Horse racing: Trainer hopes unbeaten filly can be a star attraction

Millwood Nike driven by Mark Purdon. Photo / Trish Dunell

Harness racing’s young training star Nathan Purdon thinks he knows what the code needs, and punters could do worse than backing his judgement.

Purdon oversees much of the day-to-day running of the All Stars racing stable he now shares with his father Mark. The pair have an army of harness stars including two of our best pacers in Self Assured and Akuta, but they also have unbeaten filly Millwood Nike and Purdon wants her to remain that way — and not just for her owners.

Millwood Nike has won all 14 career starts including five Group 1s, a Group 2 and a Group 3, and is strengthening up with a water walker training regime before she returns to the stable.

She appears to have our best 3-year-old fillies races at her mercy as it is hard to see any horse improving enough to beat her by the end of the season, which is December 31.

Her two remaining Group 1 goals for the year are the Nevele R Fillies Final at Addington on November 14 and the NZ Oaks back there on December 10, but one problem could be getting Millwood Nike enough competitive racing to peak for those races.

She has a rating of 90 which is almost open class, so if she scares her filly rivals away in any lead-up races then the Purdons could have had to resort to starting her in open class races to hone her, a tactic they have used with 3-year-old boys and girls before.

But Nathan Purdon doesn’t want to do that and instead wants to protect Millwood Nike’s unbeaten record.

“It is not about the money, I just think it would be great for the industry if she can keep winning.

“People love a big winning streak and if she could remain unbeaten this season and come back next year with 19 or 20 straight wins next to her name it would be something for people to follow.

“You need those horses that people want to line the outside fence to see, to get close to, and I think she could be that horse.”

Purdon says with that in mind he and his father will avoid starting Millwood Nike against older horses or even the male 3-year-olds if possible this season.

“She should be able to have two heats of the Nevele R series before that final on Cup Day while there is a lead-up race programmed at Addington about 10 days before the Oaks.

“Those races should all get off the ground and if they don’t or for some reason she has to miss one of them then we’d try to use trials to get her ready rather than starting her in races we don’t think she could win.”

If Millwood Nike wins all five of her planned starts against filly rivals, she could start 2024 on 19 consecutive wins.

That would give her a shot at Courage Under Fire’s record for consecutive wins by a New Zealand-trained horse of 24.

The New Zealand TAB bookies have a futures market on whether Millwood Nike can remain unbeaten for the remainder of the year and she has to start at least four more times by December 31 for bets to stand.

She is paying $2.75 to remain unbeaten this year and Purdon’s plan to stick to fillies-only races makes that price seem value.