Urban Ruler prepares for All-Star Mile bid
Urban Ruler starts a campaign aimed at the $5 milion All-Star Mile when he resumes at Doomben.
Urban Ruler will have the first of two Brisbane runs on Saturday before heading south for the $5 million All-Star Mile at Flemington next month.
Trained by Chris Munce, Urban Ruler has attracted national attention because he is the leading nomination on votes for the All-Star on March 16.
The Mile is a new concept whereby the public can vote to pick 10 of the 14 starters in the race.
Voting closes on February 18 and Urban Ruler leads the count with more than 6600 votes.
He is raced by a Shelly Hancox syndicate which has about 800 members who have got behind getting the horse a start.
Munce and Hancox go back a long way because he won the Group One Goodwood Handicap for the syndicator when he was a jockey.
“Shelley has stuck with me for a long time and since I have taken up training she has given me Johnny Whitesox, Expertea and Moss Cheval who have won,” he said.
“If we can finish tenth in the All Star it is worth $90,000 but I I reckon he can beat home more than will beat him.”
“He has done most of his racing in Victoria so he will handle that way of going. We are being realistic about his chances but it will be great fun for his owners.”
Urban Ruler will have his first run since a spell at Doomben on Saturday.
“He had an easy trial at Doomben recently and I will probably get another run into him after Saturday and before we head south,” Munce said.
The winner of six races when trained in Victoria by Greg Eurell, Urban Ruler has had two runs for Munce, finishing third in both in September.
“He is a nice horse and he seems to have settled in very well up here,” he said..
It has been a big start to the year for Munce who has trained eight winners in the past five weeks including Boomsara in the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas.
He has also been chosen for the Racing Queensland endorsed miRunners scheme to train a $300,000 filly graduate of the Magic Millions sales.