Champion New Zealand trainer Barry Purdon is hoping a rare favourable draw will help his Downbytheseaside Victoria Derby hopeful to live up to his name.
Purdon said he expected Supreme Dominator would race “pretty handy” after scoring the pole for Saturday night’s third heat.
He said the gelding had “finished off pretty well” from luckless draws in his most recent runs – the past two against superstar three-year-old Ultimate Sniper and fellow Derby hopeful Im Another Masterpiece, both trained by his brother Mark who will turn from foe to friend and steer Supreme Dominator at Ballarat.
“He hasn’t really ever had a decent alley and consequently you don’t get the best run,” Purdon said.
“He’s finished off pretty well; these three-year-olds are running home in 54.5 to 55 and if you are coming off the back it is pretty hard to take too much ground off them.
“He gets out of the gate pretty good – it’ll be up to Mark of course – (but) I think we will be pretty handy, if not in front.”
Purdon is no stranger to winning Victoria’s premier three-year-old event, having saluted with Holmes DG in 1998 and Our Maxim in 2014.
Supreme Dominator – who arrived in Melbourne “nice and bright” early on Thursday morning – is the first horse he has brought over to Australia since Rocker Band (pictured) in May 2017, the same year he won a Victorian Derby heat with Be Jacks Legend.
“He has always raced against the best of his age group, even when he started off,” Purdon said.
“There isn’t really a lot (of races for him) over here now so I thought, ‘well, the trip away will probably do him good’, as well as (him) being a pretty nice horse as well,” Purdon said.
“Emma (Stewart) and Clayton (Tonkin) have a couple of nice three-year-olds and obviously Shane Tritton and Lauren have got a couple of pretty good three-year-olds too, so it will do him good to experience going up against the best and be interesting to see where we are at.”
Purdon said it was “great to have one good enough to come over” the pond.
“Nothing changes there, it is always exciting to bring a horse to Melbourne,” he said.
