Ruscello Gets Entry To Melbourne Cup
- Saturday, 02 November 2013 02:51
A gritty all the way win by Ruscello qualified him for a run in Tuesday's Melbourne Cup but is regarded as at best a 50:50 chance to run.
Winning trainer Ed Walker said of the Cape Cross gelding bred in Ireland:
"To be honest, it has to be no until the horse tells us yes because he’s only four and he’s just won the biggest race of his life and to ask him to run the next biggest race of his life three days later is a bit unfair."
"At this stage I think it has to be pretty unlikely."
Ruscello Hold Out Let's Make Adeal
Although marked as a five year old in Australian form guides, Ruscello was a late April foal which makes him only a four year old. According to part owner Terry Henderson, the Spring preparation for Ruscello is a bit of an experiment with the expectation that he will be more competitive next year.
Racing Victoria handicapper Greg Carpenter was not overly impressed by today's win, declining to apply a weight penalty to Ruscello for the Cup.
"It was one of the slowest run Lexus Stakes in years", he remarked.
Ruscello is undoubtedly a horse on the up with his rating likely to increase from a lowly 80 to 100 or so as a result of today's win. However today's Group 3 win against moderate opposition is a far cry from the proven Group 1 competitors he will be up against in the Melbourne Cup.
Winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy brought up a double with riding tactics very similar to those he used in winning the Carbine Club Stakes aboard Paximadia. He led all the way, allowing the horse to have an easy time to the home turn and then challenging the others to try and get past him in the straight.
Let's Make Adeal ($8-$9.50) tried valiantly to do just that but Ruscello ($11-$12-$11) was not going to let the mare get past him. The favourite Araldo ($4.20-$5.00-$4.20) ran home well from eighth at the 800m but failed by a couple of lengths to overhaul the winner, finishing in third place.
Ruscello
McEvoy ignored Walker's riding instructions but the trainer wasn't complaining.
"Kerrin has done a magnificent job because I gave him two instructions. One was to get cover and the other was not to hit the front too early so lucky he didn’t listen to me", Walker said.
McEvoy's post race comments were all predicated on Ruscello running in the Melbourne Cup.
"He’s a very genuine horse and he stepped up today to win and he’d be a completive chance in the Cup", he said.
"If he pulls up well you’ve got to have a look at him for sure and he’s a lightly raced horse that’s going to get into the field at 20 or 30 to one so you might as well have a crack."
"He’s not slow picking up and attacking the line so if he gets some cover in the Cup and relaxes better it will help him see the trip out and it will be interesting to see how he goes."
Photos: Fiona Tomlin
