Nash Rawiller will be out to continue his perfect record on improving two-year-old Grand Eagle when the Farnan colt steps up to Saturday company for the first time at Randwick.
Rawiller partnered Grand Eagle to his maiden win at Hawkesbury last start, keen to commit to the Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained youngster after testing the waters at trackwork.
“Nash came out and rode him work here one morning just before Hawkesbury and really liked the horse,” Gerald Ryan said.
“He went up there and rode him that day and it was the only ride he had all day because he liked him.”
Prior to that win, Grand Eagle had shown promise in two previous runs, finishing runner-up on debut at Warwick Farm when he was wayward in the straight before reacting poorly to the addition of blinkers second time out at Newcastle.
His trainers removed the gear for his last start and while Grand Eagle wasn’t perfect, he got the job done.
“He is still a work in progress and still doesn’t do things right,” Ryan said.
“His first start he basically threw it away. His second start we put blinkers on him and it didn’t work, so then we rode him back off the speed without blinkers in a shorter race and he hit the line well.
“He still wandered a little bit when he got to the front but Nash thought he got to the front a bit soon and it is a big, wide open straight at Hawkesbury.”
With debutant Jet an early scratching, Grand Eagle will face 11 rivals in Saturday’s ATC Bookmakers Recognition Day Handicap (1100m), led by topweight and Kindergarten Stakes placegetter Beskar for the Anthony and Sam Freedman stable.
Also there will be Max Lees Classic winner Gobi Desert, a half-sister to Group 1 winner In Her Time, who resumes after finishing down the track in the Inglis Nursery (1000m) in December when she had a torrid run from a wide draw.
Grand Eagle will be lining up for his fourth start at Randwick and win, lose, or draw Ryan says it will be his final appearance of the campaign before he heads for a spell.
