Purple Sector ends autumn on winning note

Purple Sector has taken out the Rough Habit Plate but the colt will miss the Queensland Derby.

Trainer John Thompson will pull up stumps with Rough Habit Plate winner Purple Sector rather than pursue a Queensland Derby start.

Purple Sector ($3) gave jockey Blake Shinn an armchair ride when he cruised to a 2-1/4 lengths win from A Man To Match ($9.50) with the $1.85 favourite, Dealmaker 1-1/2 lengths away third.

Thompson said he did not want to overtax Purple Sector after an arduous campaign in Sydney during the autumn.

“We wanted to spell him in Queensland so we picked out this race to aim at before he went out,” Thompson said.

“It worked out nice. He had a good barrier, a good run throughout the race and I was confident from the jump.”

Thompson said Purple Sector was not a genuine stayer and wants to keep his future racing to distances to no further than 2000m.

“He doesn’t run past 2000m. We’ve tried him and he just doesn’t run it out.

“He suffered a few heavy tracks down south and got a bad check in the Rosehill Guineas but he got a lovely run today and that made the difference.”

Shinn backed Thompson’s decision to bring down the curtain on Purple Sector’s campaign.

“I think that’s the sign of a great trainer,” Shinn said.

“It’s easy to say push on to the Queensland Derby and no doubt he’d be a great chance but he’s trying to create his own destiny for the horse and he could be a really good spring carnival contender.

“I think it’s a wise move and the correct decision.”