The Derby was run in November 1973, when the Abells raced Kotare Legend. The colt had won the Spring Time Stakes first up at Addington 12 months earlier but his owners decided against a start in the Derby after he tangled at the start of the Riccarton Stakes on the first day of the New Zealand Cup meeting and finished eighth.
The 1973 Derby was won by Koarakau, trained by Don Nyhan and driven by son Barry.
Kotare Legend, trained on the Abells' property at Fernside by Leicester Tatterson, regained winning form in the New Brighton Stakes the following month and blossomed in the autumn.
His wins included the J McCloy Memorial Handicap over two miles (3200m) on the testing Methven track, two wins over that distance at Addington, the NZ Metropolitan Three-Year-old Championship in a field of 15 and the Celebrity Stakes at the New Brighton meeting. The latter event was for six invited 3yr-olds and he won by six lengths from Koarakau.
Kotare Legend won the Ashburton Flying Stakes the following season and finished second to Robalan in the New Zealand Cup.
Kotare Legend was bred by the Abells from a mating of Fallacy and the Australian mare Silver Halo (by Meadow Vance). They bred Kotare Mach, who is by Mach Three, sire of the 2008 New Zealand Derby winner Auckland Reactor.
Kotare Mach is trained by Mark Purdon and Grant Payne, who trained Auckland Reactor and Sleepy Tripp, winner of the New Zealand Derby last year. Kotare Mach joined Purdon and Payne after a third from two starts as a 2yr-old for Mark Smolenski.
He won his next three starts at that age, including the group one Welcome Stakes at Addington. Kotare Mach has returned as a 3yr-old to win four races. He won over a mile in 1.53 at Ashburton in October but dropped out to last in the Sires' Stakes Final at Addington in November after racing fiercely.
He won at Alexandra Park during an Auckland campaign in December. Purdon felt the trip away was the making of Kotare Mach. The colt has won his two starts since returning to Rolleston - a heat of the Supremacy Stakes at Wyndham and the Flying Stakes at Addington.
The last three NZ Derby winners have won the Flying Stakes - Changeover, Auckland Reactor and Sleepy Tripp.
Purdon has won the NZ Derby nine times as a reinsman and seven as a trainer.
Purdon and Payne have Russley Rascal a sound Derby prospect tonight after his win in the Great Northern Derby last month. Changeover (2007) is the most recent winner of the Derby double. Purdon trained The Court Owl to win both races in 1996. Stablemate Sharp And Telford was runner-up in the NZ Derby that year.
