The fine weather forecast for Sydney this week is good news for trainer Paul Perry and his Lord Mayor’s Cup contender Southern Skye.
The gelding needs a firm track to show his best and he looks like getting conditions to suit at Rosehill for Saturday’s 2000 metre Listed race.
Southern Skye struck form three starts ago when runner-up to Single in the Listed Sky High Stakes (1900m) and backed it up with a fine second to Western Symbol in the Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes (2000m).
Perry put his subsequent unplaced run behind Western Symbol in the JRA Plate (2000m) down to the rain-affected track.
“He’s not at home in bad going,” Perry said.
“If there had have been another race for him he probably wouldn’t have run that day but there weren’t any so he really had to go around.”
Southern Skye will be out to break a 2-1/2 year drought from the winner’s circle on Saturday with his last victory coming in the 2009 Geelong Classic.
He subsequently ran fourth in Monaco Consul’s Victoria Derby before suffering a tendon injury which sidelined him for almost a year.
He returned for five starts, including a close fourth in the 2010 Villiers Stakes, before a second tendon injury kept him out of business for another 12 months.
Perry said Southern Skye took longer to come back the second time and needed plenty of racing to get his fitness levels up to scratch.
“He had a good 12 months off so we always knew he was going to take time,” Perry said.
“He just needed the racing.”
Brenton Avdulla sticks with Southern Skye in the Lord Mayor’s Cup which has attracted a final field of 10 headed by the past two Metropolitan Handicap winners in The Verminator and Herculian Prince.
Perry predicted a bold performance from his charge and if it is delivered the gelding could head to Queensland for next month’s Brisbane Cup (2400m).
“I’ve had Brisbane in mind all along if he can get into the right form,” Perry said.
“I expect him to run a bit of a race on Saturday. He’s well within himself and he gets his chance.”
Southern Skye will be one of three runners for Perry along with Empress Milly in the Nepean Handicap (1100m) and Guderian in the Australian Rotary Health Handicap (1300m).
