Racing: Luke cool but Bogan looks finished

By MICHAEL GUERIN

A trainer knows he is having a tough week when he loses half his open class pacing team and that is better than he hoped for.

That was the situation Mark Purdon found himself in yesterday after a rollercoaster start to the open class season.

New Zealand's champion trainer achieved his first serious aim of the season when Cool Hand Luke qualified for the New Zealand Cup with a gutsy win at Addington last Friday.

Satisfaction turned to disappointment on Saturday when Purdon found Cool Hand Luke lame in his paddock with a suspected bone fracture in his hoof region.

"He was pretty lame and it didn't look good so we got Bill Bishop [veterinarian] to go over him," said Purdon.

Bishop returned to Purdon's stables yesterday to x-ray Cool Hand Luke but didn't bother.

"We jogged him on the lead this morning and he seemed fine. Bill had a look over him and said to start jogging him properly again because he appears to have come right," said a surprised Purdon last night.

But it wasn't all good news. Bishop also had the results of some earlier x-rays which showed Purdon's other open class pacer Bogan Fella is finished.

"He has damaged his suspensory again and has to have six months off so he will be retired," said Purdon.

Bogan Fella was one of our most under-rated pacers yet won a NZ Derby, Ben Hur, Franklin Cup and Welcome Stakes, ran second in an Auckland Cup (to Christian Cullen) and New Zealand Cup (to Yulestar) and was third in the 1999 Interdominion Final. He also retires the national 2200m mobile record holder.

"He was a lot better horse than people realise," said Purdon.