Road to the Melbourne Cup begins with Andrew Ramsden
Tomorrow’s Andrew Ramsden Stakes (Listed, 2800m) not only offers the equivalent of a Willy Wonka golden ticket – ballot exemption for the Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) – but it also kicks off a strong winter program at Flemington that highlights the changing nature of race programming in Australia.
The Andrew Ramsden Stakes, formerly the Duke Of Norfolk Stakes run as an open-age handicap over 3200 metres, is now contested over 2800 metres at weight-for-age for three, four and five-year-olds. From holding little relevance on the first Tuesday in November, it has become a key guide in the space of two years.
“This is the second running of the Ramsden under its new conditions and what we wanted to do was to give those up-and-coming stayers a race of their own,” Victoria Racing Club executive general manager of racing Leigh Jordon told ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday. “Obviously, there is a big carrot there with the winner getting into the Cup but, more than that, it encourages those younger potential stayers to train on and gives them more opportunities to race.
“Last year proved just how good it could be with that terrific finish between Steel Prince and Surprise Baby; they both finished top 10 come November, and Surprise Baby probably could have won the Melbourne Cup if things had gone differently.”
While the Duke Of Norfolk was one of only two races run over the Flemington 3200 metres, it was far from a Melbourne Cup lead-up – 1984 winner What A Nuisance (St Puckle) returned the following year to take the race that stops the nation, but most Duke Of Norfolk winners were at long odds and were well beaten come November.
In fact, from 2000 onwards, only two winners of the race now named for former VRC chairman Andrew Ramsden made it to the Melbourne Cup in the same year – Niwot (Galileo) and Unchain My Heart (Al Maher).
However, last year’s Andrew Ramsden was a big step up in quality with Steel Prince (Nathaniel) defeating Surprise Baby (Shocking) and Eastender (Tickets). Steel Prince finished ninth in the Melbourne Cup, with Surprise Baby a fast-finishing fifth, beaten less than a length by Vow And Declare (Declaration Of War).
“The race is heading in the right direction, no doubt,” Jordon said. “It was one of the great stories last year and I think this year’s winner will be a big talking point heading forward.”
A win to favourite King Of Leogrance (Camelot) would put Danny O’Brien in one of the strongest positions of any local trainer heading towards the Melbourne Cup in many years. In addition to King Of Leogrance, he has defending champion Vow And Declare (Declaration Of War) as well as early favourite, last week’s South Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) winner Russian Camelot (Camelot).
“Not many trainers could boast a hand like that at any time,” Jordon said. “When you look at all three of those horses, any one of them would be a nice addition to a stable. It will be worth watching the O’Brien yard over the coming months.
He added: “King Of Leogrance has a lot of similarities to Surprise Baby last year in that both won the Adelaide Cup. Steel Prince had won a Listed race coming in – I suppose you could relate that to a Too Close The Sun, who won the Warrnambool Cup.
“Then you have these other up-and-comers: Oceanex won a Matriarch, a Group 2 during the Melbourne Cup Carnival last year, and the Port Adelaide Cup as well. And then you have an Irish Derby placegetter in Norway too, who is improving at every run for Chris Waller and he’s just hitting his straps now.”
The Australian breeding and racing industries continue to move away from producing staying stock, but the Andrew Ramsden features horses by Melbourne Cup placegetters So You Think (High Chaparral) and Lucas Cranach (Mamool) and comes after last year’s runner-up Surprise Baby was sired by a Melbourne Cup winner in Shocking (Street Cry).
“There are a couple of those staying-type stallions that are emerging, but it’s a matter of providing a program to encourage people to race these types of horses,” Jordon said. “It’s the same principle behind the Mahogany Challenge, for three-year-old stayers, which starts next week.
“We’re trying to encourage stayers. It’s not going to happen overnight, with the way the Australian industry is set up, but the only way to encourage them is to put these races on.”
Jordon previously led the international recruitment drive for Racing Victoria, and while he says there is still a lot to play out when it comes to international involvement, he believes that a Melbourne Cup restricted to Australian and New Zealand trainees is not necessarily a negative.
“From a local perspective, this could be one of the strongest Melbourne Cup fields in some time,” Jordon said. “I’m excited by Surprise Baby, I know he came back into training but didn’t race and Paul Preusker has said that he will only have a light preparation into the Melbourne Cup, similar to last year.
“We’ve got Master Of Wine, Russian Camelot, Verry Elleegant. We don’t know what will happen with the internationals but the road to the Melbourne Cup is certainly going to be fascinating in 2020.”
The Andrew Ramsden is not the only race on tomorrow’s Flemington card to feature Melbourne Cup aspirants, with the Lexus Trophy (2000m) to feature the return of one-time Cup favourite Schabau (Pastorius) at his first start since winning the Roy Higgins Quality (Listed, 2600m) in March last year.
“The Lexus Trophy is heat one of the Banjo Paterson Series so it’s another chance for emerging stayers,” Jordon said. “Horses like the German import Schabau, you’d hope to be seeing them heading towards the Melbourne Cup. It shows though just how many options there are now for local stayers and we are trying to increase those opportunities.”
The Flemington program kicks off a winter program that comes at an opportune time, with a number of trainers more inclined to stay in Victoria rather than travelling interstate in the midst of coronavirus protocols. Flemington tomorrow begins the Winter Series which culminates in Flemington Finals Day on July 4.
Flemington Finals Day will feature nine winter finals: the Winter Championship Final (Listed, 1600m), the All-Victorian Sprint Series Final (Listed, 1200m) and the Banjo Paterson Series Final (2600m) for all-comers; the Mahogany Challenge Final (2500m) and the Silver Bowl Series Final (1600m) for three-year-olds; the Rivette Series Final (1400m) for three-year-old fillies; the Leilani Series Final (1400m) for mares; and the 2YO Sprint Series Final (1200m) and the Taj Rossi Final (Listed, 1600m) for the juveniles.
“Six of these series’ kick off on Saturday and they all culminate on July 4,” Jordon said. “This racing at Flemington from now through hopefully can unveil, through those series, some potential spring contenders. I think it’s more important than ever during this period to highlight racing and, with Covid-19, it’s a good chance for the industry to promote ourselves.
“We changed all the finals races on July 4 to quality handicaps and some of the heats coming through are quality handicaps too. We did that to encourage horses that may have otherwise gone to Queensland, if they remain here and run through the winter, they can run and not be overly penalised.
“I know that Danny was looking at running a horse like Vow And Declare in these races under quality handicap conditions. It may not have worked out that way, but there is the opportunity for high-rated horses to race in the winter which may not have existed previously. King Of Leogrance could be one to push on to the Banjo Paterson heats. It is great for the public to be able to see these horses race.”