Ranvet Stakes – 2021

Track: Heavy   Weather: Fine

A field of nine runners have accepted for the $700,000 Ranvet Stakes. Seven of the runners have won previously on heavy going and all have won on slow tracks. Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes are the only training team to have two runners and there are four mares, four geldings and an entire. The early favourite is seven-year-old  Addeybb, trained in Britain, who won this race last year and comes off a spectacular win in the Group 1 Champion Stakes at Ascot in England. Second favourite is Caulfield Cup winning mare Verry Elleegant who has seven Group 1 wins to her credit. Third favourite is four-year-old mare Colette who has already amassed $5 million in prizemoney.

Sir Dragonet won the Cox Plate in the Spring but has been disappointing in two runs this preparation. Master Of Wine goes well at this track but hasn’t finished in the trifecta at his last seven starts. Angel of Truth was held up last start in the Australian Cup but still finished only 1.6 lengths away when he got going. Miami Bound, Nettoyer and Cliffs Of Moher are currently 60 to 1 or longer.

1. Addeybb

This seven-year-old gelding trained by William Haggas in the UK won this race last year at his first Australian start. His lead-up was a 2nd place in the Group 1 Champion Stakes and this year he has had the same lead-up race and won it by 2.3 lengths. His career record is 11 wins and five places from 20 starts and in Australia he has had two races for two Group 1 wins (the Ranvet Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes). At both of those starts Verry Eleegant ran 2nd. He can handle rain-affected going and looks the likely winner again.

2. Sir Dragonet

Trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, this five-year-old Camelot horse was a convincing winner of the 2020 Cox Plate before finishing 6th in the Melbourne Cup. He has had two runs this campaign for 7th in the Orr Stakes then 9th in the All Star Mile where he over-raced early. He needs to improve on those two runs but is worth including in the exotics.

3. Master Of Wine

One of two runners in the race not to have won a Group 1 race (the other is Cliffs Of Moher), this six-year-old gelding resumed from an 18 week spell for 2.3 lengths 6th in the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes on 27 February. He goes well at this distance and should improve from last run.

4. Angel Of Truth

He won the Australian Derby in 2019 but that was his last win. At his latest start he was held up from the 200m to 50m and got going late for 1.6 lengths 5th in the Group 1 Australian Cup over 2000m. On the basis of that he could run a place here.

5. Cliffs Of Moher

This four-year-old gelding has only had six starts for two wins and a place. Those wins were a Goulburn maiden handicap over 1300m and a BM 64 handicap at Newcastle over 1870m. This is his first start in a black-type race which is why he is the rank outsider at $500 in the early markets. I’m not expecting to see him in the finish but the way things have been going this autumn carnival anything could happen! With prizemoney of $7000 for 6th to 10th he will be nicely rewarded for going around.

6. Verry Elleegant

A brilliant mare who has already won seven Group 1 races and has won $7.4 million in prizemoney. She is one of my favourites, but she has met Addeybb twice before and both times he has won. He performed even better in his lead-up race this year and I feel she will be the quinella horse again and not the winner (but I’m happy for her to prove me wrong.)

7. Colette

This four-year-old mare is very talented and has six wins from her 14 starts including the 2020 Australian Oaks and the 2020 Golden Eagle. She resumed for a first-up win this campaign in the Apollo Stakes where she beat Kolding and Verry Elleegant, then was narrowly beaten by Verry Elleegant in the Chipping Norton second-up. Last start she was slowly away and was crowded when a length 4th in the Sky High Stakes. I’m putting her in my trifectas.

8. Miami Bound

All her previous races have been in Victoria. She has a Group 1 win with the 2019 Kennedy Oaks (2500m) and at her latest run she was only 1.8 lengths behind the winner in the Australian Cup where she had the best race sectionals. She won the Group 2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup in the Spring and is not the worst.

9. Nettoyer

This seven -year-old mare is best over a mile – she won the 2020 Doncaster – but has won up to 2050m. Last campaign she raced six times without a win where her best performance was 1.3 lengths 2nd in the Group 3 Craven Plate. She resumed for 4 lengths 8th in the Group 3 Aspiration Quality over 1600m and has never won second-up. Looks tested here.

The following are the top 4 selections for this years race.

Jo’s Tips
1 Addeybb
6  Verry Elleegant
7 Colette
4 Angel of Truth

Group 1 Golden Slipper 2021 (Rosehill 1200m)

Group 1 George Ryder Stakes 2021 (Rosehill 1500m)

Group 1 The Galaxy 2021 (Rosehill 1100m)

Group 1 Rosehill Guineas 2021 (Rosehill 2000m)