamaru by
a nose on
Sunday.
running of the Jasmyn’s Gift
Stakes for trainer Sam Smolenski
The remaining feature victory
went to the Cran and Chrissie
Dalgety stable with Watermelon
Sugar in the Oamaru Juvenile
Stakes, which returned after a
25-year hiatus.
The last winner of the race in
1997, Hilarious Heather, was
prepared by the trainers’ father
and father-in-law, the late Jim
Dalgety.
• Dunn inducted into hall of
fame, page 32
– Harness Racing Desk
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