Racing: Ginga Dude on trial

Striking chestnut Ginga Dude will be at juicy odds in the Mackinnon Stakes. Photo / Kenny Rodger

Cambridge gelding Ginga Dude steps up to the real big time in tomorrow's A$1 million Mackinnon Stakes, but he has a couple of wow-plus factors.

The first is the likelihood of a slow or heavy track.

The second is that all his main rivals are at Flemington for a final Melbourne Cup tune-up, whereas this is Ginga Dude's grand final.

If Flemington becomes massively testing because of predicted heavy rain, connections of the likes of So You Think, Shocking, Shoot Out, Descarado and C'est La Guerre will not be keen for their horses to have gut-busters with the Southern Hemisphere's richest race just 75 hours away.

That may just give Ginga Dude a real shot at gold. Yesterday in Melbourne he was 16-1.

He has always been underrated, as he showed when leaving the opposition struggling in the Coongy Handicap at Caulfield on October 16 in his Australian debut.

Former Matamata jockey Michael Walker, friendless when recently riding in Brisbane, is getting huge publicity in his new base in Melbourne. The rides are coming as a result and Walker is making the most of them.

One of the keys is that he knows Ginga Dude well.

So You Think remains a short-priced favourite for the Mackinnon at unbackable odds, but was friendless for the Melbourne Cup yesterday.

As little as $3.20 was bet about his Melbourne Cup chances straight after his Cox Plate victory on Saturday and yesterday, no one was interested at double those odds.

"We had him at $6.50 this morning and with no takers we've pushed him out to $7, the only ones offering that price and we still can't get a phone call," said DoubleBet bookie Brian Taylor yesterday.

The wet track is not going to suit Matamata galloper Red Ruler in the A$250,000 Lexus, the winner of which escapes any ballot for the Melbourne Cup. Red Ruler needs a top performance, because at the moment he is not assured of a run on Tuesday.

There have been noises that the VRC may use its right to select the field and if that happens Red Ruler could be vulnerable, particularly if he finishes well back tomorrow.