Crack trainer Mark Purdon will launch a two-pronged attack on the Wellington harness meeting which starts today and it will be a major surprise if he walks away empty-handed.
Purdon has Armbro Illusion set for the Auto Auctions Cup Prelude feature event tonight, while Inner Success lines up in the last race.
Armbro Illusion has raced consistently well in strong fields and recorded two seconds and a third at the New Zealand Cup meeting.
When he returned north he had minor placings behind Black Cam but, as acting stable foreman Brent Lilley put it, he was at the end of his campaign and he needed a break.
"We gave him four to five weeks off and he's back looking good," Lilley said.
"Mark decided to send him to Hutt Park because of the stakes ($10,000 the first night and $20,000 on cup day) and to help Wellington out."
Another factor is that Armbro Illusion handles standing starts, like at Hutt Park. He has had five placings from eight standing starts.
Lilley said although Armbro Illusion would be improved by tonight's race, he would still be very competitive.
As for Inner Success, he said: "He drops back in class and will be awfully hard to beat".
Tony Herlihy drives Armbro Illusion and Inner Success.
The hardest for Armbro Illusion to beat will be Pride of New York from Julie and Colin De Filippi's stable. De Filippi has a number of drives at Addington tonight so David Butcher will take the reins at Hutt Park, though De Filippi will be back in the sulky in the cup on Sunday.
Pride of New York's form reads well with a win three starts back and close thirds to promising Coringa It'll Be Me and high-class Stars and Stripes in his last two runs.
"He had a slump over the cup meeting but is racing well now," De Filippi said.
"It doesn't matter how they run it, he should go a nice race."
Holme And Away was unlucky last start in the Otaki Cup when he was pushed out and broke, but he still came fourth.
Fred Fletcher's Franco Stormin By was down the track last time out in a race which was not run to suit him, but he could bounce back here.
The Cup Prelude is the second leg of the TAB double and in the first leg, the Community Business Sponsors Pace, Shamrock Bay looks a top chance. Her form looks poor but that is deceiving.
Dark Crusader, with Maurice McKendry driving, is well placed.
- NZPA
Racing: Purdon on Hutt attack
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