Trainer Gerald Ryan confirmed Skyhook won’t back-up in the Epsom Handicap even if he wins the Group 2 $300,000 Shannon Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
Striking chestnut Skyhook, a brilliant winner of the Theo Marks Stakes when resuming earlier this month, has 58kg topweight for the Shannon.
Since the race was introduced in 1977, the only horse to win the Shannon Stakes-Epsom Handicap double was the Neville Begg-trained Dalmacia in 1982.
Skyhook is rated at $26 in early betting for the Group 1 $1.5 million Epsom Handicap (1600m) but Ryan said the four-year-old won’t be running in the famous Royal Randwick on October 3.
Instead, Ryan and training partner Sterling Alexiou are concentrating on having Skyhook at his peak for the Group 1 $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) at Royal Randwick on October 31.
“The plan is to run Skyhook in the Shannon then most likely go to the Silver Eagle (October 17),” Ryan said.
“We might even throw him in a nomination and see what the King Charles (III Stakes, October 17) looks like.
“After the Shannon, there’s three weeks to the Silver Eagle or the King Charles, which is worth a lot of money.
“I don’t think he would win it (King Charles) but if he is going to the Golden Eagle (October 31) he needs a run beforehand.”
Ryan said Skyhook has trained on well since his brilliant comeback win in the Theo Marks Stakes earlier this month.
“He has come through the race ‘terrific’ and he has worked superbly,” he revealed.
Ryan and Alexiou were considering the Group 3 $1.5 million Alan Brown Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on October 10 as an option for Skyhook but they have the in-form General Salute being set for that race.
General Salute also resumed with an impressive win in the Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m) last Saturday.
Meanwhile, Ryan revealed talented filly Chilly Girl is out of the Group 1 $750,000 Flight Stakes (1600m) on Epsom Day.
Chilly Girl, winner of The Rosebud earlier this spring, ran fourth in Bangkok Hottie’s Tea Rose Stakes last Saturday and Ryan said the filly won’t be pushed out to 1600m for the Flight Stakes.
“We will look for a suitable race over a shorter distance for Chilly Girl or possibly even give her a break,” Ryan said.”She could even go to a race like The Sunlight at the Gold Coast in January.”
