Racing: Top trainer moving to Australia

Mark Purdon will concentrate an elite team, headed by Auckland Reactor, on the huge stakes available at Menangle, NSW. Photo / Paul Estcourt

New Zealand's greatest trainer, Mark Purdon, is moving to Australia, disillusioned with the state of New Zealand racing.

Purdon is closing his Auckland satellite stable and will train permanently in Australia from the new year, with stables in Victoria and New South Wales.

He told the Weekend Herald the move is because it is just too hard to make money for owners in New Zealand.

"It has become too hard to make horses pay for themselves here," he said. "And I can see things getting worse rather than better, in fact, they already are.

"I think the people who run harness racing are doing their best but financially things don't look bright.

"For me there are better opportunities in Australia and if I don't make the move now I never will."

Purdon's remarks are a damming comment on the malaise which has hit the racing industry as he is clearly our most successful trainer of either code. His horses have won over $11 million in New Zealand alone in the last four seasons and he regularly tops the yearling sales thanks to some serious firepower from loyal owners.

But with stakes falling around the country, particularly away from Alexandra Park, Purdon says his decision is mainly financial.

"I have to justify spending owners' money and that is hard when you are racing their horses for $5000.

"The bottom line is an average horse has more opportunities in Australia and with stakes increasing there I have to move if I want to remain at the top."

Purdon says he will focus on New Zealand racing until the New Zealand Cup meeting in November then concentrate on Australia.

He will retain his state-of-the-art stables in Canterbury in partnership with Grant Payne then wait to see if he has an official presence in New Zealand next year.

"I will remain in the partnership with Grant next season but that will depend how much time I can spend here and eventually Grant might just train from my place and rent it off me."

He will close his Auckland stables at the end of this month, even though stakes at Alexandra Park are higher than those in the South Island.

"The difference is I own the property in Canterbury and it is all set up, whereas everything up here is rented so this was the easiest part of the business to close."

But already Purdon's heart seems to be in Australia, where he is setting up a 20-25 horse stable in Victoria and a boutique training operation in New South Wales based initially at the property of his old friend Brian Hancock. The Victorian barn will be headed by Scott Phelan, who is leaving his partnership with Purdon's brother Barry.

"The Victorian stable will be for horses suited to racing there while Sydney will be a smaller operation to concentrate on Menangle."

Menangle will become the new mecca of Australasian harness racing next season as stakes skyrocket following the sale of Harold Park.

Purdon will concentrate an elite team, headed by Auckland Reactor, on the huge stakes available there.

"But the racing there will be very hard so horses who aren't suited there can head to the Victorian stable."

Purdon says he will still campaign smaller teams at Alexandra Park at premier meetings next season but he eventually seems destined to leave New Zealand harness racing behind altogether.

"I don't see any improvement in stakes in the next few years but who knows what will happen in the future. But at the moment, Australia is the best option for me."

Mark Purdon

Age: 47.

Family: Son of racing legend Roy Purdon, brother of Barry Purdon, brother-in-law of Tony Herlihy.

Awards: Seven-time national premiership winner.

Current season: 103 wins in New Zealand for $2.7 million in stakes. A further A$300,000 in Australia.

Career: 1214 New Zealand training wins since 1995; 1148 New Zealand driving wins.

The best of the best: Auckland Reactor, Il Vicolo, Pride Of Petite, Buster Hanover, Sharp And Telford, I Can Doosit, Brabham, Young Rufus.

Also: Drove Mark Hanover to win 1991 Interdominion Pacing Final.