Gerald Ryan has drawn parallels between emerging colt Skyhook and his former top sprinter Menari after the colt emulated the Group One placegetter with a first-up victory in the Listed Rosebud.
Prior to Saturday, Menari had been the only horse to cart 60.5kg to victory in the 1100m race before going on to take out the 2017 The Run To The Rose (1200m) and finish third to stablemate Trapeze Artist in the Golden Rose (1400m).
Skyhook ($4.40) equalled that effort at Rosehill, conceding seven kilos to runner-up Grand Prairie ($5.50) to score by a half-length with Pallaton ($2.40 fav) two lengths away third.
“He worked here on Wednesday week ago on the course proper and Jason, who has ridden work for me for ten or twelve years, he said this is the best horse we’ve had since Menari,” Ryan said.
Skyhook had a strong two-year-old season, capturing the Pago Pago Stakes (1200m) and finishing seventh in the Golden Slipper (1200m).
However, his four starts had all been on firm tracks and Ryan admitted he was unsure how the son of Written Tycoon would handle Saturday’s heavy 9 surface.
“I went through all the Written Tycoon’s (performances) on wet tracks and he hadn’t got many wet trackers,” Ryan said.
“But he’s had a great prep. He’s a horse that doesn’t take heaps of work. He doesn’t get gross and he’s got the right attitude.”
Ryan will follow the same template he did with Menari, confirming Skyhook will be given a month until his next assignment in The Run To The Rose (1200m) on September 13 ahead of the Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m) a fortnight later.
“That’s one of the reasons we ran him today and got him up early because I don’t reckon he’s a horse that can go two weeks-two weeks apart,” he said.
“He’s a horse that needs his races spaced. We’ll now go four weeks into The Run To The Rose and then two weeks into the Golden Rose.
“He’s a good horse.
“We’ve been going to the sales looking at Written Tycoons ever since Written Tycoon went to stud and this is the only Written Tycoon we’ve bought. We loved him at the sales.”
Michael Freedman said favourite Pallaton ended up on the worst part of the track in the straight when jockey Tommy Berry was forced back to the inside but wasn’t disappointed with his return.
“It was combination of being fresh early, the pace dropping off mid-race and then having to go back to the inside,” Freedman said.
“We will have a think about coming back here for the San Domenico Stakes in two weeks, but I haven’t totally ruled out the Moir Stakes. He would have only 52-1/2 kilos in that race and it is always run at a fast tempo which would suit this horse.”
