Hug The Wind impressively earned his spot in the Camarda & Cantrill NSW Derby at Tabcorp Park Menangle on March 1. Photo by NSWHRC
FORMER Aussie Natalie Rasmussen made a triumphant return to Tabcorp Park Menangle tonight piloting Mark Purdon’s promising youngster Hug The Wind to a gusty win in the first heat of the Camarda and Cantrill NSW Derby.
Hug The Wind rated 1:57.2 with a last half of 55.8 seconds to assure he will be one of the fancies for next weekend’s Derby showdown.
No sooner had the dust settled on that success then Victorian Emma Stewart launched one of the real fancies for the classic when Ideal For Real, thanks to a perfect drive by master reinsman Gavin Lang, scorched home to win the second Derby heat.
A 26.5s final quarter saw Ideal For Real run down the Kiwis’ favourite son Dexter Dunn aboard Art Union. Outsider Sporty Spook ran a strong third after Jarrod Alchin found the lead from gate nine before taking a sit behind the favourite Art Union ($1.50F).
Other heat qualifiers from the first heat were Aztec Bromac, Lets Cut Loose, Sluggem and Padrisimo.
Qualifiers from the second heat, besides the winner were Art Union, Sporty Spook, Kilcullen and Corporal Luna.
Meanwhile, Adore Me added to the night for Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen when the star mare rated 1:51, just outside the track record for mares in accounting for stablemate Isaiah in the Brian Hancock Cup, assuring favouritism for next weekend’s big Ladyship Mile.