Racing: Pacing prince back in winner's circle

It may not be the greatest racing comeback of the last decade, but it would be close.

Young Rufus, the horse who went from champion to declared dead in one horror day two years ago, finally ended up back where he belongs on Saturday night - in the winner's circle after a group one race.

The former Auckland and Victoria Cup winner landed some bets when he led throughout to win the A$100,000 South Australia Cup, holding out the late challenges of Flashing Red and Double Identity, who deadheated for second.

The shock of the race was the performance of Australian pacing hero Sokyola, who dropped out to finish near last after sitting parked outside the winner.

While Young Rufus started favourite the fact he was in the race at all is a miracle.

He was the prince of pacing two years ago and hot favourite for the Addington Interdominions before a twisted bowel nearly killed him.

One Australian commentator on live television went as far as to declare him dead.

He wasn't far wrong.

In a 48-hour period trainer-driver Mark Purdon thought Young Rufus would not survive at least three times and was even phoned by vets who asked whether it was all right to put the horse out of his misery.

By the time Purdon went from his house to the vet clinic to wish his old mate goodbye, the stallion had improved enough to be saved, missing death by minutes.

That was the start of a long road back, one that has had plenty of lows and few highs, until Saturday night.

Young Rufus lost most of his hard muscle mass when sick and took an age to build back up. When he finally returned to racing last season it appeared he had lost his will to win.

He raced poorly for most of the summer before winning a moderate race at Addington, upon which he was retired.

But then matters got really bizarre as the former pin-up horse could not attract any interest from studs wanting to stand him and was overlooked by overseas buyers.

Out of frustration mixed with desperation, his connections put him back into work last winter.

"I'll admit at the time I didn't really want him back because I didn't think he could come back to his best and thought he'd been through enough," said Purdon.

"But this campaign he has slowly come back to being the horse he was.

"I think maybe it has taken all this time for him to get over what happened to him.

"He is not back to what he was two years ago but he is probably 95 per cent and that is good enough to win good races."

That proved to be the case as Young Rufus beat the best pacers in Australia, giving Purdon a rare high in a summer of lows.

"That was very satisfying to get him back to win a big race after all this time. I suppose it was fate that got him here, after he nearly died and then we couldn't sell him."

Young Rufus couldn't be coming back to his best at a better time, with the A$100,000 Ballarat Cup in 12 days, the A$450,000 Hunter Cup on February 12 and the Interdominions at Alexandra Park in March.

That will mean more clashes with Sokyola as well as Kiwi superstars Elsu and Just An Excuse but Purdon says Young Rufus is ready for that.

"He feels great and I think he is a big chance in the Interdoms."

The win also indicated the New Zealand pacers in Victoria should be in for a lucrative summer because outside Sokyola the locals appear very beatable.

Sokyola's trainer-driver Lance Justice was not overly concerned by the veteran's defeat but it could prove costly in coming months, with fellow drivers less likely to simply hand him the front in the big races. For a horse who races best in front that could spell big problems.

The New Zealand pacing assault continues in Victoria this Saturday where Mister D G and Howard Bromac head the betting for the A$50,000 Geelong Cup.

In other highlights of the weekend Victorian trotters Sammy Do Good and Sumthingaboutmaori, both of whom are being set for the Interdominions, won their respective feature races at Globe Derby and Moonee Valley.