Red Ruler bounced back to win over 1400m at Pukekohe on Wednesday less than a month after finishing down the track in the Melbourne Cup.

Red Ruler (6g Viking Ruler – Ransom Bay by Red Ransom) powered home in the straight to win the Avondale at Counties Hcp by two lengths under the steadier of 61kg.  “He doesn’t even know he’s gone around,” jockey Mark Du Plessis said on returning to scale.  “He was very dominant even though the 1400m is far short of his best distance.”

The John Sargent trained galloper worked the house down on more than one occasion while stabled with Leon Corstens during the Melbourne’s spring carnival.  But he struck wet tracks on raceday and signed off with a 20 length loss in the Melbourne Cup.

Red Ruler is by former Cambridge Stud stallion Viking Ruler who is currently serving his first book at Mornmoot Stud in Victoria.  He is also the sire of the G1 Queensland Derby winner Court Ruler and the Bart Cummings-trained sprinter Kroner.  

Viking Ruler is by Danehill from G1 winning mare Trisalove (Sir Tristram) and his third dam is Eight Carat.

Red Ruler is the best of his stock winning over $1.35 million.  He has won up to G2 level in this year’s Wellington Cup and has also been runner-up at G1 level in the 2008 AJC Derby and Kelt Capital.

His USA bred dam Ransom Bay has foaled four winners to date.  She sold for $20,000 to the Jeju Stud Farm in South Korea at a Karaka Sale in 2006.

Sargent will give Red Ruler an opportunity to claim a well-deserved victory at the top level in the Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.