Dual Group 1 winner Rangirangdoo will miss the Spring Carnival

He’s undoubtedly one of the best race horses in Australia but Rangirangdoo has been deprived of so many starts that you have to wonder what could have been.

The dual Group 1 winner will once again miss the spring carnival and with it forfeit multiple chances at adding a third to his resume.

Chris Waller made the call on the basis that they are looking more long term and he realises that durability isn’t one of Rangirangdoo’s strongest suits.

Instead it looks like the Sydney carnival in Autumn will once again be the target, a place where he certainly likes to be.

The horse has been plagued by problems throughout his career, most seriously a suspensory injury last year which kept him out of action for a full 12 months.

It was the Sydney carnival in 2011 where he made his return, having just the two starts but making the most of it with a win in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes.

Chris Waller explains the though process behind the decision.

“We made the decision with Rangirangdoo that we’re going to miss the spring, he’s going to be ready to go in the early autumn instead,” Waller said.

“I just wasn’t entirely happy with the way his leg was, we’ve had it scanned and it’s been cleared of any issues but there is still a bit of heat there and a bit of remodelling and I’d rather give him a bit longer and be careful.”

Rangirangdoo was put on the map in 2010 when he won his maiden Group 1 in the Doncaster Mile.

He didn’t race again until the Canterbury Stakes in March, that being his only start before the George Ryder.

He was set to run in the Group 1 All Aged Stakes as well but on the morning of the race he was withdrawn having not fully recovered from his previous start.

The six-year-old would have been a force to be reckoned with during the spring carnival but Waller says the preparation involved in getting to the majors would have been too much.

“Realistically there was only one race that we wanted to win in the spring and that was the Cox Plate and I don’t think he could have handled a Cox Plate preparation,” he said.

“So to do that and not get there probably would have ruled out the autumn. Just for the sake of one run and probably not getting there, I’d rather make sure we’ve got a full crack at him in the autumn and continue on his winning form.”

Assuming there are no other setbacks along the way Waller can already reveal the path he plans to take with Rangirangdoo next year.

He’ll begin in the Expressway Stakes moving into the Apollo Stakes and then tackle Group 1 level in the Chipping Norton before a defence of his George Ryder title.

“I’d also love to get him to the Doomben 10,000 next year,” Waller said.