Gerald Ryan has described Skyhook as “poetry in motion” after he made a one-act affair of the Shannon Stakes with a dominant all-the-way win in the Group 2 Rosehill feature.
However, the experienced trainer won’t be tempted to back-up the four-year-old in next weekend’s Epsom Handicap (1600m), instead content to stick to his plan to keep him fresh for the Silver Eagle (1300m) in three weeks ahead of a tilt at the $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) on October 31.
“I’ve tested him now two weeks apart and no, he’s not going to the Epsom,” Ryan said.
“I’ll probably freshen him up a little bit, get the freshness in his legs for the Silver Eagle.
“The Golden Eagle is a different kettle of fish, but it’s a $10 million race, 1500 metres at Randwick. He’s in form, we’ll have a crack.”
A strong winner of the Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) first-up, Skyhook ($1.50 fav) was arguably better again in Saturday’s Shannon Stakes (1500m), making the running for Kerrin McEvoy and giving nothing else a chance.
He cruised to the line with three lengths to spare over Estadio Mestalla ($10), with the runner-up’s Joe Pride-trained stablemate Private Eye ($4.80) holding down third, a long neck further back.
Ryan feels Skyhook has gone to another level as a four-year-old and says his versatility is priceless.
“Dry tracks, wet tracks. Lead, sit back. Pretty bloody handy,” he quipped.
“Beautiful ride. I thought the topweight (Private Eye) would probably lead and we’d take the sit, but Kerrin was more, let’s put it to him and make him chase us because we’re still on our way up.
“My query today was 1300 to 1500 second-up, but he’s coped. He’s done it well.”
McEvoy has partnered Skyhook at his past three starts, winning all of them, and said he knew the horse was on his game as they went to the gates.
“He was lovely and fresh and bouncy going to the start, which I was pleased to see because I hadn’t been on him since his last run,” McEvoy said.
“He is handling himself really well. He takes bad luck out of the equation. That’s half the battle sometimes.”
