As a three-year-old Red Colossus was a Derby horse and at four he was running in some of the best races in the country.
By the end of his five-year-old season the sights had been dropped to the Darwin Cup and then, at his most recent start, to the Koroit Cup at Warrnambool.
“There’s been a few plans for him over the years,” said trainer Brett Scott.
“And there’s a few more to come.”
At his third start for Scott, Red Colossus won the Warrnambool race as well as might be expected for a horse that two seasons earlier had mixed it with So You Think in the Group One Mackinnon Stakes.
So well, that his career is again on an upward path.
The next step for Red Colossus is the Craftsman Handicap (1720m) at Flemington on Saturday on the way to a possible run in the Group Two Peter Young Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield next month.
“The Peter Young looks like a good race for him at this stage,” Scott said.
“He’s been a good-class horse and he won nicely enough last time, so we’ll probably give him his chance.”
Red Colossus began his racing career with a rush, graduating from a Ballarat maiden win on debut to the Group Two Stutt Stakes at Moonee Valley at his third start.
His next preparation included a win in the Port Adelaide Guineas and the Chairman’s Stakes at Morphettville On the way to a second placing in the South Australian Derby.
Red Colossus didn’t win again for more than a year after that before claiming the Group Three Victoria Handicap at Caulfield in August 2011, along the way finishing fifth to So You Think in the Mackinnon.
He also finished third in the Memsie Stakes and sixth in the Epsom Handicap before losing form over the following year until a change of trainer and a reorganisation of his ownership.
“A couple of his old owners stayed in and few new ones joined up – they bought him to take to Darwin for the Cup,” Scott said.
“But I think he’s probably going to get a bit high in the ratings for that now, so we’ll have a look at a couple of races down here.”
Scott acknowledges the Koroit Cup isn’t a race that figures on the form card of many stakes winners, but at the same time there aren’t many Koroit Cup winners who have won stakes races.
“He might not be the horse he was but I’ve been very happy with all his runs this time in,” he said.
“The first two were over 1200m and he didn’t disgrace himself.
“And as soon as we stepped him up to his right trip he won.
“It won’t surprise me at all if he can do it again.”
