Multiple Group winner Skyhook (Written Tycoon) added another all-important win to his record with Rosehill’s Gr.2 Theo Marks Stakes as the entire aims to make a bid for the $10 million Golden Eagle in its inaugural year as a Group 1.
Given a cushy run behind the pacemakers, the Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou trainee made his play in the home straight to go past leader Sandpaper (Snitzel) and proved too sharp to catch by a margin of just over a length. Consistent galloper Magnatear (Written Tycoon) lifted to cement a quinella for their sire, just ahead of Verona Rose (Castelvecchio).
Only one horse logically stands in everyone’s way for the Golden Eagle – Sheza Alibi – but Ryan and Alexiou showed no fear about aiming for the event anyway.
“What if Sheza Alibi doesn’t come for the Golden Eagle?,” Alexiou said. “You never run away from one horse and the Golden Eagle has been our aim for some months now. Since his Brisbane campaign, we have basically worked backwards from the Golden Eagle and we thought how we could get him there in his best form.”
The singular aim means that the Gr.1 Epsom Handicap on October 3 is off the agenda. The team knows what Group 1 they want to add to the entire’s resume.
“There will be no Epsom,” Ryan said. “If he went to the Epsom, he would have to run in the Shannon Stakes the Saturday before and I don’t think he is a back-up horse.
“We might look at the Alan Brown Stakes which is four weeks away so this means he could go to the Shannon in two weeks. But this horse has won Group races as a two, three and 4-year-old now, and the aim is to try and win a Group 1 with him.”
Written for TTRAusNZ
