Purdon may take team to U.S.

Press, 24 July 1976, Page 16

Purdon may take team to U.S.

Special corres. Auckland R. C. Purdon has returned from a trip to the United States optimistic about the prospects of campaigning horses there. The leading trainer in New Zealand this season. Purdon and a client of his stable, Mr N. Craddock. spent two weeks in America “sizing up the situation.” He said yesterday that there was a distinct possibility he would take a small team over next year, probably about May. “Horses I have In mind,” he said, “are the likes of Joe Charles and Sole Command. I think they would do well in America, especially if they were trained in much the same way they are used to here. “Most New Zealand horses seem to pick up a virus soon after they arrive there but apart from that I think one of the main reasons some of them do not do as well as they should Is that they are caged up a lot. “I really think that the mental

aspect has not been considered enough.” He had investigated the possibility of stabling a team on a small farm on Long Island, not far from Roosevelt Raceway, one of New York's major tracks. “The prospects look pretty good.” he said. “If it comes off, I will be able to put the horses out in a paddock the way we do here.” He emphasised, however, that this would not necessarily guarantee the horses would win a lot. of races. “The opposition, particularly at the main tracks, is pretty fierce,” he said, “and it is significant that of the hundreds of New Zealand horses that have gone to America not too many have broken two minutes.” If he does decide to take a team next year. Purdon thinks he would be away for about two months and the horses would be for sale. “It could be a profitable proposition all round if they performed well,” he said.