Handy colt Rusambo shed his underachiever’s tag and avoided the indignity of being sent to the provincial circuit with an upset win in the Sportingbet Handicap at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
The Peter Snowden-trained Rusambo showed great promise in his first two runs in top two-year-old company last season and finished a creditable fifth in the Blue Diamond Stakes in February behind Samaready.
Rusambo settled at the tail of the small field before coming with a sweeping run after turning for home to beat Free Of Doubt - Photo by Steven Dowden
He then turned in a couple of disappointing runs, prompting the Darley-backed stable to consider a trip to the provincials to help him break his maiden status.
“We were prepared to go to a maiden on the all-weather track at Geelong just to give him a win,” Paul Snowden, Melbourne foreman for his father, said.
“In that sense, this has been a big win for him.”
Rusambo ($6) settled at the tail of the small field before coming with a sweeping run after turning for home to beat Free Of Doubt ($21) by a half length with Planet Voyage ($4.60) a length-and-three-quarters further back in third.
The win also confirmed the riding tactics likely to be employed in the colt’s future runs.
“We’ve tried to put him in a position in some of his races and he’s gone no good,” Snowden said.
“But the only way to ride him is to get back and let him settle.
“It was a bit messy up front today, so it paid off to be out of it.”
While Rusambo redeemed himself, the favourite King’s Pardon did the opposite.
A brilliant winner at his only previous start, King’s Pardon had solid backing from $2.50 to $2.30.
But after racing outside the early leader Planet Voyage, he weakened from the 300m to finish last of the six runners.
