Coursing History: Lexus Andrew Ramsden

The 2800-metre event carries Listed status and $300,000 in prizemoney, but also a prized Lexus Melbourne Cup golden ticket.

Most of the field of 15 are relying on it for a start in the $10 million ‘two-miler’ later in the year.

But Changingoftheguard is a last-start Group 1 winner, having won the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) at Randwick on April 11, and brings a class element to this year’s Andrew Ramsden.

He will become the first last-start Group 1 winner to run in the race since it secured the Lexus Melbourne Cup ballot exemption in 2019.

Seven Group 1 winners have run in the Andrew Ramsden in that time, including a Melbourne Cup winner in Vow And Declare, but none were in the same season as their Group 1 win.

Changingoftheguard, who ran ninth in last year’s Lexus Melbourne Cup, therefore is the equal highest-rated last-start Lexus Andrew Ramsden runner in the ballot-free era.

The imported son of Galileo was awarded a Racing And Sports rating of 115 for his Sydney Cup win.

The only other horse to run off a last-start 115 performance was Hezashocka, who headed to the 2023 Andrew Ramsden off a narrow second placing in the Mornington Cup, which followed a fourth placing in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick.

Hezashocka started $4.60 second favourite but could manage only 13th position in the edition won by Lunar Flare.

The next best last-start rating in this year’s field is 107, which Newlook ran when eighth behind Changingoftheguard in the Sydney Cup, while Zarir ran that same number when fifth in the Mornington Cup.

Zarir, Yulong’s Irish-bred French recruit, owns the highest peak figure of any horse engaged in the race thanks to his 121 performance when second in the Group 2 Prix Foy (2400m) at Longchamp in September 2024.

Changingoftheguard’s peak figure was also achieved before he came to Australia, running 118 when third behind Pyledriver and West Wind Blows in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes (2414m) at Royal Ascot in 2023.

The only two recent Andrew Ramsden runners who had a peak greater than 118 were 120-raters Constantinople and Southern France, who were unplaced in 2021 and 2023 respectively.

In fact, none of those who have run in a Ramsden with a peak rating of at least 115 have been able to place, with the race seemingly one for the up-and-comers.

The highest-rated horse to win it since 2019 was Lunar Flare (111), while only once in that time has the race been won by a horse who did not at least run to their previous peak.

That was Oceanex, a 105-rater who won the 2020 edition in 103, which remains the lowest-rating edition of the Andrew Ramsden since it gained the ballot exemption.

Oceanex is one of five mares to win the Andrew Ramsden since 2019, including Basilinna, The Map and Lunar Flare in the past three years.

Basilinna will this weekend strive to become the first horse to go back-to-back since another mare, Unchain My Heart, in 2013/14 while the only other hope for the girls this year is South Australian visitor Alainge.