Lazarus brilliant in second New Zealand Cup win

Lazarus wins his second New Zealand Cup at Addington today for driver Mark Purdon. Photo: JONNY...
Lazarus wins his second New Zealand Cup at Addington today for driver Mark Purdon. Photo: JONNY TURNER
Superstar pacer Lazarus confirmed his champion status with a brilliant win in today’s New Zealand Trotting Cup at Addington.

A bumper crowd erupted as the 5yr-old charged away from his opponents to win the $800,000 feature by more than five lengths in the hands of driver Mark Purdon, who co-trains the horse with Natalie Rasmussen.

After the race, Purdon could only find one word to describe his superstar pacer.

‘’He is a champion, I think that is the only way to describe him.’’

After a brilliant beginning, Purdon had the pacer, who is co-bred by Gavin Chin of Dunedin, in front and out of trouble while behind them some of their rivals were in turmoil.

Lazarus’ stablemate Dream About Me and driver Tim Williams were wiped out of the race when she collided with Seal The Deal, whose driver Ricky May was tipped from his sulky, shortly after the start.

While the two reinsmen untangled themselves second favourite Heaven Rocks galloped wildly further out on the track, losing valuable ground

Mark Purdon was unaware of what had happened behind him and set about sticking to his pre-race plan of making his rivals work hard to chase Lazarus.

 ‘’He made such a great beginning I thought I would make the others work if they wanted to have a look at him, that was the reason I kept rolling along.’’

As hard as they tried, no horses could get near the defending champion as he went on to reel off a sizzling 54.4sec last 800m to win and send the Cup day crowd into a frenzy.

Otago horse Titan Banner’s chances were effectively extinguished after he lost he perfect one-one sit when Aussie raider and eventual third placegetter Tiger Tara galloped in front on him, causing Dexter Dunn to take evasive action.

From there Titan Banner was pushed wider and wider on the track in the run home, which Dunn said cost the horse a potential top three placing.

Tiger Tara’s gallop was put down to the horse jumping a marker peg that was displaced and lay on the Addington track after the collision between Dream About Me and Seel The Deal.

Tiger Tara picked himself up to run third, behind runner-up, Jack’s Legend.

 

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