Mahrajaan eyes Group-level set in Sydney
He has captured two of New Zealand’s biggest staying scalps and now Cambridge gelding Mahrajaan has crossed the Tasman to try to assert his dominance in Australia.
The American-bred gelding was purchased by co-trainer Shaune Ritchie from the 2022 Autumn Horses-In-Training Sale at Newmarket, England, for 75,000 guineas, and rewarded the Cambridge horseman’s judgment a year later when taking out the Group 3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) at Riccarton last November before going on to secure a Cups double at Ellerslie last month when victorious in the Group 2 Auckland Cup (3200m).
Now victorious over 3200m at Group 2 and 3 level, Ritchie, along with co-trainer Com Murray, are hoping he can complete the Grouplevel set in the Group 1 Sydney Cup at Randwick tomorrow.
“I think we have got a pretty even field this year, it has certainly softened up late, we just hope the track isn’t too soft for him.”
Like many trainers in Australasia, Ritchie said he has always dreamed of lining up a runner in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on the first Tuesday in November, and tomorrow is a litmus test.
“We are just testing the waters,” he said. “It is a boyhood dream to have a runner in a Melbourne Cup, so if he can be competitive here it would be nice to take him home and get him ready for the spring. “It is just nice to be at Randwick and back in Sydney and perhaps seeing how far we can lift the bar and how high he can jump.”
Meanwhile, back in New Zealand, the stable will by vying for stakes success at Riccarton tomorrow with Nepheti in the Listed Insurance (1600m).