John Sargent believes Red Ruler could end up being the best horse he's trained and is happy with his decision to miss the Melbourne Cup in favour of Saturday's Sandown Classic.The Group Two weight-for-age race will be Red Ruler's swansong before he goes into quarantine and returns home to New Zealand.Red Ruler will race with winkers on for the first time on the recommendation of Corey Brown who rode the gelding when he finished sixth to All The Good in the Caulfield Cup and seventh to Theseo in
John Sargent believes Red Ruler could end up being the best horse he's trained and is happy with his decision to miss the Melbourne Cup in favour of Saturday's Sandown Classic.
The Group Two weight-for-age race will be Red Ruler's swansong before he goes into quarantine and returns home to New Zealand.
Red Ruler will race with winkers on for the first time on the recommendation of Corey Brown who rode the gelding when he finished sixth to All The Good in the Caulfield Cup and seventh to Theseo in the Mackinnon Stakes.
With Brown under suspension for careless riding aboard Musket at Flemington last Saturday, Kerrin McEvoy takes the ride on the Viking Ruler four-year-old.
"He's a year away from taking on the big boys, but this race is obviously not as strong," said Sargent who is based at Matamata but has Red Ruler stabled with Russell Cameron at Bangholme.
"So we've just changed him around a bit and freshened him up. Kerrin McEvoy came down and galloped him yesterday.
"He's fit and well, he's been bucking and kicking so I decided to run him in this race. He goes into quarantine on Sunday."
And hopefully he'll be back for next year's Melbourne Cup.
"He's a year away - I've thought that all along - in both his mind and his body. It takes a race-hard old horse to win those races," Sargent said.
"He's still only a four-year-old, he only started racing a year ago."
Sargent could be in for a big weekend as he has smart filly Il Quello Veloce taking on the colts and geldings in the Group One $NZ1 million Two Thousand Guineas (2000m) while 2008 Group One Wellington Cup winner Young Centaur is second favourite for the Group Two New Zealand Cup (3200m), both at Riccarton on Saturday.
Sargent was happy with Red Ruler drawing barrier five in the 10-horse field as he didn't think gate one suited the horse in the Caulfield Cup.
"He's a big free-goer and he loves to get back and swoop around them. If you can get him out into the open he loves it," he said.
"I'd like to see him sit one-off and Sandown should suit him, it's quite a nice track."
Zipping, who won the race last year after finishing fourth to stablemate Efficient in the Melbourne Cup, is favoured to make it back-to-back Sandown Classic victories.
The Danehill seven-year-old is coming off an unlucky ninth to Viewed in this year's Cup and will be ridden by Michael Rodd, replacing the suspended Danny Nikolic.
Zipping, who had previously run third to Littorio in the Turnbull Stakes and second to Maldivian in the Cox Plate, has firmed from $2.60 to $2.40 favouritism with TAB Sportsbet ahead of Red Ruler ($7), Douro Valley ($7.50), Capecover and Light Vision ($8) with Baughurst next best at $8.50.