Mark Purdon and Vincent stretch out up the Melton straight.
Vincent had to be vulnerable after covering so much ground on the first lap in his heat of the VHRSC Victoria Derby tonight at Tabcorp Park Melton.
But when he put paid to Sydney star Blue Moon Rising approaching the home bend – with daylight to the rest of the field – he looked anything but susceptible.
The Mark Purdon trained and driven three-year-old son of Art Major-Kept For Pleasure gapped them, 12.3m his winning margin. He glided through the last half in 55 seconds flat, 26.9secs the final quarter-mile.
“He’s got everything going for him. He’s a lovely horse. He’s got a great heart,” Purdon said after the 2240-metre race.
“He was unlucky he got injured as a two-year-old otherwise he would have been here for the APG but that’s the way it went and it may have turned out a blessing for it.”
While Vincent looks clearly the one to beat come next Saturday’s $200,000 three-year-old classic, Purdon-trained stablemate Motu Meteor (Bettors Delight-Silksngems) might be the opportunist should he draw well.
The Merv and Meg Butterworth owned gelding won the third heat of the Derby at Melton in 1:57.3, sprinting sharply up the sprint lane after getting smother throughout behind race leader Jilliby Kung Fu.
“He got the perfect run and capitalised. He’s a nice little horse. He has probably flown under the radar a little bit,” Purdon said.
“He’s not without a chance (in the big one) and if he draws like he did tonight it’ll play right into his hands.”
Jilliby Kung Fu stuck on for second beaten 2.6m after crawling through his first half in 62.7.
They ripped home in 28.4 and 26.4.
Meanwhile, making it three out of three for “Purdon-trained Derby heat winners” was Be Jacks Legend (Bettors Delight-Larissas Rose), trained by Barry Purdon – Mark’s older brother and NZ’s most successful trots trainer ever.
Be Jacks Legend went 1:55.0 from barrier seven to topple Emain Macha by 2.2m with Wrappers Delight third.
The winner was driven by Zac Butcher and is owned by leviathan all-codes owner Terry Henderson, who has won a Melbourne Cup with Doriemus and also owned two-time Kiwi harness horse of the year Chokin.
“I love being back here,” Henderson said post-race.
“Especially on nights like tonight when you see the best of the best … it’s just fantastic to be involved.”
Butcher said Be Jacks Legend would only continue to improve.
“He was a January foal so he is still growing and developing and learning the way of the game,” Butcher said.
“This guy did it pretty tough over the last lap and he really stuck to his guns.”
Media enquiries:
Cody Winnell (HRV Media/Communications Manager)
t: 03 8378 0288 | e: cwinnell@hrv.org.au | tw: @codywinnell
