The Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning was expected to be fought out by the three-year-old colts, but the 1000m dash up the Flemington straight turned out an all-girl finish.
The Chris Waller-trained Switzerland was a heavily backed $2.45 favourite with betting apps to claim Saturday’s sprint with Growing Empire the second elect at $3.80.
That pair went head-to-head but it was the girls who had last crack with devastating effect.
In a blowout to punters, Skybird ($26) under John Allen raced a length win from Stretan Angel ($21) with Benedetta ($8.50) a further 1-¾ lengths away third, edging out Switzerland.
Some of the pace was taken out of Saturday’s race with the scratchings of Mornington Glory and I Am Me, but Skybird relished the track conditions that had been downgraded to a Soft 7 after early race day rain.
Skybird’s victory was trainer Mitchell Freedman’s second Group 1 success having prepared Attrition to claim the 2023 Toorak Handicap.
Freedman had tossed up whether to run Skybird in Saturday’s Group 1 weight-for-age contest or wait a week for the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield next Saturday.
Having been tried over ground as a three-year-old, Freedman said Skybird will be kept to shorter trips from now on with the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on March 8 her next likely option.
“There are many factors that we can put into play that were telling us she’s a sprinter,” Freedman said.
“Not only her gene tests, but a number of things she does at home.
“We knew that she was flying. We’ve always thought that she’s a sprinter and we’d get back to these trips once she matured up and she knew what her job was.
“There are three sprints in Melbourne she could run in, either this or the Oakleigh Plate into the Newmarket and then into the William Reid Stakes.
“We’ll go down that path at this stage and then we’ve got Adelaide to back up on as well.
“But we’ll make sure she pulls up well.”
Skybird’s victory was the first at Group 1 level for her sire Exosphere who ran fourth behind Chautauqua in the Lightning in 2016.
Allen broke a ‘barren spell’ of Group 1 victories on Skybird and admitted he had not expected the ease of Saturday’s victory.
His most recent Group 1 victory came aboard Ruthless Dame in the 2023 Sangster Stakes at Morphettville.
“I couldn’t believe how well I was going,” Allen said.
“I was following Switzerland, and halfway up the straight I was going to stay on his back and try follow him through, but I was going that easy I just had to come off and try and find my own path.
“She quickened up and put the race to bed very quickly. To be honest, from about the halfway she just felt like she couldn’t get beat.”
“I had a bit of a barren spell in the Group 1s in the last couple of years, so it’s good to get one up the straight here at Flemington.”
