Ocean Beyond may have a habit of teasing punters, but he remains a remarkably consistent money-earner for his connections.

The Simon Ryan-trained gelding will chase his biggest payday on Saturday when he lines up in the $500,000 Listed Ballarat Cup (2000m), aiming to build on an already impressive $535,475 in prizemoney.

Now an eight-year-old, Ocean Beyond has not won since May 2022 when he claimed the Listed Straight Six (1200m) at Flemington.

He began his career under Daniel Bowman at Warrnambool — including a win on Ballarat Cup Day in 2021 — before moving to Andrew Bobbin and later joining Ryan’s stable last year.

Although he has gone winless in 24 starts for Ryan, the gelding has continued to deliver with more than $135,000 in earnings through six placings and four fourths.

“When he came to my stable, he was on the verge of retirement,” Ryan said.

“He hadn’t done much for a while and as he’s got older, he’s stretching out in distance and has probably reinvented himself a little bit.”

Ryan admits that running a small Warrnambool stable can make the lack of wins challenging, but Ocean Beyond’s reliability offsets the frustration.

“I know he’s probably not a punter’s favourite, but if you put your business hat on, he’s winning plenty of money for his owners and covering his costs,” he said.

“We’re hoping one day that lightning strikes, and he gets away with a good race.”

Ocean Beyond is backing up quickly after finishing behind Casino Seventeen and Rumbled Again in last Saturday’s Group 3 Eclipse Stakes (1800m), where he earned $18,000.

“The best runs he’s had for me have been when he’s been on the quick back-up,” Ryan said.

“I’m confident he can run at least as well as he did last Saturday, and hopefully better.”

Ryan believes 2000 metres is his upper limit but says the gelding will stay the trip after last week’s 1800-metre effort.

Swimming, pony club outings and regular cantering at Warrnambool have also helped prepare him for the Cup.

“He’s a horse that is easy to train,” Ryan said.

“He always eats well, he’s very sound, enjoys his work, but he’s got a racing pattern that’s not conducive to winning a lot of races.

“He likes to get back and finish strongly, but I think he’ll present in as good an order as he did last Saturday.”

“It’s probably as good a race as he’s been in, but his form suggests he warrants a shot.”

Punters comparing odds for the Ballarat Cup can find the latest markets at Australia’s top betting sites.