Ryan Maloney has been booked to ride the Tony and Maddysen Sears trained Yellow Brick in The Golden Eagle at Rosehill on November 4.
Maloney has just returned to Queensland after basing himself in Sydney for the first couple of months of the new season, but he will be eyeing a big return to Sydney action in the $10 million feature race in which Yellow Brick will be looking to gain traction again after his Silver Eagle effort turned into a non-event.
Rushed into the lead there by Craig Williams, ridden upside-down, totally out of his comfort-zone after specific instructions had been issued that ‘under no circumstances’ would Yellow Brick lead, it proved to be all too much for Yellow Brick on the day as he faltered and fell away early in the home straight.
Williams said he had reasons for doing what he did … he pushed forward because he didn’t want to get caught wide … and a post-race scope of Yellow Brick did reveal a bit of mucus in his trachea, but it will forever remain an unknown as to whether it was the forceful, forward ride on a horse, who prefers to come from behind, the results of the scope or a combination of both that imploded Yellow Brick’s best laid plans.
Yellow Brick was also taken to the front his previous start in the Weetwood, where he was run down in the last stride with connections being ‘surprised’ that he led.
Hence the fact they were adamant Yellow Brick would not lead in the Silver Eagle … a gameplan which went out of the window after the field has raced 400m. Everybody has an opinion on that one.
Maloney, who will travel to Sydney to ride Yellow Brick in a trial on Friday, will be the fourth jockey in as many starts to pair up with Yellow Brick following Ben Thompson, Jimmy Orman and Craig Williams into the saddle and there’ll be no guessing what Maloney’s instruction will be.
The Golden Eagle will be a massive test for Yellow Brick, a six-time winner with four runner-up places from twelve starts, but he clearly needs his preferred racing pattern to be able to give of his best.
Chances are, Maloney, at least, will get that part right. Then it will be up to the Yellow Brick himself to see what he can do in the chase for the $5,250,000 first prize in the Golden Eagle in which the second runner earns $2 million and third place prize-money is $1 million.
