Cover image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Race-day recap
Skyhook (Written Tycoon) finally got his Group 1 when a plan 12 months in the making came together in the G1 Golden Eagle at Randwick.
It was a standout day on multiple levels for both Arrowfield Stud graduates and Arrowfield stallions, elevated further when Lady Shenandoah (Snitzel) claimed her fifth Group 1 in the G1 Empire Rose Stakes.
Private Eye (Al Maher) continued to display what a tough old warrior he is with a resounding victory in the G2 Damien Oliver at Flemington.
Back at Randwick, Pericles (Street Boss {USA}) struck a huge pay day by staying home to chase the G2 Russell Balding Stakes.
Skyhook delivers a 12-month plan in Golden Eagle triumph
The inaugural running of the $10 million Golden Eagle as a Group 1 race always promised to be an exciting one, and Skyhook (Written Tycoon) ensured it was a thrilling edition, adding the cherry on top to a spectacular day for breeder Arrowfield Stud and their past and present stallions.
The 4-year-old entire had picked up this spring where he left off in the winter with back to back Group 2 wins in the G2 Theo Marks Stakes and the G2 Shannon Stakes, before going down in the Listed Silver Eagle to Apocalyptic (Extreme Choice). However a different horse carrying the Myracehorse silks was his greatest challenger in the Golden Eagle, a race which had long been the target circled for Skyhook by trainers Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou.
Skyhook leaped smartly from his wide draw, which he needed to cross the field and take up the running a pair behind the runaway leaders, Beiwacht (Bivouac) and Apocalyptic. The entire bided his time until the top of the home straight, charging past a fading Apocalyptic to challenge Beiwacht - with Decorum (Snitzel) hot on his heels.
Beiwacht fought valiantly to keep up his lead, but couldn’t match the turn of foot demonstrated by the pair, who fought all the way to the line, where Skyhook pipped Decorum by a whisker in record time.
“He’s had a great prep,” said co-trainer Ryan. “We set him for the race after he ran in the Golden Rose.”
Beiwacht had been the victor in the G1 Golden Rose Stakes last spring, but the Golden Eagle marked the fourth time from five clashes where Skyhook had gotten the upper hand.
Ryan admitted that the flaw in the entire’s campaign across the last 12 months had been taking him to Melbourne, and he had deliberately kept Skyhook, who is owned in part by Stallion Match, closer to home this spring.
“After June, we sat down and mapped out these four races heading into this and nothing has gone wrong,” he said. “Before the Hawkesbury Guineas, I put him over a few hurdles and he’s never looked back since. I haven’t done it since, but he was jumping the hurdles before the Guineas, after he ran in the Arrowfield, and he hasn’t looked back.
“I might have learned how to train him a little bit too. I switched a few little things at home. He’s a horse who doesn’t cop a lot of work. He doesn’t cop backing up, so I might have just found out a little bit more about him.
“I said to John Messara, I don’t think he (Skyhook) will be any good until he’s an autumn 4-year-old... he’s ahead of schedule.” - Gerald Ryan
“I said to John Messara, I don’t think he’ll be any good until he’s an autumn 4-year-old, so we’ll see what happens. He’s ahead of schedule.”
Sterling Alexiou and Gerald Ryan after winning the G1 Asahi Super Dry Golden Eagle | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
The entire would now head for a break ahead of living up to his potential in the autumn.
“It’s a quick turnaround to the autumn,” said Ryan. “The Apollo Stakes is in February and it’s a Group 1 race now, so we’ll aim him at that. He’s won his good race now and I think there’s more in him.”
“He’s (Skyhook) won his good race now and I think there’s more in him.” - Gerald Ryan
Sales: Skyhook was a $575,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase for his trainers from the Arrowfield Stud draft, and belongs to a syndicate that includes Matthew Ennis of Stallion Match.
Pedigree: Conceived during the one season that Written Tycoon stood at Arrowfield Stud, Skyhook is out of Madame Pauline (Redoute’s Choice), a winning half-sister to Anders, as well as Listed winners Ostraka (Pariah) and Caffe Florian (Snitzel) and the stakes performers Battleground (Snitzel) and Satin Love (Snitzel). Their dam Madame Andree is the only daughter of the talented but subfertile War Emblem (USA) in Australia.
Glee Lee Thoroughbreds offered Madame Pauline’s Dundeel (NZ) yearling colt at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale this year, where he was bought by Monarch Racing, Paul Moroney, and Catheryne Bruggeman for $120,000. She delivered a colt by Castelvecchio in August.
Vintage day for Hermitage as Lady Shenandoah blooms in Empire Rose
The Arrowfield ride continued with long term clients Hermitage Thoroughbreds in the G1 Empire Rose Stakes at Flemington, where Lady Shenandoah (Snitzel) continued her winning ways from the G1 Toorak Handicap three weeks ago.
The honest mare was wide into the home straight but still mustered the speed to mow down a tiring Sass Appeal (So You Think {NZ}) and fly straight past Concord Connie (Contributer {Ire}) and Idle Flyer (Dundeel {NZ}) to claim victory by a length and a half.
It was a second win for Chris Waller and the Hermitage colours at Flemington on Saturday, when Hermitage-owned Stormy Marco (Wootton Bassett {GB}) scored in the G1 VRC Derby. Waller’s assistant Charlie Duckworth shared that he had never lost faith in the mare, who was claiming her fifth Group 1 win.
“You could have easily written her off prior to last start," he said. "She had been running well but just wasn't winning. She was running in the hardest of hard races, from Everests to running against Autumn Glow and it's not easy territory that she was in.
“She (Lady Shenandoah) was running in the hardest of hard races, from Everests to running against Autumn Glow and it's not easy territory that she was in.” - Charlie Duckworth
“It shows how competitive these Group 1 races are and prior to today she had won four Group 1s and $5 million, and two weeks and a day ago, you would have said, ‘is she really having a crack?’, if you were outside the camp.
“These races are so special to owners, to punters, to us. I know we all bang on about the money, and the money is great with these big prize money races, but you win a Derby, they are different.”
James McDonald aboard Lady Shenandoah after winning the G1 Empire Rose Stakes | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Pondalowie (Deep Field) was the victim of a fall on the home turn, unseating Harry Coffey, but got to her feet and cantered off. Coffey was stood down from his last ride of the day and transported to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with a suspected fractured collarbone.
Ciaron Maher has vowed to give Coffey every chance of still taking the ride on Shockletz (NZ) (Shocking) in next week's G1 Melbourne Cup.
"We'll give Harry every opportunity and then work it out," Maher said. "If he can't do it, we'll work out who the replacement is."
Pondalowie's trainer David Browne told media on Saturday evening that the mare has emerged from the fall remarkably unscathed.
"There was not a mark or a scratch on her," he said. "It could have been a lot worse."
Sales: Hermitage Thoroughbreds paid $525,000 for Lady Shenandoah at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, where she was offered by Arrowfield Stud.
Pedigree: Lady Shenandoah is one of two Group 1 winners produced by Star Pupil (Starcraft {NZ}), who is also the dam of G1 HKJC Centenary Sprint Cup winner and sire Stronger, as well as Listed performer and stakes producer Tiger Silk (All American).
A winner herself, Star Pupil is out of triple Listed winner and Group 1 performer Ain’t Seen Nothin’ (Nothin' Leica Dane), making her a half to Group 3 winner Bachman (All American), Singaporean champion and 15-time winner Stepitup (Hussonet {USA}), and a full to dual Listed winner Ain’tnofallenstar (Starcraft {NZ}), dam of G3 JRA Cup winner Ain’tnodeeldun (Dundeel {NZ}).
Star Pupil will have a full brother to Lady Shenandoah to sell next year, and delivered a colt by The Autumn Sun in September.
Private Eye perseveres in Damien Oliver
It has been a spring for Private Eye (Al Maher) being the bridesmaid, having recorded three placings in his four starts prior to Flemington’s G2 Damien Oliver on Saturday, but the 9-year-old proved he was far from finished with his winning ways when scoring in the 1400-metre Group 2 event.
Joseph Pride’s $13 million-earning gelding took up a comfortable spot a couple of pairs behind the leader in the 1400-metre contest, with Scheelite (Real Steel {Jpn}) setting the pace out front.
Scheelite still held the lead into the home straight, but Private Eye was building up underneath James McDonald, before pouncing at the 200-metre mark and striding to take up the lead.
Cote Atlantique (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) made up ground fast from near the rear of the field to finish second, but he couldn’t close the gap any more than a length and a half from Private Eye. Zousensation (Zoustar) was a nose further back in third.
A cheer from the crowd welcomed Private Eye’s well deserved victory.
“He’s one of those horses, he’s popular isn’t he, and for good reason, he’s been a fantastic horse for a long time,” said Pride.
“He’s (Private Eye) popular, isn’t he, and for good reason, he’s been a fantastic horse for a long time.” - Joseph Pride
“He looked comfortable, I think for him it’s about not having horses on his outside, that seems to really bother him when he’s cluttered up, and that’s sort of what happened to him the other day at Caulfield so the instructions to James were to lead or sit outside lead, try to give him galloping room and when he gets that he seems confident.
“It was a really even field, I knew he’d run well, you hope for a bit of luck and I didn’t expect him to win with such dominance, so it was good.”
Joseph Pride | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Pride indicated that the Proven Thoroughbreds-owned gelding would return to the top level at his next start, all going well.
“He might go down for the Orr Stakes in a couple weeks’ times,” he said. “He’s already had three trips interstate this preparation but that doesn’t seem to bother him, so we’ll put him on another float.
“That’s about trip number seventeen in his life but it doesn’t worry him, he’s been to Melbourne as many times as I have!”
“This was superb,” said McDonald. “Joe was very happy with him and he's such a good trainer with these horses, he just keeps them up and they keep saluting. It was an honour to ride this old boy. He's been around the traps.
“He's such an old boy, he's a warrior... it's an honour to ride these horses because they're always there for you.” - James McDonald
“He's such an old boy, he's a warrior. It was great for the connections and Joe Pride to put me on him and it's an honour to ride these horses because they're always there for you.”
Private Eye winning the G2 ABC Bullion Damien Oliver Stakes | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Sales: Private Eye was purchased for $62,500 by Proven Thoroughbreds and Pride Thoroughbreds from the 2019 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale.
Pedigree: Private Eye is the second foal of Confidential Queen (Shamardal {USA}), who only raced three times. She has gone on to become a very good broodmare leaving four winners from only four to race, alongside Private Eye, she has left six-time winner Royal Witness (Star Witness) and multiple Group performer King’s Secret (Shalaa {Ire}), winner of the Listed Canterbury Sprint last season.
Confidential Queen’s now 2-year-old Confidessa (Anamoe) sold for $650,000 to Ciaron Maher Bloodstock and Eric Lucas at this year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Private Eye’s grandam Royal Snippets (Royal Acadcemy {USA}) was a two-time winner, as well as a half-sister to the Champion stallion and Group 1 winner Snitzel, the successful stallion and Group 3 winner Hinchinbrook, and also the Group 3 winner Viennese (Redoute’s Choice).
Pericles scores big blue payday in Russell Balding
Bjorn Baker has been one of the greatest contributors to Godolphin’s continued racetrack success since the dissolution of their private training model last year, and a star who has really gone to another level in his care is Pericles (Street Boss {USA}), who scored his ninth career victory in Randwick’s G2 Russell Balding Stakes, taking his prize money to within a hair of $9 million.
Jumping well from the inside draw, Pericles had a tough field of G1 The Everest and G2 Sydney Stakes runners to face, and the gelding held firm on his spot on the rail while Ninja (Farnan), Headwall (Dream Ahead {USA}), and Marhoona (Snitzel) attempted to take the lead with wide runs.
Caballus (I Am Invincible) kicked strongly to attempt to snatch up the lead, but stablemate Pericles chased him down and soared past to win by three quarters of a length over a fast-finishing Headwall.
“We were thinking 1400 would have been nice, and he nearly went to Melbourne,” said stable representative Glen Lobb, who shared that the gelding nearly ran in the Damien Oliver instead.
“It was worth half a million. This was worth three (million). He was always going to get a great run from there.
“He (Pericles) was always going to get a great run from there.” - Glen Lobb
“He’s unbelievable. When the barrier draws came out, they were tossing up a little bit whether to go to Melbourne. It looked more suitable, the 1400 for him. But when he drew the good alley, we said, ‘you’ve got to be here and give it a go’.”
Lobb had praise for the stablemate as well, who finished third by a neck behind Headwall.
“Everything turned out exactly as we thought it would for both horses, and at the 200, I thought, ‘geez, they’re both going to fight it out here’,” he said. “He did a good job too, Caballus. The 1300 is probably not really his go, but he went enormous in the Everest.”
“Pericles, he’s been such a great horse. We were so lucky to get him off Godolphin when all the horses came. Terrific horse.”
Pericles winning the G2 The Russell Balding Stakes | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Sales: Pericles is a homebred for Godolphin.
Pedigree: Pericles is one of five stakes winners for the wonderful broodmare Accessories (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}). All of her five stakes winner have performed at Group 1 level.
Helmet won three; the G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes, G1 Champagne Stakes and G1 Caulfield Guineas. Epaulette won two; the G1 Golden Rose and G1 Doomben 10,000. G2 Tea Rose Stakes winner Pearls (Exceed And Excel) was fourth in the G1 Flight Stakes, while Group 3 winner, and sire of Mr Brightside (NZ), Bullbars was second in the G1 Australian Guineas. She has also produced G1 South Australian Derby-placed Lavalier (Microphone).
