Latest news with #GrandEagle
Sydney Morning Herald
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Ryan filly facing heavy track challenge at Randwick after setback
'She's gone six weeks now between runs,' he said. 'She was scratched on Wednesday, but it's got to the stage that she has to run.' Sequista, a $100,000 daughter of D'Argento, is part of Ryan-Alexiou's deep two-year-old ranks, which includes winners Blitzburg (Canonbury Stakes), King Of Pop (Black Opal Stakes), Skyhook (Pago Pago Stakes) and Grand Eagle. She is a $3.80 second elect with Sportsbet on Saturday with leading apprentice Braith Nock taking two kilograms off. He said there were no targets in mind past Saturday for Sequista. Ryan was more confident about the prospects of his other runner on the card, including First Mission, which is a $4 favourite in the 1400m Midway Handicap with apprentice Zac Wadick claiming two kilograms. The three-year-old Snitzel gelding, a $725,000 yearling buy, won his most recent start on a heavy 8 at Canterbury. 'He seems to get through it,' he said. 'He's not a big, strong, heavy horse that might struggle in heavy ground. He's a light, athletic, nifty horse who gives the impression he handles it. 'The wet tracks he's been on so far, he's performed well on. Every heavy track is different, but he's handled soft at Hawkesbury and Warwick Farm, and he handled heavy at Canterbury. 'He's a nice horse; he's got good ability.' As for the Queensland winter carnival, Ryan said recently gelded three-year-old Just Party would fly the stable's flag. Loading 'He'll go up and run in the Fred Best Classic on Saturday week,' he said. 'He's come back good, and he ran well first up. He'll race there then probably go to a race at Eagle Farm a couple of weeks later, then he might go to the Winx Guineas.'
The Age
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Ryan filly facing heavy track challenge at Randwick after setback
'She's gone six weeks now between runs,' he said. 'She was scratched on Wednesday, but it's got to the stage that she has to run.' Sequista, a $100,000 daughter of D'Argento, is part of Ryan-Alexiou's deep two-year-old ranks, which includes winners Blitzburg (Canonbury Stakes), King Of Pop (Black Opal Stakes), Skyhook (Pago Pago Stakes) and Grand Eagle. She is a $3.80 second elect with Sportsbet on Saturday with leading apprentice Braith Nock taking two kilograms off. He said there were no targets in mind past Saturday for Sequista. Ryan was more confident about the prospects of his other runner on the card, including First Mission, which is a $4 favourite in the 1400m Midway Handicap with apprentice Zac Wadick claiming two kilograms. The three-year-old Snitzel gelding, a $725,000 yearling buy, won his most recent start on a heavy 8 at Canterbury. 'He seems to get through it,' he said. 'He's not a big, strong, heavy horse that might struggle in heavy ground. He's a light, athletic, nifty horse who gives the impression he handles it. 'The wet tracks he's been on so far, he's performed well on. Every heavy track is different, but he's handled soft at Hawkesbury and Warwick Farm, and he handled heavy at Canterbury. 'He's a nice horse; he's got good ability.' As for the Queensland winter carnival, Ryan said recently gelded three-year-old Just Party would fly the stable's flag. Loading 'He'll go up and run in the Fred Best Classic on Saturday week,' he said. 'He's come back good, and he ran well first up. He'll race there then probably go to a race at Eagle Farm a couple of weeks later, then he might go to the Winx Guineas.'
News.com.au
15-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Peter Snowden on the hunt for massive day out with multiple stakes chances at Scone
Exciting colt Beadman delivered Peter Snowden one of the most emphatic winners of his career last weekend so it bodes well that his heavy-handed Scone assault this Saturday includes a filly with form around his explosive juvenile. Beadman scored by 'one of the biggest margins' Snowden has ever trained when the well-named colt score by an astonishing 8-1/4 lengths in the Group 3 Ken Russell Memorial at the Gold Coast last Saturday. Snowden has since sent Beadman for a spell but his trainer will unleash the only horse that has beat him when Akaysha makes up part of a two-pronged attack with Miss Freelove in the Listed $200,000 Woodlands Stakes (1100m). Akaysha prevailed over Beadman on debut before only getting gunned down late by a flying Grand Eagle last start over the Randwick 1100m. 'She has got some good form behind her that's for sure,' Snowden said. 'I've always thought she was a nice filly.' Bookies rate Akaysha ($3.90) as Snowdens' better chance in the Woodlands Stakes but stablemate Miss Freelove ($7.50) is certainly no slouch. Grand Eagle storms home to win the Randwick opener! @nashhot @RARacing_ — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 26, 2025 • 'I gave it up, I didn't want to ride again': Morgan's comeback for the ages Miss Freelove wasn't far away on debut and backed up the performance with an impressive all the way victory on a heavy track over 1100m at Canterbury Park last time. 'Miss Freelove is good and handled the track really good the other day,' Snowden said. 'She is a real wet tracker and I think she is doing a good job. 'She always showed us good ability so it's no surprise to see her doing as well as she did.' Love for all ðŸ'• The fav Miss Freelove is too good for them at Canterbury! @KPMcEvoy | @SnowdenRacing1 | @aus_turf_club | @TrilogyRacing1 — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 30, 2025 • 'She has come up terrific': Robl chases more Joy at Scone Miss Freelove has the superior draw in barrier one while Akaysha is drawn out in gate 13 but Snowden expects every horse should get their chance on the Scone track. 'It's a really good start there with about three furlongs to the first corner,' he said. 'The barriers aren't that big of an advantage but it's always good to draw close and no doubt it should help Miss Freelove as well.' "I like her!" The future is bright for Miss Freelove, hear from Peter Snowden and @KPMcEvoy ðŸ'‡ @SnowdenRacing1 | @aus_turf_club | @TrilogyRacing1 — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 30, 2025 Snowden has Scone's two-day carnival on his radar throughout the preparation for lightly-raced filly Wave Breaker. Wave Breaker, a drifter from $11 to $17 shortly after markets opened, gets the opportunity to snare valuable black type in the Listed $200,000 Denise's Joy Stakes (1100m) with Kerrin McEvoy booked. The daughter of Pierata heads into the race a month between runs following a narrow second behind One Destiny at Warwick Farm first-up. 'This has been the target race for her all prep,' Snowden said. 'She is in good order and is going to go up there in really good shape. 'She has a nice gate to get a good run and is as fit as we can get her.' One Destiny holds on and wins at $41 fixed odds! ðŸ'° @grnickson @MollyBourke7 — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 16, 2025 • Snowden is expecting a bounce-back performance from Fire Star ($26) in the Listed $200,000 Ortensia Stakes (1100m) after the gelding failed to fire in the Hawkesbury Gold Rush last start. Fire Star, a winner of four straight city races last preparation, never went a yard in the heavy conditions and didn't beat a runner home. 'It's a total forget run,' Snowden said. 'He was out of the race and just did nothing but there is nothing wrong with this horse. 'He is going great and Andy Adkins knows him well and will be with him on Saturday so I think you will see a different horse on Saturday.' Snowden won the Ortensia Stakes in partnership with son Paul with That's A Good Idea a decade ago. He's yet to win the Listed $200,000 Luskin Star Stakes (1300m) and will rely outsider Ka Bling ($31) to change that. . @ZacLloydx gets a FOURTH! Ka Bling makes it back to back wins for @SnowdenRacing1. — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 10, 2023 The son of Capitalist was last seen finishing fifth in the Tamworth Cup (1400m) and jumps from barrier 12. 'The draw is OK but it's a very good field,' Snowden said. 'Again it's not a bad start there from the 1300m so he will get his chance if he is good enough despite the wide draw.' Snowden's only runner not in a stakes race is Zealously ($3.70 favourite) in the Gro Events Benchmark 78 Handicap (1100m) with the gelding set to appreciate a drier track than he's faced in recent starts.
News.com.au
26-04-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Grand Eagle in stunning last-to-first win to continue Gerald Ryan's stellar season with two-year-olds
Grand Eagle has added his name to the talented two-year-old team trainers Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou are nurturing this season after an impressive last-to-first win at Royal Randwick on Saturday. Nash Rawiller was riding to a specific plan as he brought Grand Eagle with a fast-finishing burst down the centre of the course to win the ATC Bookmakers Recognition Day Handicap (1100m). • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Ryan has had a stellar season with his juveniles with the likes of King Of Pop, Skyhook, Sanctified and Sequista all winning or being placed at stakes level and his trainer has no hesitation in rating Grand Eagle among his stable's most gifted young sprinters. 'It was a very good win,'' Ryan said. 'This colt has always promised to be a lot and I always thought this horse wasn't very far behind King Of Pop, but King Of Pop is so professional and this horse wanted to do a bit wrong. 'But Nash rode him work one morning and put a really big wrap on him. After the colt won at Hawkesbury the other day, (owner) John Moore was thinking about taking him to Hong Kong. 'I rang John and said, 'don't take him to Hong Kong, he will win good races here in the spring', so he will go out now.' Grand Eagle storms home to win the Randwick opener! @nashhot @RARacing_ â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 26, 2025 Grand Eagle ($7.50) came with a powerful surge to run down a very game Akaysha ($4.20) to win by a half-length with Hidden Motive ($3 favourite) nearly two lengths away third. Ryan said he wasn't concerned during the race despite Grand Eagle dropping out to a clear last early in the 1100m dash. 'I wasn't worried, not with Nash riding him,'' the master trainer said. 'Nash really likes the horse.'' Grand Eagle was coming off a Hawkesbury win that was an ATC meeting which Rawiller believes has been the makings of the colt. 'He has shown us good ability from day one and I think we have found the key to him,'' Rawiller said. 'At his first couple of starts, he was overusing his energy early in his races so I had a chat to Gerald before the Hawkesbury race and I said I might ride him cold that day to see if he could turn it around. 'He was explosive that day although he probably hit the front too soon. 'It was the plan to ride him that way again today because I just wanted to switch him right off early. 'There was good speed on and they gave a kick before the turn when he was still going through his gears. 'He is still very green but he was really strong late. He's a beauty.'' Grand Eagle was one of 119 live foals that formed the first crop of 2020 Golden Slipper hero Farnan who stands at the historic Kia Ora Stud in Scone. The colt was a much admired yearling at Inglis Classic Sale, so much so that he was the most expensive of the 22 Farnan's catalogued when knocked down to George Moore Bloodstock for $300,000. Grand Eagle has now won two of his four starts and is two Tulloch Lodge-stabled Golden Slipper winners. Trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Farnan and the colt's dam is by Pierro, Waterhouse's 2012 juvenile triple crown winner. They aren't the only Group 1-winning juveniles in Grand Eagle's pedigree given the presence of close relation Catchy, winner of the Blue Diamond. Grand Eagle's dam, Sauvigon, foaled a full sister to Ryan and Alexiou's gun juvenile last October before being served by Anamoe a month later. Ryan said Grand Eagle has indicated his obvious potential in successive wins and the trainer is already thinking of a spring three-year-old campaign for the promising colt. 'There's the Golden Rose and all those races,'' Ryan said. 'His main aim this time was going to be the Baillieu and he was doing things wrong so we said to John, 'forget about that and just educate the horse first'. 'He was just thinking too much. He used to settle and I put blinkers on him at Newcastle and they backfired, he overraced. 'But Nash has worked him out and the colt has responded really well to being ridden quietly early in his races. He's going to develop into a good three-year-old next season.''
