Auckland Reactor - Redemption

[Allan]

Anyone know how Auckland Reactor is doing since he has returned down under? It goes without saying that his trip to North America was an unmitigated disaster.

Do those down under think the Reactor can rehabilitate his reputation or has his reputation been tarnished forever?

[nat]

Its hard to say his rep was draged through the mud so much so that a story and comments on the harnesslink site were removed. I like the horse lets just face it he had a horror trip it could and dose happen to many horses I think it went on to long if his stud career dosnt take off they should send him to Australia and to an elite trainer, till he proves himself again his progeny will have this rep over their heads

[Allan]

Personally, I think they should have kept the Reactor in America and have him come back during the Winter Series at the Meadowlands when heat would not have been an issue and let him beat up on the top winter horses. Then when summer came, he should have been acclimated and able to compete against the top horses. Instead, he has a reputation like San Simeon did when he came to America (from Australia).

[BenScadden]

I agree they should have kept AR in the US. He's a very high-quality animal but was never given a real chance to acclimatise. I guess when you're trying to repay such a substantial outlay for the horse, it's easy to become desperate.

[Southern Man]

Auckland Reactor is in Christchurch at the Stallion Station. Before he left America he had the same throat operation that Stunnin Cullin had in Aussie and by all accounts it was sucessful. From what I have been told he will be back in work early November with the aim to have him at the Inters next year. Would make for a great inters if a fit and healthy Auckland Reactor turned up

[eljay]

In the meantime he stands at stud for $5000 plus GST.

[HRNZ Enthusiast]

From what I was told by a reliable source was that the training regime which was set upon him was unachievable as he was ask to work 7-10 seconds faster ever time he hit the trainihg track. A road destined for failure. Also the intensity of training was completely different to which he experienced at Mark Purdons. I believe a combination of these as well as the differences in climate resulted in his performances as well as the different racing styles. I believe with the new wind operation and Mark Purdon as his trainer he will return to his prime and win next years inter dominions.

Form is temporary and class permanent.

[nat]

Its a shame what’s happened to this horse it almost has that Franco Ice feel about it enormous gifted talent and all that is seen is dollar signs not what’s best for the horse. I believe he was and is capable of a 1:47 time of what I’ve seen lesser lights go to the US and go in the 49's and 48's He should be racing now somewhere

I don’t know what numbers he's getting at stud but to me he's a $2,500 max sometimes its better to get a lot of little than less of alot. just look at Safari 223 mares at a fee $1,925

[Pinot]

I suppose in the end the hype just got a bit in front of the horses ability,rather than wait on him he was pushed far to hard to early in my opinion. Not doubting his ability,but i don't think he needed to go to Aussie and take on the big boys over there would have been better off at home furnishing into a better stronger horse.

[Shannon]

I agree nat. Alot of new sire's have silly money on them.

[Allan]

There is a rumor that Auckland Reactor has been pulled from breeding and is back in training for the races; allegedly not enough demand for him as a stallion. Is there any truth to this?

[mango]

Hi Allan

I've heard the same rumour that Auckland Reactor has been pulled from stud duties due to the lack of numbers he is recieving and as far as i know he has been in work whilst doing stud duties. I'm a Reactor fan and i thought like Nat that he was a 47 horse in the states i think he was rushed when he should of been given time to settle in, i also think he went over there a year to early i think he should of raced in the open ranks here a bit more. But in saying all this i do hope the Reactor can come back to the track as good as ever and if so it could be one great Inter in Christchurch next year.

[Thomas Johnson]

I heard from one of the owners here that they were selling some shares in the horse and that some shareholders only want to breed and some only want to race. According to this owner I was speaking to the intention was not to race and that is why they are selling there shares. They only wanted to breed. The down under shareholders have no intention of breeding and are fighting the northern owners for ownership.

[mango]

Hi Thomas

At the present time Auckland Reactor is not getting the mare's they had hoped for, so i think the best thing for A.R is to race and if he can get back to his best with Mark Purdon and Greg Payne he can give the Inter a shake next year and the good thing about the Inter is that A.R won't have to travel as it's in Christchurch. I do believe if he comes back as good as ever and wins a couple of big one's he'll then have no trouble attracting mare's but at the moment he is struggling. And to be honest $5000 for him is a bit to much to me he is a $3500 max and the other thing that probably isn't helping him get numbers is that he's not available in Australia.

[nat]

I feel sorry for the AR I have a good opinion of the horse he had a year from hell all not his fault, it's starting to get that Franco Ice feel about it extreamly good horse and poor managment if he dosent race and redem him self he's worth nothing at stud I think Mango you are being a bit generouse at $3500

[mango]

Your probably right Nat about been generous at $3500 but i hope he can come back and prove people wrong and show how good he is and he won't get a better opportunity than the Inter in Christchurch. It will be interesting to see what happens and if the owners in the states don't want him to race well there got know chance of getting there money back through service fee's unless he does race and gets sum runs on the board then off to stud on the right note.

[eljay]

Thought by now H'link management would have given us some feed back.

[admin]

Thought by now H'link management would have given us some feed back.

I'll check with the higher ups and let you guys know.

[kilcoyne]

The story I got from the stud was that the new owners only wanted him to race and they weren't interested in a stud career. My mare was due to be served by him 24 hours after he was pulled. He had not been doing any work while at SS and was in fact getting well feed and piling on the weight. The soft palate op he had would require an 6-8 week break to recover then a gradual work up to get the weight off before any real hard work so cant see much chance of an interdom win at chch, maybe Perth in 2012 would be a better bet.
Cant see that the stud fee has much bearing on the supposed lack of support from breeders. Changeover stands at the same price and he had a full book within weeks of going to stud and his record is no better that AR's.
Anyway I'm pleased with the replacement stallion I got and now waiting eagerly for the test results to come back

[mango]

Hi Kilcoyn
When you talk about new owners has he been purchased by some new people lately. The breeders support for Changeover compared to Auckland Reactor would be due to a few reasons, Changeover is available in Australia A.R is not, Changeover come over here and beat the best A.R did not, i'm a A.R fan and the only way i see him making it at stud would be for him to race again and hopefully get back to his best and also come over here and prove some people wrong. Now if he was to do that and then also be available to Australian breeders well maybe he's book will fill like Changeover but untill that happens his book will never fill and it will take along time if ever to get there purchase price back.

[nat]

Hi kilcoyne

Changeover ticks all the boxes unfortunately AR hadn’t at the time of going to stud and as a breeder all this talk about soft palate op's and throat problems doesn’t turn me on no matter how good a horse is

I think you have done well to get into Changeover I think he is a exciting stud prospect he has gained race track credit along with nice pedigree and looks to get his full book

[John Curtin]

Thought by now H'link management would have given us some feed back.

Okay there will be a major announcement on Auckland Reactor in tomorrow's Sunday Star Times in New Zealand regarding share transactions in the horse and also it will detail plans for the immediate furture. I will endeavour to reproduce the article on harnesslink and also in this thread sometime Sunday or Monday.

[kilcoyne]

Hi kilcoyne

Changeover ticks all the boxes unfortunately AR hadn’t at the time of going to stud and as a breeder all this talk about soft palate op's and throat problems doesn’t turn me on no matter how good a horse is

I think you have done well to get into Changeover I think he is a exciting stud prospect he has gained race track credit along with nice pedigree and looks to get his full book

I havent gone to Changeover. My mare served by Art Official instead of AR.

[kilcoyne]

Hi Kilcoyn
When you talk about new owners has he been purchased by some new people lately. The breeders support for Changeover compared to Auckland Reactor would be due to a few reasons, Changeover is available in Australia A.R is not, Changeover come over here and beat the best A.R did not, i'm a A.R fan and the only way i see him making it at stud would be for him to race again and hopefully get back to his best and also come over here and prove some people wrong. Now if he was to do that and then also be available to Australian breeders well maybe he's book will fill like Changeover but untill that happens his book will never fill and it will take along time if ever to get there purchase price back.

As I understand it he has been purchased by a syndicate made up of SOME of the original owners with some NEW Blood from Aussie joining in. Look forward to the article that John C is talking about so we will all get some clarity about the situation as he is the syndicate manager(I understand) and will have the correct story and not something that has come to us second hand.

[Neil]

thanks John

Looking forward to reading that in the morning

[kilcoyne]

me too

[mango]

Thanks John it will be great to know what the plans are for A.R

Kilcoyne all the best with your mare going to Art Official and do you only breed with the one.

[Neil]

Reactor's ready to roar back after op success from Sunday Star Times

LEADING TRAINER Mark Purdon never expected to get a second chance to train Auckland Reactor and admits he's excited about the prospect of preparing the champion again, especially after a successful operation on his soft palate.

Auckland Reactor, who rejoined Purdon's stable yesterday after an unsuccessful three-race campaign in North America, has been resyndicated by Auckland bloodstock agent John Curtin, with 60% being bought by new owners, revaluing the horse between $2m and $2.5m.

And all the new owners, from Australia and Canada, are keen to try the horse on the track again, buoyed by advice from leading Canterbury vet Bill Bishop that Auckland Reactor can return to his brilliant best.

Bishop said judging by what he found when operating on Auckland Reactor at the Canterbury Equine Clinic last month, he could see no reason why Purdon should not press ahead and ready the Reactor for the Auckland Cup and Inter-dominions.

The procedure, exactly the same one responsible for the dramatic return to form of Stunin Cullen, was two-fold and involved cutting out a crescent shaped section, about 3cm by 1cm, from the edge of his soft palate to reduce obstruction to the air flow.

Incisions were also made under his neck to cut the strap muscles which play a part in displacing the soft palate.

"We do hundreds of these operations and have consistently good results where the animals return to the level they were racing at before," Bishop said. "I reckon we have a success rate of about 90%."

Bishop said he discovered Auckland Reactor had a long soft palate and all the findings pointed to intermittent displacement being responsible for his inconsistent form since he pulled ferociously, cut off his airway and choked down in the Interdominion Final on the Gold Coast in March, 2009.

Bishop and Australian vet David Searle, of the Illawarra Equine Clinic, both made the same diagnosis last December that Auckland Reactor had a soft palate problem after he ran a disappointing fifth in the Miracle Mile, when he failed to show any of his trademark zip, but still paced a 1:51.3 mile.

"Before he left for the States we found an ulcer on the end of his soft palate and you can only get that if its dislocating regularly," Bishop said.

Reactor's three disappointing runs in North America showed he was still being troubled by it, he said.

The new ownership of Auckland Reactor sees five of the original shareholders – Curtin, the Stallion Station, plus Canadians Doug Millard and Fred Brayford, and American Jerry Silva – joined by Sydney newcomers Albert Pizzuto and Guy Vitale.

Curtin said all were keen to see the Reactor return to his best.

"People forget how good he was but if he can come back as successfully as Stunin Cullen has from the same operation, we could really see something.

"The horse needs another chance. It's been a wasted 12 months but he's still very young (six) and hasn't had many starts (34 starts, 25 wins and $1,484,293)."

Curtin said the new owners had pulled the pin on a proposal to serve a limited number of mares before he resumed training.

"We want to give Mark the chance to concentrate on training the horse."

PURDON, WHO described Auckland Reactor as by far the best horse he has trained, said he would need to start stepping up his workload by mid-December.

"Ideally I'd like to give him two races before the Auckland Cup (March 11). Knowing the horse I think he'd be pretty ready after two runs."

Purdon said it would not be until he trialled Auckland Reactor that he would know if the horse had been affected by his North American campaign.

"He's that great a horse he'll do anything you want at home and it won't be until he's put under stress and is asked for 100 percent that I'll know if any damage has been done."

But Auckland Reactor was looking brilliant and he was confident he could get him back on top.

Curtin said many people had forgotten just how special Auckland Reactor was.

"Not many people know it but he still holds six New Zealand records. We all know how great Monkey King is – he's won $3 million – but he doesn't have one New Zealand record."

Beaten only once in his first 21 starts, Auckland Reactor achieved pin-up status in 2007- 2009, clocking unheard-of sectionals and dispatching his rivals with seeming ease. Everywhere he went he drew crowds and headlines, owner Tony Parker fending off numerous offers until at a record $4 million the money was simply too much to turn down.

"He beat every good horse in New Zealand fair and square," said Curtin who still hopes Auckland Reactor will get back to his absolute peak so he could have another crack at North America.

"Kelvin Harrison [American trainer] said he was the fastest horse he'd ever sat behind and we all know what Mark thinks of him."

Purdon: "It's very exciting having him back in the barn."

[mango]

Hi Neil
Thankyou for this information, as a A.R fan i do hope Mark can get him back to his best and i do wish the new owners all the best as they have taken a risk, a risk i hope pays off for them. Just one question i'd like to know the answer to Neil has A.R been in light work (JOGGING) whilst doing stud duties.

[kilcoyne]

Thanks John it will be great to know what the plans are for A.R

Kilcoyne all the best with your mare going to Art Official and do you only breed with the one.
The mare I have for Art Official is a Beach Towel from the good race mare Victor Supreme.Hoping for the first foal on the ground next year. My other mare is currently in foal to Ohoka Arizona due to foal Xmas day and then she will go to Stonebridge Regal. She is a Deal Direct mare, dam of 2 winners including Lightening Two Up who was sold to Victorian interests and won 6 from 8 there with 2 placings (2nd and a 3rd to Bonavista Bay and Make Mine Cullen) before suffering a colic attack and being put down.

[Don Corleone]

Good Luck with AR. I saw him race 2-3 times and loved the way he went and I hope he returns to battle it out with the elite. However, John, NZ records are made to be broken so just because Monkey King hasn't got any,he still has 2 NZ Cups, that can never be taken away from him unlike a record.

[mango]

Hi John
As a fan of A.R it would be appreciated if you could up date us once a month on how the horse is going, and i do hope he gets back to his best and makes the Auckland cup and the Inters. Will that be rushing him or has he been in light work whilst performing his stud duties?

[MasterK]

Go the Monkey. Lets watch Auckland Reactor fail once again

[Termite]

Hopefully, for the sake of the horse, the PR bus that surrounds him will take a step back and let him get to the track without each start being a test of his greatness. The pressure on horse, trainer and driver must be enormous when there is so much hype generated around him. Australian Rules football coach Denis Pagan famously said; "If you're any good, you don't have to tell anyone... They'll tell you!"

[nat]

Your right on Termite, I like the horse for the most he bought great PR almost hysteria for the sport its only when the owners started talking him up that his form went south, they need to take a step back and let the horse do the talking I hope he can come back bigger and better it will make Harness Racing better for it. Unfortunately there now is a legion of AR haters due to all the hype put out there before his failure in the US, anyone who doubts this hoses potential check his 3 losses in NZ out

[Southern Man]

I dont know what some of you people are smoking but I want some because it must be the best mind alterating substance of all time. Auckland Reactor was a two time horse of the year at the same time as Changeover and Monkey King were racing. Why. Because he beat both of them up. The Auckland Cup of 2009 is the race you will never want to watch if you are a Monkey King or Changeover fan. Auckland Reactor gives both of them 20 lengths start and rounds them up. The hype was simply in response to some unbelivable runs. Will he come back. Dont know. But if he does the rest are only running for second.

[mango]

Hi Southern Man
I agree with you but hopefully they let the horse do the talking this time as i don't think so many people would be negative on the horse if the owners had of kept quite and let the results speak for themselves. The race that stands out for me would be a 4yr old race when All Tiger beats him it's a standing start race A.R gallops out looses 60-70m then catchs the field then goes around and sits parked that was a great effort. I suggest the people who bag the horse go to Harness Racing n.z web site and watch this race and then come back and make your comments because once you have a close look at the race i think you might change your mind.

[admin]

Mr. JC was going to drop by for an update, but in the meantime here's something from the Herald today. I love the granny to the mailbox line :)

------

Mark Purdon has devised a master plan for Auckland Reactor - he is going to pretend the last year of the great pacer's harness racing career didn't happen. Purdon has the one-time wonder horse back in work after a disastrous past 13 months which has seen him go from being rated one of our greatest-ever pacers to a flop in the Northern Hemisphere and then a stalled stallion career.

Just last November, the son of Mach Three thrashed his rivals on New Zealand Cup Day but what followed was nothing short of a nightmare for his owners.

He was beaten when attacked in the New Zealand Free-For-All, raced like he had concrete shoes in the Miracle Mile and then embarked on a United States campaign that was nothing short of pathetic.

He returned home to moderate interest as a stallion and after a partial change of ownership he is now back being tried as a racehorse.

He connections are hoping throat surgery and a return to Purdon will help him return to his best in time for the Auckland Cup and Interdominions in March and April.

And Purdon says that is not impossible.

"If it was the throat that was troubling him all along then maybe the operation will clear that up," said Purdon.

"Either way it is great to have him back and I have to forget about what has happened and just train him like I did in the past.

"That is the only option I really have and if he comes back to his best, great."

Purdon says the early signs are good for a return to something like Auckland Reactor's dominant form.

"He looks the same and his behaviour and attitude around the place are the same," he enthuses.

"Whether his throat is all right we won't really know until it goes under raceday pressure, or at least till he trials."

That is planned for early February, with Purdon hoping that will provide a springboard to racing in late February.

"If he can do that and everything is fine then the aim will be the Auckland Cup and the Interdominions."

While such aims could sound fanciful for a horse who couldn't beat Granny to the mailbox in the United States, such a comeback is not unprecedented in New Zealand harness racing in recent years.

Champion trotter Lyell Creek returned from an admittedly successful career in North America looking to be retired but was able to be weaned off anti-bleeding drug Lasix and went on to win the Dominion Handicap and Rowe Cup again.

But he was renowned for his mental and physical toughness, while doubts still remain over those aspects of Auckland Reactor's make-up.

Still, his frailties might have been caused by his throat problems and it is too early to doubt Purdon's enthusiasm.

The training legend had group one goals a little closer foremost in his mind yesterday, as Sleepy Tripp and I Can Doosit trialled at Alexandra Park.

Sleepy Tripp looked sharp winning the main trial, beating among others last season's champion filly De Lovely, who was being seen out in public for the first time this season.

"He was good and will race here [Alexandra Park] next Friday as his lead up to the Victoria Cup the following week," said Purdon.

I Can Doosit will follow the same path, racing next Friday before heading to Victoria for a one-race raid the following Friday.

by Michael GUERIN (Courtesy of the NEW ZEALAND HERALD)

[trevesy]

It was good to see an update on the Standardbred Canada website yesterday. I am hoping that he can regain his old form after the operation and maybe have another crack at NA later on. All the best to his new connections.

[mango]

Auckland Reactor trialled at mid Caterbury today over 2400m recording a m.r of 2.03.9 last half in 55.8 last quarter in 27sec it was his first public apperance since returning from the u.s

Also for interest sake a 2yr old colt Rockin Roll Lad trialled and went 2.01.7 last half in 57.5 and last quarter in 26.2 he is by Artplace out of a three quarter sister to Rocknroll Hanover in Rye Hanover.

[mango]

Hi Admin
Would like to know if they were happy with A.R today, could you possibly find out and post it for us.

[admin]

I spoke to John Curtin (Syndicate Manager and part owner) today and he was very happy with how AR ran, especially the last half. First impressions look good but he did say he hadn't spoken to Mark yet. I'll remind him of this thread and you might be able to get it direct as I'm a little weary of misquoting him.

The story's up on Harnesslink with a couple of quotes from Mark here http://www.harnesslink.com/www/Article.cgi?ID=86851

[John Curtin]

Hi Admin
Would like to know if they were happy with A.R today, could you possibly find out and post it for us.

Mango we are all very happy with Auckland Reactor's first run back. Mark Purdon was very pleased in fact he was suprised at how well the horse went first time out for seven months. The early indications are that the horse has recovered well from his trip to the US. We will know more after next weeks run and his first race the following week.
Talk about the hype Auckland Reactor has and even some people I see are blaming the owners for the hype that this horse has.
It has nothing to do with the owners its the horse himself that creates the hype.
Mark Purdon told me that while he was having his dinner after the trials with some staff and friends he switched his phone off for an hour to get some piece while eating. When he switched his phone back on (An hour later) he had had 17 calls and guess what each and every call was from the media from television to radio to newspapers.
Auckland Reactor creates the hype and that is the way it is with this horse. Every time he steps onto a track everybody wants to be part of it. Thats racing when you have a great horse.
I will keep you all informed of his real progress if you want me too as it happens.
Also the new Auckland Reactor site will be up and running soon so watch this for more news.
Here is what Mark Purdon says on his own site... Auckland Reactor explodes
AUCKLAND REACTOR ran his las 800m in 53.9 and 400m in 26 to come from last to win his comeback heat at the Ashburton trials yesterday. Settled last as expected and improving wide from the 600m, the Rolleston Rocket was only urged at all in the last 100m and got up by a neck. The official sectionals were 55.8n and 27 off the front with an overall time of 3:04.9. Mark Purdon, pleased with the run which went much as he had predicted will now take the champ to Motukarara next week for a further test before he resumes racing on February 12, Mark got him a faster quarter than the unofficial clockers. "I made him run home in 25.5''

[BenScadden]

Unfortunately, I think the US disaster has damaged AR's reputation significantly, perhaps beyond repair.

Lots of people will tend to remember his failures (few as they may be), rather than his successes ... it seems to be human nature.

I'm hoping he steps up at Interdom time.

[justdoit]

Mango, Admin, John & Ben,
I hope he finds his old form and shows everyone how good he can be.
The hype was coming straight out of harnesslink. It's not that I think it was wrong
to push a future sire prospect, it's just unlucky that he raced the way he did.

[Iraklis]

Geez it was bloody great to see that trial, he cruzed it ( mmmmm good name for a horse), he'll find his old form cos it never left him! he was dealing with other probs and now they're sorted! bloody awesome to see him back onwards and upwards, and come on Mark P get those stand start manners sorted (I dunno Mark, bribe him with a crate of DB 'cos he deserves it' or something, perhaps not just yet after all he is in trainin and stuff) and then the knockers and such will be reminded of why the 'hype' surrounds AR all time! I say if AR was runnin hampered by a breathin prob and he did an awesome job then, he was only ever partially tapped! what the hell is he likely to do now! ROLL ON THE INTERS! look out record books in general, I can't wait!!!!!!! oh yeah and Mark P, LET HIM RIP MATE, LET HIM RIP!!!!!!

Cheers Iraklis

[Don Corleone]

Two or three years ago I was lucky enough to watch AR when he was only begining his career. The first time being when he won at Forbury and then again when he won at Ascot. By the time he won at Ascot he must have won his first 7-8 races, so there was a heap of interest in him. I had my friends 11 year old daughter with me and she wanted to see AR. Up the stables we wandered and with no effort whatsoever Mark Purdon and his team let us pat and rub AR. Photos were taken and a little girls day was made. All the while AR remained half asleep and completely laid back. From that day on AR has been and will remain one of my all time favourite horses. As for the the girl....she joined Kids Kartz and now at 14 she is enrolling in a cadet scheme, eventually wanting to become a driver/trainer. Go Auckland Reactor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mango]

I hope A.R can get back to his old form and if not better, horses like him are great for the racing industry and i would love to watch him race whilst i'm over at the inters. Stunin Cullen had a few average races about a year ago and then they found out he had a breathing problem and had him operated on and he has come back flying so i just hope the same can be said for A.R in the long run.

Hi Justdoit
You are right i think this time they should just let the horse do the talking on the track and let him make his own hype without pushing him as a stallion prospect, if A.R can come back as good or if not better he will do his own advertising for stud duties later on.

Hi Don
Thats great to hear you took your friends daughter to see the Reactor and now she is getting involved in the industry, thats what good horses can do get people interested. Question for you Don a few years ago when i was down in Christchurch i went out to Mark's set up and i thought it was great but since then he has moved to a bigger and better one if you know anything about his old set up compared to his new one i would love to know.

[Don Corleone]

Mango - I have never been to Marks training establishment but have driven past it and it looks amazing. I know people who have been there and they say its state of the art. Marks website doesn't really pay it justice with not a lot of photos.
You're right about getting people into the industry. I started basically the same way. My dad took me to the night trots and from that moment on I been hooked.

[mango]

Hi Admin
Any chance you can get John Curtin to somehow get photo's of Mark Purdon's training complex and post it on here for everyone to have a look. And it's great to see Stunin Cullen racing the way he is i just hope the operation he had has the same result on the Reactor (fingers crossed).