Horse racing: Kiwi pacer chases dream all the way to Queensland

Chase A Dream (right) has returned to his best form at the perfect time.

High-class pacer Chase A Dream is not only back but now Queensland-bound.

Harness racing’s big improver of the last month, winning the Flying Mile at Cambridge before chasing Leap To Fame home in the Race By Betcha, has accepted an invitation to the Rising Sun at Albion Park in July 5.

Co-trainer Mark Purdon hopes that the 4-year-old can win the A$300,000 Rising Sun to springboard himself into the A$1m Inter Final two weeks later – without needing to contest any of the Interdom heats.

“We are thrilled to get the invite and are definitely going,” says Purdon.

“We will take him for the Rising Sun and hopefully into the Inters while Oscar [Bonevena] will go over for the Inter Trot series.

“And we will take Rubira for the Queensland Derby.”

Chase A Dream worked well on Wednesday morning and is on target for the Messenger at Alexandra Park on Friday week and will then head to what Mark calls “Dad’s race”, the $100,000 Roy Purdon Memorial on May 2.

Oscar Bonavena will head to both meetings for the Anzac Cup and Rowe Cups but Rubira will miss next week’s Northern Derby.

“He had that slight track accident so he won’t be ready for that and can get ready for Queensland.”

Knowing that Purdon and son Nathan will be bringing three reps to the carnival will be a great relief to Albion Park officials as the strength of the locals threatened to scare most of the Kiwis away, especially after the news on Tuesday night that Merlin will miss the carnival and head for a spell.

Chase A Dream was quickly promoted to $3.50 favourite for the Rising Sun after the news of his invitation broke on Tuesday and was already the $2.60 favourite for next week’s Messenger.

Alexandra Park hosts a major meeting on Thursday night this week, with no New Zealand racing on Good Friday or Easter Sunday.

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.