In a bid to get some prize money into the bank and build his profile, trainer Matt Laurie has produced Ranveer at an off-season winter meeting at Sandown.
Although underdone and not relishing the heavy track conditions, Ranveer was able to win the Clanbrooke Racing Handicap (1000m) on Saturday.
Ranveer has now banked $91,250 from his two starts and Laurie is planning on another start at Caulfield in two weeks’ time before heading off on another break to prepare for bigger spring riches.
Under the guidance of Ben Melham, Ranveer ($2.90) scored a three-quarter length win from debutant Our Heidi ($8.50) with Rambeau ($18) 1-¾ lengths off third.
Laurie has held Ranveer in high esteem from his early days and was planning an assault on the Magic Millions 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast in January.
But Ranveer fell ill on the eve of the Magic Millions Clockwise Classic at Ballarat in November and was on a possible downhill slide when he ran second to Profiteer in December.
Laurie said he held concerns for Ranveer ahead of Saturday’s race on heavy ground.
“I felt that he probably hadn’t done enough work for this surface today but was hoping his class would take him through,” Laurie said.
“He looked like he was running on empty a fair way from home to my eye and he’ll come on a hell of a lot from that.
“There’s an 1100-metre race at Caulfield in a fortnight, so I was thinking of something like that, then we’ll back off and prepare him for the spring.”
Melham concurred with Laurie querying Ranveer’s fitness and was banking on the colt’s class to get him through.
“He’s a bit rowdy, a bit full of himself, but with this run under his belt I’m sure he’ll calm down a bit,” Melham said.
