Ranting broke his maiden status in last October’s Group 3 Blue Sapphire Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield, a three horse race that produced a thrilling finish.
In a gruelling conclusion, Ranting, lifted across the line by jockey, Ben Melham, defeated Hanseatic by a half-length with another short-head to Anders.
Corstens, who prepares Ranting with his father Leon, says Ranting, a son of Zoustar, was back in work ahead a Melbourne campaign, but has locked in the Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) as his main target.
“He’s really good and back in work now,” Troy Corstens said on Tabradio.
“We are targeting him for Perth so hopefully he is going good enough and you get to see him over there.
“That’s the aim and we want to make the Winterbottom his grand final.
“I think a lot of the eastern states horses use the Winterbottom as an afterthought, whereas we are going in with a plan.
“That’s where we want to get him and that’s where we want to take him.
“Ideally he will come across at his third or fourth run of his prep.”
In May Ranting ran on impressively for a top third behind Beau Rossa in the Group 2 Tobin Bronze (1200m) at Morphettville.
In an encouraging performance after a setback, Ranting bounced back strongly after pulling a muscle badly at Flemington two months earlier.
Ranting has been off the scene since May 15 when unplaced in a 1400m Flemington handicap.
The Winterbottom Stakes, Perth’s one million dollar feature sprint, is run at Ascot on November 27.
Article from JustHorseRacing.com.au