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Another Derby Contender for Trelawney 18 Feb 2008
Trelawney Stud looks set to be represented by yet another leading Mercedes Derby contender when the 2008 rendition comes about in just under two weeks time.

Red Ruler (NZ) (Viking Ruler) was bred in partnership by Trelawney Stud and Australian client John Cornish and was born and raised at the historic Cambridge farm. The fourth foal out of the imported mare Ransom Bay (USA) (Red Ransom), he staked his claim for the blue riband event with an emphatic three and a quarter length victory in Saturday’s Group Two Championship Stakes (2100m) at the home of the Mercedes Derby, Ellerslie.

Ridden by Vinny Colgan, who is no stranger to holding the Mercedes Derby trophy aloft having already won it on four occasions, Red Ruler is trained by John Sargent in Matamata and was purchased by John from Trelawney’s 2006 Premier Yearling draft. Entering the ring as Lot two of the sale, the colt was knocked down for $60,000 and is now owned by long time Trelawney associates Guy Sargent and Andrew Meeham along with Ron Arculie.

Red Ruler has faced the starter on only five occasions breaking maiden status in his first start over 1200m and should have a picket fence formline if not for showing his greenness in his second start which produced a third. Since then, he has saluted the judge on three consecutive occasions, including Saturday’s victory in a race won by the last two Derby winners which bodes well for the 1st of March.

If Red Ruler were to be successful on Derby Day, he would be the second Mercedes Derby-winner to hail from Trelawney Stud since the farm was taken over in the early nineties by the Taylor family, the first being 2006 winner Wahid (NZ) (Almutawakel) who went on to be named joint Champion Three-year-Old of his year.

“The ultimate goal when breeding a horse is to produce a Group One winner,” says Brent Taylor of Trelawney Stud. “We have managed to produce at least one from Trelawney each season since taking over the farm and we’re very proud of that,” he said. “It’s certainly very exciting to have another leading Derby prospect in the form of Red Ruler and we will be shouting with the best of them come Derby Day,” said Brent.