Hugh Bowman is typically measured when it comes to talking about his Chipping Norton Stakes ride Top Ranked but sometimes, less is more.
The Annabel Neasham-trained import is the wildcard in Saturday’s race, and indeed during the Sydney autumn carnival, having raced just once in Australia for an eye-catching second to Lost And Running in The Hunter.
Just where and how he fits in to the local scene is still an unknown and Bowman is looking forward to digging a bit deeper when Top Ranked lines up against Horse Of The Year Verry Elleegant and established weight-for-age performer Think It Over on Saturday.
“I am as interested as everyone else. He is a very exciting individual,” Bowman said.
Bowman got his first real feel of Top Ranked in a recent barrier trial, the six-year-old finishing third behind accomplished sprinter Wild Ruler.
That was on a heavy track and the horse has good form on soft ground overseas, so Bowman doesn’t anticipate Top Ranked having any issue handling the rain-affected conditions in the Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m).
While reticent to talk up his prospects, there was an undercurrent of confidence, and Bowman was succinct when asked if he thought the horse was capable of causing a minor upset.
“Yes he is. I’m not expecting him to do that, but I am expecting him to run a very good race,” he said.
“Whether that has him winning or running fifth beaten a length-and-a-half, I really have no idea but I’m sure he will run well.”
Bowman and Neasham have not been a common combination on race day but the champion rider and emerging young trainer team up in two feature races at Randwick, with Bowman also partnering Lady Laguna for Neasham in the Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m).
It could become a more frequent partnership, with Bowman saying only bad timing has prevented them linking up more often sooner.
“As she was building her team up, Tommy (Berry) was available and I wasn’t, therefore they created a bit of a partnership,” Bowman said.
“Now he is less available and I’m more available, so here we are.”
Lady Laguna’s task has been made a little easier with the scratching of Golden Slipper favourite Coolangatta from the Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) due to the heavy track.