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Ranting had a thrilling finish over the top of his rivals to win the Blue Sapphire Stakes at Caulfield.
A three-horse stakes race at Caulfield on Wednesday has produced a thrilling finish with less than a half-length separating the combatants at the end of the 1200m contest.
And it was the $11 outsider of the trio, Ranting, that claimed the major prize in the $400,000 Group 3 Blue Sapphire Stakes.
The race was expected to be a benefit for the $1.35 favourite Anders who had looked brilliant on two occasions in Sydney to start his three-year-old season.
However, Anders had a temperature that laid him low for a couple of days last month and was also tackling the 1200m journey for the first time.
Mark Zahra held Anders together to lead narrowly from Ranting on settling with Hanseatic in third place, a half-length back.
As Ranting could not cross, Luke Currie elected to boot up on Hanseatic to position himself outside Anders approaching the turn with Ranting close up in third place.
Ranting wobbled around the corner and looked as though he had lost his chance, dropping 1-½ lengths off his two more highly fancied, and it looked as though Anders and Hanseatic would stage a two-horse war to the line.
But Ben Melham would not concede on Ranting and lifted the colt to a half-neck win from Hanseatic ($3.90) with Anders a short-head off in third.
Ranting broke his maiden status with Wednesday's victory and co-trainer Troy Corstens, who prepares the colt with his father Leon, is now eyeing the $1.5 million Group 1 Coolmore Studs Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on October 31 where he will clash with stablemate Swats That.
"We've got two really nice horses going to the Coolmore and he's going to be a very valuable colt one day and hopefully we can run really well in the Coolmore as well," Corstens said.
"So much hard work goes into these horses and there's a great group of owners in him.
"You get a colt that looks as good as him, he's just an outstanding looking colt, and to be able to win these races is what the Australian market is all about.
"You try and build their value and that's why you don't go back to a maiden, it does nothing for your value but a race like that just bumps you."
Melham was a little surprised Anders did not show his customary speed to break the field up.
But Melham was full of praise for Ranting who he had trialled in blinkers recently but the headgear was not used on Wednesday.
"It's obviously sharpened him up, that trial," Melham said.
"He left the gates a lot better today. He's usually a lot sluggish out. He really hit the ground running and I couldn't hold him any slower.
"They got into a tooth-and-nail battle on the corner and got away from me a little but I let him drift a bit in the straight away from them and he was too strong late.
"It was no surprise to me that he won today.
"Onwards and upwards for him."
Ranting is by Zoustar from More Than Ready (USA) mare Vanilla Ice Cream and is raced by R & C Legh Racing Pty Ltd, Mr M D Stephenson, Mr C J Walker, Mc Ash, Mr S Chappell, Mr R D Tregunna, Mr G Lygoyris, Mr R Smykowsky, Mr D Sutton, Ms M J Rutherford, Mr N Frangoulis, Mr V Djuric, Mrs C E Whitbread, Mrs S Brooks, Mr D Wade, Mr D E Morgan, Mrs N M Mitchell, Ms H Moon, Mrs S M O'farrell, Mrs S Lygoyris.
He has now won one of his six starts, collecting $323,800 in prize money.
Zahra thought Anders was disappointing.
"The horse at me on the outside (Hanseatic) set it up for the horse (Ranting) behind us," Zahra said.
Racing Victoria stewards reported Hanseatic bled from both nostrils and has incurred a three-month ban.
In a heartwarming decision, RV has directed the $18,000 fourth prize money to a gofundme page set up for Anita and Nikki Salisbury, widow and daughter of the late Graham Salisbury.
Salisbury died in June after a long battle with cancer while Subzero, who Salisbury worked tirelessly with, died two months later.
