Latest News

By Ray Hickson

Skyhook has already handled the hustle and bustle of Sydney a lot better than some humans and that’s given co-trainer Sterling Alexiou some confidence he can do it one more time in Saturday’s Group 1 $5 million TAB Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill.

Trainer Sterling Alexiou (Pic: Bradley Photos).

When the colt jumps from barrier eight in the Slipper it’ll be just 47 days since his first, and only, barrier trial on February 3 and 35 days since his debut.

That makes him the least experienced horse in the race as every other runner had their first trial between the September official trials and early January.

But Alexiou said the son of Written Tycoon is a smart customer, not just a description of his ability, and that’s been evident in how he’s improved each time he’s stepped out.

“He’s always shown us a fair deal of ability all the way along,’’ Alexiou said.

“We’ve probably done a few things with him we haven’t asked of other horses in the past. That’s a little tick for him.

“He’s got a great brain on his shoulders, he’s a very smart animal and has been a dream to educate up to this point.

“In these big races you need to be adaptable, he’s got great gate speed and if he had drawn out I don’t think he’d have any problems going back and finding something to follow."

Ä runaway win in the Group 3 Pago Pago Stakes (1200m) last weekend vaulted Skyhook into the Slipper and has him in line to emulate Shinzo who completed the double within a week in 2023.

Alexiou, who along with Gerald Ryan will saddle up two colts in the Slipper, said despite the somewhat rushed preparation he sailed through his win without any obvious effect.

“For as hot and humid a day as it was our four runners seemed to come through the day well and he bounced through it the best of those four,’’ he said.

“We were a bit worried about how he will handle the seven day back up but at this stage we’re pretty happy with him and he’s pretty happy with himself.

“He’s probably a preparation behind King Of Pop and he’s had to do it all in his first preparation and that’s why we’ve been a bit guarded about his chances getting to a Slipper.

“He’s got a big motor and his attitude takes him a bloody long way.”

If Skyhook’s preparation is a bit unusual then stablemate King Of Pop has made it to the Slipper in a very non-traditional way.

He debuted a few days after Skyhook, though did have a preparation in the spring without racing, in a Warwick Farm maiden then toughed out a win in the Black Opal at Canberra.

Only one horse, Catbird in 1999, has won a Slipper and a Black Opal.

“I don’t think there’s as much between them as the market suggests, Skyhook comes through the traditional lead up to the Slipper whereas King Of Pop has gone from a midweek maiden into a Black Opal,’’ he said.

“He’s a natural two-year-old, he has amazing gate speed and turn of foot and a great two-year-old pedigree that backs him up.

“From the first time we let him work down a furlong we thought he was a Slipper horse. He’s got a great deal of talent.”

King Of Pop has drawn the outside barrier and that might explain some of the discrepancy in the prices between the stablemates that Alexiou alluded to, he was $31 on Thursday while Skyhook was an $8.50 chance with TAB.

Skyhook wins the Pago Pago Stakes

While it’s not a barrier he would have chosen, the trainer said he has his share of speed if it’s needed.

“King Of Pop is very dynamic out of the gates but we’ve ridden him back in a few trials to teach him and he does all his work behind a mate at home. He’s a push button horse,’’ he said.

“He’s worked as good as you’ll see going into a two-year-old race. We think they’ve both got what it takes.

“I don’t like to get too carried away and confident in these two-year-old features but we have two very good chances in the race and I think they are set to peak on the right day.”

All the fields, form and replays for Golden Slipper day at Rosehill