Ryan poised to pull the wraps off exciting three-year-old pair in The Rosebud
Trainers Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou will pull the covers off part of their battalion of class three-year-olds on Saturday when Skyhook (Written Tycoon) and Blitzburg (Snitzel) resume in The Rosebud (Listed, 1100m) at Rosehill.
And more from the stable is yet to come as last season’s two-year-olds take their next steps.
While Ryan concedes pitting the two colts against each other is not ideal, waiting for the next, and more prestigious, Sydney three-year-old males’ target – the San Domenico Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) on August 30 – would have given the stable three horses in that race, with another of their exciting young runners headed there in King Of Pop (Farnan).
For now, Skyhook and Blitzburg – who cost $575,000 and $500,000 respectively as yearlings – will avoid a clash with their fellow Magic Millions Gold Coast graduate King Of Pop, the Black Opal (Gr 3, 1200m) winner for whom Ryan and Alexiou paid $800,000.
The returns of the trio follow a chronological path.
Blitzburg, raced by co-buyer TFI along with Arrowfield and Kia Ora studs, has not raced since winning the Canonbury Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) on February 1, thanks to the bone chip below a fetlock that required surgery and dashed his Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) campaign.
The son of Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) has had two barrier trials since that extended break, impressively winning the second by 1.18 lengths at Rosehill on July 29.
Skyhook made it to the Slipper on March 22 after winning his way in via the Pago Pago Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) the week before. He started equal third-favourite in the Slipper at $7.50, but the quick back-up told when he could manage only a solid seventh.
He’s only needed one barrier trial for a solid second, also at Rosehill on July 29.
And King Of Pop, 12th in the Slipper, campaigned until April 5 when a 0.22-length second to the smart North England (Farnan) in the Kindergarten Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m), hence his return being scheduled later than his two stablemates.
Skyhook, will be ridden again by his Slipper partner Kerrin McEvoy, and Blitzburg, under Tim Clark, will face a less than daunting resumption in the Rosebud. The quality handicap had only eight entrants by Monday morning, hence nominations were extended by 24 hours.
Chief among the pair’s rivals could be Pallaton (Wootton Bassett), who said so much about two-year-old racing through his first three starts. He won at Randwick by 2.78 lengths on debut in December to lodge around the top of Slipper markets, then ran a costly fourth in the Pierro Plate (1100m) at $2.05, then came last of ten in the Todman Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m).
The Michael Freedman-trained colt has at least won both barrier trials this time in.
Peter Snowden’s Grand Prairie (Written Tycoon) – the second foal of dual Group 1 winner and Yulong’s $2.55 million broodmare purchase Viddora (I Am Invincible) – tackles the Rosebud for the green and white army after a Kensington win and two seconds among four starts.
And Brad Widdup’s Nashville Jack (Farnan) lines up after breaking through first-up in a quality Randwick two-year-old handicap over 1100m on July 26.
Skyhook and Blitzburg will deserve to rate highly in the Rosebud, and Ryan finds it hard to split the pair, save for having slightly more confidence in Blitzburg on rain-affected going.
Rosehill was still a heavy 10 on Monday. Little rain is forecast for this week, but with tracks slow to dry at this time of year, perhaps the heavier end of soft is the best to be hoped for.
“A lot will depend on the weights and barriers and how the track plays,” Ryan told ANZ News.
“Blitzburg’s had two trials and he’s nice and fit. He’s a little horse who doesn’t cop a heap of work. And Skyhook’s had one trial, which was all he needed.
“I’m confident about Blitzburg on a wet track, but not overly confident about Skyhook on a wet track.
“They both seem bright and well. Blitzburg has come back not a lot bigger, but probably stronger mentally, and Skyhook seems bright and well.
“They’re both lovely natured animals. They’re no fuss, and there’s never been any thought to gelding them. I think they don’t even know they’re colts.
“But you never know with young horses until you race them. You might think they’re going alright, but you don’t know until they race.”
Ryan was drawn to buy both because they were “nice, athletic, running types of horses” whilst not looking “outstanding”.
But he went harder this year to pay $900,000 for Blitzburg’s full-brother, his only purchase at Inglis Easter.
The pair are out of Arrowfield’s Japanese mare Sierra (Orfevre), a half-sister to dual Japanese Group winner Albert Dock (Deep Impact) out of US Grade 1 heroine Golden Doc (Unusual Heat).
Blitzburg had won two of his four starts before Ryan bought his brother, but he believes that was just one factor in the younger sibling’s higher price.
“I think it was just the market,” he said. “A lot of people were put off Blitzburg because he wasn’t very big. The younger brother is a bit bigger. He’s a lovely natured horse and a good mover, with a lot of similarities to Blitzburg. He just went to the paddock today actually.”
Ryan said at present, all the usual three-year-old targets were on the table for Blitzburg, Skyhook and King Of Pop, with the first glowing prize on the horizon being the Golden Rose (Gr 1, 1400m) at Rosehill on September 27.
The stable has high hopes for their team of around 30 three-year-olds.
They also include Grand Eagle (Farnan) – who’s won his past two of four, at Hawkesbury and Randwick in April – and Sanctified (Super Seth), who’s a three-start maiden but ran third in King Of Pop’s Black Opal, and won his first barrier trial of the new campaign, also at Rosehill on July 29.
“Grand Eagle is a nice horse who’s going good, and Sanctified is going terrific,” Ryan said. “He ran a great third in the Black Opal, and looks like he’ll run further than the others.
“We’ve also got six fillies having their first trials on Friday, so it’s an exciting time of year.”
Those Rosehill trials have been rescheduled for Friday, having originally been put back from Monday to Tuesday due to Sydney’s big wet.