Ex-Cup hope well Ranked for Cluden
IN another life, the Alwyn Bailey-trained Ranked was set for “the race that stops a nation” on the first Tuesday in November.
In this life, Ranked will tackle a Class 6 Plate (1400m) worth just $12,000 at Townsville’s Cluden Park this afternoon.
It is a far cry from the $6,200,000 Melbourne Cup the Irish gelding was once aimed for.
Ranked, or Rougemont as it was known as when racing back in Ireland many years ago, was purchased alongside Green Moon for a tilt at Australia’s, or maybe even the world’s, most famous race.
The now eight-year-old had four starts in Victoria for Robert Hickmott, never finishing better than ninth, while Green Moon won the 2012 Melbourne Cup, ridden by Brett Prebble and trained by Hickmott.
The Cannon Park-based Bailey is happy to look after the $297,422 career stakes earner after John Wallace previously trained him on the Gold Coast.
“It actually came to Australia to win a Melbourne Cup,” Bailey said.
“He came over with Green Moon, they paid three quarters of a million dollars for him and things went bad and they sent it up to Brisbane and now he is up our way.
“He is up here for the Cups now.
“He certainly had a lot of ability they tell me, but that is all in the past now. But, he is now racing better than ever.”
The bay gelding had its first start in the Far North earlier this month, just under three lengths behind the winner at Cluden Park over 1600m, but Bailey expects the 1400m will suit this afternoon.
Top Cairns jockey Emily Cass retains the ride.
“Ranked has come along really well since he has been here,” Bailey said.
“I think he will be very hard to beat at Townsville, to be honest. The pace will be on and he has no weight at all, he can grind away all day.
“He has raced against better classed horses than these. He is looking forward to the cooler weather and he is settled now.”
Meanwhile, the Open Handicap will be a hotly contested affair, with last-start winners Concluder and Maurizio set to go head to head this afternoon.