Trainer Gerald Ryan will use the Danehill Stakes up the Flemington straight to test out his smart colt Rubick for a start in the Group 1 $500,000 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) over the straight course on November 1.
Rubick's main Spring aim will be the Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
If Ryan’s two year old star can handle the Flemington straight in the Group 2 $200,000 Danehill Stakes (1200m) on September 13, he will then focus on the Group 1 for the three year olds on the first day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
“The Coolmore Stud Stakes in November is the aim but the Danehill will tell us how well he handles the straight course,” Ryan told AAP.
“If he seems like he needs to run around a turn then we can change plans.”
Rubick created a huge impression in the Autumn with a win at Randwick and Caulfield before running fourth to Earthquake in the Group 1 $1m Sportingbet Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 22.
Ryan resisted the temptation of running the Encosta De Lago colt in the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill on April 5 and instead sent him to the paddock with a Spring campaign in mind.
And Ryan is pleased he did with Rubick maturing nicely while he was in the spelling paddock.
“He has put on weight and is more mature,” Ryan said.
“He has grown, he has lengthened and he is better through the shoulders now than he was as a two-year-old.
“He has a great attitude and I like the way that he is at the moment.”
“I’m looking forward to the spring.”
Ryan will give Rubick one run in Sydney in the early Spring in the Group 3 $125,000 San Domenico Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on August 16 before heading south for the beginning of the Melbourne Spring Carnival with the Coolmore Stud Stakes his main target.
“At this stage we thought that we would run first-up in the San Domenico and then go to Melbourne and run in the Danehill Stakes where we will give him an experience up the straight,”
“Then he will probably have a freshen-up and we will run him in either the Schillaci Stakes or the Blue Sapphire at Caulfield and that will serve him over for three weeks into the Coolmore.”
From only three starts, Rubick has picked up over $200,000 in prizemoney for his two wins in a 1000m two year old at Randwick on January 25 and in the Group 3 $150,000 Sportingbet Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G) (1100m) at Caulfield on February 8.
