With seven of the nine runners marked at $16 and under, the $1 million Golden Rose is shaping as one of the more open in recent years and that is precisely the way Skyhook’s trainer Gerald Ryan views it.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if any of them won it,” Ryan said.
“They’re an even bunch of good horses.
“You usually get three chances in it and the rest are making up the numbers but I reckon this year there are nine chances in the race.”
At $6.50, the Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained Skyhook is among the leading fancies after following a barnstorming first-up win in the Rosebud (1100m) with a solid third behind Golden Rose favourite Tempted in the Group 2 The Run To The Rose (1200m).
It is the same program he gave Menari, who claimed the Rosebud–The Run To The Rose double in 2017 before finishing third to stablemate Trapeze Artist in the feature when suffering a career-ending injury.
Ryan said the trio were different styles of horses but all had one thing in common heading into the Golden Rose (1400m).
“I don’t like comparing them,” Ryan said.
“Menari was unlucky because he pulled a shoe off coming out of the barriers and he was stuffed afterwards. He never raced again. Trapeze Artist just kept going forward.
“They’re all different horses but they all had good preparations going into it.”
Ryan and Alexiou will also be well represented in day’s other three-year-old race, the Listed Heritage Stakes (1100m) by King Of Pop and Grand Eagle.
The former has had an important gear change and Ryan expects him to improve sharply after what appear two disappointing runs on paper.
“King Of Pop will run heaps better. He’s got blinkers on. He’s drawn a barrier, and he won’t be going back,” he said.
“Doing a quick map I reckon he lands in a good spot.
“People say he went no good at his last start but he ran a faster last 600 (metres) than Skyhook but it was on that track where they couldn’t make ground and he drew wide and went back.”
Ryan said backmarker Grand Eagle was also capable of featuring if the leaders overdid it as he headed towards the Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on October 11.
