RaceCafe..#1...Tipsters Thread.... Share Your Fancies For Fun...Lets See Who The Best Tipsters Here Are.
Gruff

Orange agent

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She was always going to find it difficult with the bad draw and the sticky ground on race night. McKendry didn't help by staying at the back, Nast's drive on Fight for Glory was superb .The writing was on the wall for horses coming from back in the field after the 1st race when Code Black face the breeze and Cash N Flow failed to  pick him up. Also as the night wore on it was horses on the rails that were the better chances. High Gaits's run was the exception.

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Those who piled on the orange agent would of been pulling their hair out,put rasmussen on it wins by 4.......i dont punt harness for obvious reasons

 

Er, you do realise, don't you, that Maurice McKendry has driven 3000+ winners?  The fact is TOA was always going to need a lot of luck from the draw, regardless of who drove her.  When Fight For Glory settled 2-3 lengths in front of her, the task got tougher still. 

 

And yet TOA actually had every chance.  She did no work and got a great run up in the 3-wide train, but in the end couldn't even get past Democrat Party or Linda Lovegrace, never mind the winner.  On the night, she just wasn't good enough.  A certainty beaten due to poor driving she most definitely was not.

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Yes he has been a great driver, but you have to admit his best days are well behind him, his drive on Shandel was abysmal and how the horse managed to hold onto 4th was amazing, he has a great strike rate as a trainer does McKendry and when he lines them up they always go well but his driving just lets them down lately.

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Er, you do realise, don't you, that Maurice McKendry has driven 3000+ winners?  The fact is TOA was always going to need a lot of luck from the draw, regardless of who drove her.  When Fight For Glory settled 2-3 lengths in front of her, the task got tougher still. 

 

And yet TOA actually had every chance.  She did no work and got a great run up in the 3-wide train, but in the end couldn't even get past Democrat Party or Linda Lovegrace, never mind the winner.  On the night, she just wasn't good enough.  A certainty beaten due to poor driving she most definitely was not.

 

 

I'm going to make an exception and contribute just the once to this subject on the harness forum. 

 

You simply couldn't be more wrong Basil. Every statement you made is not only incorrect,it's a million miles from reality. I've watched harness racing all over the world and McKendry's drive on The Orange Agent last night was without doubt the worst I've ever seen on a favourite in a Group One race in either code. It makes Shane Dye's ride on Veandercross in the 1992 Caulfield Cup look like a very minor error of judgment.

 

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/horseracing/glamour-boy-dye-copped-the-short-end-of-the-whip-20120818-24f53.html

 

Rightly or wrongly I believe The Orange Agent is not only the best three year old filly in NZ,she is the best by a considerable distance. She is the fasted without doubt and is an even better stayer than sprinter. I'm not sure most people appreciate just how good she is.

 

Last week she showed that in the Nevele R Final. A very good controlled front running drive by Maurice McKendry allowed her to dominate that race. Winning a high value three year old filly race is a big deal. A much bigger deal if you're not part of the All Stars. Winning such a race when you are going up against multiple All Stars runners is extremely difficult. Not only can one or more be sacrificed to hurt you they also know one will hand up to each other VERY easily and control the race. That is huge. Knowing the stablemate will gift you the lead without even having to quicken up is such a massive advantage over the rest of the field. It's got so absurd that if I owned The Orange Agent I'd either transfer her to the All Stars ala Frith or sell her for huge money.

 

Not only did The Orange Agent dominate the Nevele R she did so in a manner that didn't allow any part of the Purdon machine to get close enough to give her grief. Breaking the All Stars dominance in such a race was enormous. That race was over 1950. Last nights Oaks was over a much more suitable distance of 2600. That favoured The Orange Agent more than any other horse in the race. Yes her wide draw meant she would need to work for the front but more is being made of that than need be. No horse drawn inside The Orange Agent could hold the front from her. They all knew only too well you can't hold out a front running horse who is easily the best stayer in the race unless you are not intending being involved in the finish.I was as certain as I could be that the All Stars runner Classical Art would lead from her draw. I was equally sure she had virtually no hope of winning the race but was an outside place hope. Not a big stretch to see her role as being for one of two "other" reasons. Number one was hold the front from The Orange Agent for as long as possible and make that runner work very hard or option two hand up easily to Fight For Glory if it was her that came calling. There is always more than one option with the All Stars and they always have all the options covered.

 

Maurice McKendry has driven 3000+ winners but that counted for zero last night. Robbie Close would have got The Orange Agent home in the Oaks in my opinion. I honestly believe that. She's that good and that much better than the rest.

 

M.M had two options at the start. Go for the front which always had to be option one. The second option was to get handy and look for cover. Whatever M.M did he had to stay in front of Fight For Glory. He did neither. He gave away The Oaks at the start of the race. Is there a bigger sin in the game? He conceded defeat and made it 100% impossible to win the race. That is why I say it is the worst drive on a fav in a Group One race I've ever seen in 40+ years in the game. I would have thought the Group One Oaks would have been the biggest target for the season.

 

Not sure why you say Fight For Glory settled "two to three lengths in front of The Orange Agent".?  Go to the link below. 1.33 into the replay shows a distance closer to twenty lengths. Adore Me and Beautide could never have caught Fight For Glory from back there.  

 

McKendry's decision to tail off early is the most perplexing tactic / decision I've ever witnessed in a group race. He knew Fight For Glory would be well in front of him. He also knew Classical Art would "gift" the lead to stablemate Fight For Glory the very moment she came calling.  So why did M.M drive The Orange Agent like he did? I'm convinced the answer to that question is fear. He's come off second best to the Purdon machine hundreds of times over the decades and that fact lives in him to the point he expects it. That at least allows him to control the frustration and disappointments. The Purdon machine will allow the likes of Hughie Green and The Orange Agent to have picket fence type form line in the lead up races but Group Ones are a different ball game especially when they have multiple runners. 

 

The track conditions can often be an equalizer when there is rain about but The Orange Agent was not adversely effected any more than other runners. The way she ran her last half highlights that fact. 

 

People are saying the drive by Natalie was magnificent. Really? For me it was a positive drive on a very good horse who she knew would be gifted the front. A very good drive yes. A magnificent drive? mmmm.

 

I'm astonished that anyone who knows harness racing could watch that race and say The Orange Agent was simply not good enough and how she was definitely not beaten due to a poor drive. Equally how can anyone say The Orange Agent had every chance?  You can't be serious?

 

Earth to Basil...come in Basil.

 

The Orange Agent did get a drag into the race but Fight For Glory was so far in front she had 0% chance of catching her. She was six lengths off Fight For Glory turning for home and finished under two lengths from her at the finish. Can you show me one horse that has made up over four lengths on Fight For Glory in the home straight all season please? The Orange Agent did that on a slushy track FFS.

 

The Orange Agent did run in on Democrat Party late in the piece and that cost her about half a length. More than just a tad ironic that it was Democrat Party.

 

Go back to the Group One Sires Stakes Final at Auckland in January. The Orange Agent was favourite. Again M.M was stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea. Didn't know if he should go back or forward. He was outplayed again by the Purdon machine. Tried to drive The Orange Agent way too pretty and it totally backfired. Zac Butcher a talented, young and hungry driver pushed The Orange Agent wide just as she was starting her run with Supersonic Miss with a round to go. Yes that was against the rules but was predictable. The Purdon machine took control of the race and the best horse in the field The Orange Agent was left fighting for the scraps.

 

M.M and Hughie Green dominated the lead up races to Sires Stakes Final in November at Addington. He came up against the Purdon machine in a Group One they really wanted and had multiple runners engaged. M.M tried a one dimensional handlebars down drive in a major race against multiple All Star's runners. They ran first,second and third as per usual. Hughie Green finished up in the infield.

 

http://harness.hrnz.co.nz/gas/wa/r/infohorsewahr/wsd01x?Arg=hrnzg-Ptype&Arg=RaceVideo&Arg=hrnzg-RacehdrID&Arg=205924

 

 

This the link to last nights Oaks.

 

http://harness.hrnz.co.nz/gas/wa/r/infohorsewahr/wsd01x?Arg=hrnzg-Ptype&Arg=RaceVideo&Arg=hrnzg-RacehdrID&Arg=210034

 

 

I'm extremely confident The Orange Agent will win the 3 year old Diamond at the upcoming Jewels regardless of where she is drawn. M.M will be have nightmares about his drive in the Oaks and will drive her to win the Jewels and she will do so very easily. The yours for theirs price she's now paying on the NZ TAB is money for old rope. Get on! Then what?

 

I believe Maurice McKendry is no longer the right man to steer The Orange Agent. I'm sure if he and Bunty were not good mates he would have already got the drag. If they want the best for the horse then they must do what Bruce Harpley has done with Frith. Either transfer the horse into the care of the Purdon machine or engage a driver like Dexter Dunn for all her future racing. Maurice McKendry has been a superb driver for many years. He's very competitive and I'm sure he can carry on driving many more winners for years to come but not in the big races and most definitely not against the all conquering All Stars. If you can't beat them,join them. Ironically McKendry's experience against those colours is hindering him,not helping him. I'd love to see other trainers beating the All Stars in the big age group races but that has more to do with me wanting everyone to have a fair piece of the pie. 

 

The draw did not beat The Orange Agent in the Oaks. The fear of Maurice McKendry beat The Orange agent. Harsh but in my opinion 100% correct.

 

If you owned the best filly / mare in NZ and were very keen to get the very best out of her who would you want driving her in Group One races?

 

1) Dexter Dunn

2) Mark Purdon

3) Natalie Rasmussen 

4) Zac Butcher

5) Maurice McKendry

 

 

When it comes to dominating and controlling races I will leave you with an example. Group One Cardigan Bay Stakes for 100k.

 

Lazarus drawn one and driven by Mark. A massive advantage over his excellent stablemate Chase The Dream in five driven by his partner Natalie. 

 

Lazarus handed up to Natalie with a round to go. He did so VERY easily. That without doubt lost him the race and won it for his partner. Can somebody please show me a race in the last 25 years where Mark Purdon has gifted the lead to a non stablemate with a round to go in a Group One race? He did so here without even raising an eye brow. This happened on Auckland Cup night right under everyone's nose. If you watch how it unfolded it was clearly a contrived move. Natalie was certain the lead was there for her and Mark only looked up as she was passing him to take the lead. I felt this action made a mockery of it being a sought after Group One juvenile race. If you had a very nice young horse what hope have you got of beating the All Stars when this is seen as being completely acceptable? Watch the action with a round to go and at the finish and then try and tell me gifting the lead to Chase The Dream did not cost Lazarus the race. License to print money. If you can't beat em......

 

 

http://harness.hrnz.co.nz/gas/wa/r/infohorsewahr/wsd01x?Arg=hrnzg-Ptype&Arg=RaceVideo&Arg=hrnzg-RacehdrID&Arg=209281

 

I will avoid reading any response to my input as I'm sure the usual lurkers will be nearby and I value my sanity more these days. I can just picture their hilariously funny comments about how many words I used etc.  

 

 

Jewels will be a huge day. Can't wait. I honestly believe it is the best chance punters get all year to clean up. Even more so than Cup day. Do your homework and win a hat full. 

 

 

Good luck all.

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Always the classic response brushy,the fact is someone that experienced shouldnt make errors of judgement on near certs. Natalie is successful because she does her homework on her competition and knows when to make her run particularly in relation to tempo. Ballsup,your only

As good as your last drive

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BWD... Interesting post re TOA, not sure if she copped the track to be honest- certainly made it even more difficult when settling of the pace.

Wasn't as bad a drive as stated IMHO, drive on Lazarus was worse..... Why wouldn't purdon press of the gate over 1950 and with his draw. That was a certainty beat

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too suggest m mck has lost it is ridiculous- in my best bets he drew  the outside.  it looked very difficult on paper and proved so in the running- he gave it e/s on my tv- just too tough a task and   horse probably not as sharp as previously- u must hate your money if you back a horse so short in such a tough race from that barrier- at Auckland he generally runs in 7 or 8 horse fields and gets it much easier.

 

 if u backed it at that odds give yourself an uppercut not the driver.

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No money changed hands just astute observation tim,ive had my days punting harness,i know an average to poor drive when i see it and i also know why natalie rasmussen wins races,she puts her horses into races,while morry was having a nap on the hotty early she made her move on the early dawdle.1/morrys race judgement /tempo was lacking 2/ he gave his toughest opposition a nice start...the quickest 400 all night was 27.9 in the sprint ,and he waited till the 400 and wide to make his run on a 28....completely outdriven...boom boom

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Er, you do realise, don't you, that Maurice McKendry has driven 3000+ winners? 

 

And yet TOA actually had every chance.  She did no work and got a great run up in the 3-wide train, but in the end couldn't even get past Democrat Party or Linda Lovegrace, never mind the winnequote]....on a 28 400 wide taking ground off two horses who received economical rails runs? Morry left the horse too much to do,the race was over as soon as his experienced old body relaxed back on a walk...he thought he had a 26.6 in the tank on an off track...rasmussen is a champion

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interested to know what he could have done- no hope of leading from there- if he had gone round the winner would have come out in front of him and got lead and he parked- no win -the only ttrue judge of drivers is their peers and wouldn't be a driver  inj their room who thinks  he is done

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Agree 100% with BWD's comments on the never ending tactics of Team Purdon. They've done it for years and RIU is either too stupid and incompetent to do any thing about it or is under orders to ignore it.

As for M M 's drive, he was between a rock and a hard place. Go forward early and team Purdon park you (from where I believe he still wins), or worse, left 3 wide. Stay back and give the leaders many lengths being the alternative (on a wet track making it worse).

I believe on a dry track TOA still wins from the back but with those track condition?

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Natalie would of worked it out. Hes not done tim,he can still compete below the top level quite merrily,your one of his boys aren't you so hardly in any position to post the slightest piece of negativity. Seems to be quite important in this game to be driving alongside friends and family

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Gruff you said it yourself " seems to be quite important in this game to be driving alongside friends and family".

Natalie knew she could go forward and get the lead or at least get looked after by the team. M M did not have that luxury.

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one of the boys hahaha it would be nice -  the good drivers I should be shining their boots I just try and be fair-  anyone will tell you I aint scared to voice an opinion but  bagging a bloke  as a driver unfairly I believe is not my go-- incidentally I believe the harness industry  runs a good news machine- trackside just tell us everybody is wonderful every trainer is great and every drive is great- reminds me of the PGA tour  blond blue eyed loved god and their families- I much prefer john daly and tiger- so to the extent  u  have a contrary opinion is great- box seat is run as a good news machine as well-

 

gruff think of another topic so we can have another argument its fun-

 

how about this one can anyone tell me  why ATC is running 8k stakes this week when I think? we had a promised minimum of 12k didn't Mick Guerin put it in the herald  awhile ago- correct me

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The Orange Agents run wasn't markedly different to High Gaits in the baby trot. Both settled back of the bunch, got a drag forward wide & had to launch. Obviously Natalie's not getting criticism for her drive because it won. High Gait is lengths ahead of the other 2yo trotters and it still took her the length of the straight to catch Messendei & Arannaleah.

Is The Orange Agent the best 3yo filly going round... Yes. Is she lengths ahead of Fight For Glory & Democrat Party - IMO no. Nat stealing the break on Fight For Glory was the winning of the race, she handled the track better than the rest & even though she was coming to the end of her run there was enough distance to see her home - did more work & won comfortably. I think there are more factors at play than the drive that undid The Orange Agent on Friday, draw and track played a big part. Natalie's drive was excellent, MM's might not have been his best work but to make statements like it was the worst drive on a favourite in a group 1 is a bit of a stretch.

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too suggest m mck has lost it is ridiculous- in my best bets he drew  the outside.  it looked very difficult on paper and proved so in the running- he gave it e/s on my tv- just too tough a task and   horse probably not as sharp as previously- u must hate your money if you back a horse so short in such a tough race from that barrier- at Auckland he generally runs in 7 or 8 horse fields and gets it much easier.

 

 if u backed it at that odds give yourself an uppercut not the driver.

 

Ok Tim you roped me in. Do you consider yourself a "peer" of Maurice McKendry? Over the years senior drivers in NZ have privately lambasted a peer driver to me after they put in a shocker but requested that stayed between the two of us (no copy) which it always did. When was the last time you saw a driver come out publicly and critique a shocking drive of a peer? It just does not happen even if the drive was diabolical. They will say it among themselves but never publicly. Drivers do put in shockers yet where are the public critiques from their peers? Should we assume the absence of them is evidence / proof no NZ driver ever puts in a shocker? 

 

"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence!"   -- Carl Sagan, Astronomer

 

  "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence!"   -- Donald Rumsfeld, Military strategist

 

 

You've made a number of strong statements on this subject that look exactly like a small fish who swims in a bigger pond wanting to earn some brownie points with a much bigger fish you routinely see at the park. 

 

You say my claim that Maurice McKendry has lost it is ridiculous. Lets get back to reality on this aspect alone. I have great respect for Maurice as a driver. He's been at the top level of drivers in NZ for decades. You don't do that by accident. He routinely gets the very best out of his drives especially is tight finishes week in week out. There is absolutely no reason he won't continue doing that same thing especially with your typical Northern meeting. That aside driving in the elite races is a different ball game all together. I firmly believe that years of being on the wrong end of the Purdon machine in such races have caught up with Maurice and his woeful drive on The Orange Agent in the Oaks and previously in the Sires Final won by Democrat Party is proof of that fact. I used the word "Fear". If I was to use a kinder word it would be "indecisiveness". Do I blame him for that occurring? Hell no. If I was in his position it would have got to me years ago. 

 

Winning a Derby is always a wonderful moment regardless of who you are. In saying that when your surname is "Purdon" the chances are you will have the bulk of all the leading contenders in the field. It's more a case of which Purdon runner will win the Derby rather than will a Purdon runner win the Derby. I can assure you I'm not envious of that situation. Mark and Natalie are magnificent trainers. They are generally superb drivers. They have the big spending owners who expect to win Derbies. In general terms I'm in awe of them. They have worked the game out beautifully. Unfortunately there are down sides to that. They are able to control and manipulate races now to the point most others have no hope. If you came by a top liner it would be a once in a life time dream come true. For the All Stars it's "routine". Not only do they invariably have the best horse in a feature race but their lesser horses in said race will give them huge assistance if and when required. It's very important not to underestimate the value of the leader handing up quietly to you. More importantly the fact they know that will happen gives them a massive advantage over their rivals. Let me give you an example. You're on a live chance in a Group One. You're sitting back of midfield on the outer. You're not controlling the race from there and at the mercy of others if you stay there. What should you do? If you make a play for the premier spot in front what will happen if the leader does not want to hand up? Is your charge good enough to sit parked and still win? It will clearly need to be easily the best horse in the race to do so. Is this a risk you're prepared to take? All Stars don't have that enormous problem. They will have multiple runners in the race and will almost certainly have the front runner. When was the last time you witnessed an All Stars runner refuse to hand up to another All Stars runner when they came calling for the front? It just does not happen. They routinely "gift" the premier spot to the stablemate to then control the race. To say that's a huge advantage is an understatement. When Natalie took off with Fight For Glory in the Oaks she knew without doubt the front would be hers without any bother whatsoever. She knew stablemate Classical Art was leading and would gift her the front. Why? Because Classical Agent was virtually no hope of winning The Oaks where as Fight For Glory was a big hope. Classical Art was driven by young driver Tim Williams who has been well looked after by the Purdon's. Tim handing up easily to his boss gave the All Stars their best hope of winning the sought after Oaks. To do anything else would have been Tim shitting in his own nest. The dynamics of races are being turned on their head at this time.

 

Now look at Maurice McKendry on The Orange Agent. Would Tim have afforded Maurice the same huge favour he afforded his boss had it been Maurice who came calling for the front? We will never know but I'm certain that question mark is at the very heart of M.M's "indecisiveness / fear" with The Orange Agent. Now that is clearly not a level playing field and is a real risk of turning premier races into farcical affairs.

 

Mark Purdon put in a very poor drive on Lazarus in the Group One Sires Stakes. Most unlike Mark. His drive clearly cost Lazarus the sought after feature.......BUT look who ran first and second ahead of Lazarus anyway. Chase The Dream and Motu Premier. Both All Stars runners. Not a bad result is it when Mark Purdon can put in his worst drive of the last few seasons and the stable still runs first,second and third in the Group One? This is not meant as a slur on Mark but why would anyone need to resort to illegal substances when the odds are already so heavily stacked in your favour?

 

In all honesty what hope do the others have? If you were fortunate enough to have yourself a wonderful young horse and you were NOT part of the All Stars you will not be playing on a level playing field. I can tell you that Mick Guerin will not go near this issue on The Box Seat. Just too sensitive and too much at stake.

 

Border Control also driven by Mark Purdon went out a raging hot fav in the Winter Cup on Friday. He was the sole All Stars runner in that field. He got no favours at all and ended up sitting parked. Got his worst result of the season in sixth place. The race won beautifully by Te Kawau.

 

The one thing I will say in Mark and Natalie's favour is they don't blatantly sacrifice their runners to eliminate the chances of their main threat in a feature race when they have multiple stable runners engaged in said race. Those of us who have been around a while well remember horses like Franco Ice and The Bru Czar being crucified by a stable that had multiple runners engaged. The stable runner would finish tailed off after giving the opponent huge grief and then surprise surprise another stablemate would come out late and nab the victory from the exhausted opponent. Hardly fair. That was routine. Thankfully it no longer is.

 

Getting back to Maurice McKendry. Why did he crucify Hughie Green in front in the Group One at Addington when then finished up on the infield? Do you think Maurice was acutely aware of the All Stars runners in the field and what they would do if they could get close enough to him? Making sure the front runner does not get to slow down for a breath may well be excellent tactics especially if you have multiple runners engaged. It's my contention Maurice came unstuck that day due to coming off second best so many times previously to the name "Purdon".

 

Who remembers Dillon Dean in a Derby in the late 80's? That horse was crucified in front by a Purdon stable runner who had numerous horses engaged in that race. That runner giving the grief finished tailed off last. The worst race of it's life. Dillon Dean was run over on the post by another Purdon runner. Who drove Dillon Dean. None other than Maurice McKendry. 

 

As pointed out previously The Orange Agent the fav for the Sires in Auckland got pushed wide when making her run by Democrat Party, a Purdon runner. Many believe that cost The Orange Agent that race. All stars runner Supersonic Miss ran second. There's many many other examples in the books involving Maurice McKendry coming off second best behind a certain name.

 

I firmly believe it would be remiss not to allow for the possibility Maurice McKendry has allowed fear and indecisiveness to come into play when facing multiple Purdon runners in Group One races.

 

Maurice lost the Oaks the moment he very deliberately allowed The Orange Agent to become tailed off around 20 lengths behind Fight For Glory...an All Stars runner. We know The Orange Agent was drawn in front of her main opponent Fight For Glory. Deliberately allowing that position to change by 20 lengths is astonishing especially when allowing for the fact Natalie would then very predictably go for the front and equally predictably be gifted the front by a stablemate. The only thing that makes any sense at all to me is many previous races came into play for M.M while scoring up.

 

Tim you say the The Orange Agent was probably not as sharp as previously. I totally reject that. You say anyone who confidently predicted The Orange agent to win is more or less a fool. I totally reject that. She is our premier three year old filly in my opinion. She demolished them in the Nevele R the previous week and the Oaks was an even more suitable race. Your one dimensional take on why M.M didn't make a play for the front is simplistic and incorrect. You say Fight For Glory would have left The Orange Agent parked out. You do appreciate Fight For Glory is not as fast or strong as The Orange Agent and was drawn behind her? Once Fight For Glory got in front of The Orange Agent especially by TWENTY lengths M.M was hopelessly out of contention. I have no issue whatsoever with M.M not having a dig for the front once Fight For Glory had the premier spot. It would have been suicide. M.M would have needed to make up 20 lengths and then get into a battle for the top. Natalie would never have handed up under those circumstances and M.M 100% knew that. What you're missing Tim is the race was already gifted away by that point. M.M lost it at the start. No issue with anything he did once he was tailed off and hopelessly out of contention. M.M did a remarkable job to get as close as he did. McKendry's decision at the start to allow The Orange Agent to tail off is the most perplexing decision I've ever seen a driver take in a major group one by a leading contender. 

 

I firmly believe M.M had two choices at the start to give his drive the best horse in the race a chance of victory. Option 1 was take the front. Option 2 was get handy and look for cover. I would not favour option 2 as he could easily find himself three or four back on the outside while Natalie on his biggest threat goes around him and is gifted the front. He just needed to ensure he stayed in front of Fight For Glory.

 

I feel confident the front was there for Maurice had it sought it at the start. Look who had drawn inside him. 

 

1. Democrat Party. Was never going to lead. Would have happily handed up to the best horse in the race.

2. Princess Arts. Had no hope

3. Classical Art. All Stars runner was always going to lead and hand up to be any chance of a place.

4. Better B Amazed. Was a rough hope if given a soft run. No leader

5. Smokin Bird. Was never going to trouble M.M

6. Supersonic Miss. Not a leader and was a live chance but needed run to suit.

7. Change The Rulz. Was never going to trouble M.M

8. Katy Perry. Was never going to trouble M.M

 

It's my sincere contention that the front was there for M.M. All of those drawn inside The Orange Agent saw what she did to the Nevele R field. They all knew she was the fastest and strongest filly in the race who will stay all day. They all knew they would be signing their own death warrant to try and hold out the best and strongest horse from the front. Trailing up behind said runner would be a very desirable spot for them to be in. Sitting quietly doing no work behind a horse who will most definitely take them to the passing lane is perfect for them.

 

So why then would you allow the best horse to tailed off instead?

 

You say if you backed The Orange Agent blame and punch yourself not the driver. Really? Bloody good thing that everyone in the game does not share that perspective as there would be no harness racing. The game is good Tim,but not that good.

 

Mark Purdon remarkably got rolled on three raging hot favs on a premier night. All three drives were unlike Mark's style of driving. Cash N Flow,Lazarus and Border Control. Confidence will have been rocked by all those who bet the best horse in those three races. How many multi's went West? The punter is not the enemy of Harness Racing.

 

As for dismissing the input of those who are seen as "talking via their pocket". I had less than $80 on The Orange Agent.  She was my anchor in trifecta's etc but I had the very obvious danger in Fight For Glory as my back up. I got 50% of the $491 trifecta so was happy enough with the result. I lost more on Lazarus than I did on The Orange Agent. Wasn't happy with Mark's drive as Lazarus who was a certainty beaten. My best bet of the night was actually the young All Stars trotter High Gait who I couldn't see beaten. Mick Guerin did his best to surprisingly to talk punters out of High Gait saying her picket fence formline was not as impressive as it appeared. I totally disagreed. Her previous win over Wilma's Mate and Conon Bridge was magnificent form. The almost $200 trifecta and $650 pick four was not difficult. I put everyone close to me onto the horse and without exception they all cleaned up. Lot of satisfaction in that alone.

 

I don't dismiss input because people punted a horse that let them down. Sometimes punters learn the hard way and will happily blame others for their loss. That most definitely does not mean all input from punters is sour grapes. One size does not fit all and only a fool thinks it does.

 

Personally I would rather hear what you felt went wrong with your $100 win bet in the Auckland Cup than someone who didn't bet on the race and was talking to Phil on the phone while the race was on and only watched bit's of it with no vested interest.

 

I admire and respect Maurice McKendry as a man and a driver. That does not change my perspective on his drive on The Orange Agent in the Oaks.

 

I admire and respect the All Stars team. They are our elite trainers and if I owned a superb horse they are the trainers and drivers I'd want looking after my horse. That does not change the fact that I believe the harness playing field is not level and that situation can do as much harm as it does good. Not just to drivers like Maurice McKendry but to others who have their pride and joy in a "lesser" stable.

 

Mick Guerin will defend M.M's drive on The Box Seat as it will be discussed and quickly brushed aside. He will simply put it down to her wide draw and M.M having no other option. History shows such a wide draw has been very unhelpful in previous running's of the Oaks bla bla bla. Without giving too much away that is not necessarily his private view of what unfolded. Mick is as much caught between the devil and the deep blue sea as M.M was in the Oaks. If we are going to judge what horses will do next year by what they did in years gone by then Adore Me would never have run the time etc she did in the NZ Cup and Ladyship Mile and this years NZ Cup would not be run any faster than 4.11 because that's what Cardigan Bay and Peter Wolfenden won it in back in 1963. 

 

You're allowed to have a different take on the race Jazz but your comparisons re wrong in my opinion. 

 

Firstly High Gait. Drawn wide but is not known as a slick beginner. Plenty of speed underneath and was never going to play for the front at the start. High Gait's run was predictable. Nothing at all like The Orange agent.

 

I believe The Orange agent is clearly our best 3 year old filly and clearly so. She is the fastest and the strongest. Her run in the Nevele R demonstrated her superiority as will her upcoming Jewels win.

 

Fight For Glory didn't handle cop the track any better than The Orange Agent. There is not a shred of evidence of that.

 

She beat The Orange agent because she was given an outrageous head start of twenty lengths.

 

You say Natalie's drive was excellent. Fair enough. She knew the lead was hers without a fight. I prefer to see her drive as being very positive with an excellent result. Maurice McKendry on the other hand was incredibly negative.

 

Clarifying my statement about M.M's drive being the worst I've ever seen on a well fancied runner in a Major Group One. I absolutely stand by that. "Not his best work"..haha Jazz. Hows that for a gentle euphemism. How about one more based on reality. "His worst ever work."

 

I've never before seen a driver in a Group One deliberately put himself 100% out of contention the way M.M did in the first 200 meters of the highly sought after Oaks. $1.70 at the start. Shortly after your main opposition is in front controlling the race and you are twenty lengths in arrears and 1000-1 and drifting. Not his best work? haha

 

 

Good luck. 

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BWD I'm no open driver and I certainly can't walk the talk .... So yep am comfortable using gentle euphemisms regarding the performance of one of our most successful reinsmen. I'm not backward about coming forward but generally wouldn't bag someone that blatantly unless I thought I could do better myself.

Does this mean you're back to play in the sandpit again?

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Gruff you said it yourself " seems to be quite important in this game to be driving alongside friends and family".

Natalie knew she could go forward and get the lead or at least get looked after by the team. M M did not have that luxury.

...but he did have the horse power beefy t . You need to make a decision and quickly. Neil brady wouldnt of sat on his hands...unless he was driving franco ice :)

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It's not team driving that helps Mark and his team dominate. Yeah their lesser lights always hand up to their top ones setting up their results but in reality most would hand up to that same horse anyway to get the trail and try and finish as close up as possible. It's just the fact that they have so many in most big races. And what does Mark do about it?

 

The All Stars have got to the very same point that Roy and Barry got to at their peak with Mark coming into it and I think I remember that HRNZ sat down with them and asked them to split up. Someone else may remember it better but I do recall something like this happening.

 

Mick has been making the one point that is the only possible answer and it is that other trainers try and lift their game but then that's easier said than done isn't it?

 

Just an interesting aside here too. You'd think that people who have worked for the Purdons would have a chance of learning the golden touch and how they train and Cran Dalgety has done it but not many others. In fact Grant Payne was a gun trainer for years especially when Mark was out for the blue magic thing for a few months. Yet he appears to be struggling since leaving the set up.

 

So why was Grant the gun trainer for that period when Mark was put out but not now? Must be more along the lines of management and having the owners rather than the skills.

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