Hot and colt sprinter Lord Of The Sky will push on to the Group 3 $150,000 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on July 25 after missing the place as favourite last Saturday.
Lord Of The Sky will now be set for the Bletchingly Stakes at Caulfield. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
Lord Of The Sky is likely to clash again with Miss Promiscuity in the Bletchingly Stakes after finishing seventh to the David Hayes and Top Dabernig trained mare in the Group 3 $150,000 PFD Food Services Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield last Saturday.
The Robbie Laing trained front runner blew his chances when he was slow to leave the barriers on the weekend and instead of racing on the pace, Damien Oliver was left in no man’s land four wide midfield in the early and middle stages.
Lord Of The Sky was sent out the $2.35 favourite and punters knew early in the straight that the Danerich stallion was struggling to make up any ground in the soft conditions.
Laing is willing to forget the run and head back to Caulfield in three weeks time hoping for better luck.
“If he jumped cleanly and led to the corner and dropped out and finished there you’d be happy to say, ‘you weak so and so’, but he’s a speed horse who was out the back with a lot of chasing to do,” Laing told racing.com.
“It wasn’t his day. I just hope he pulls up all right so we can come back and have another go.”
“It’s three weeks until the Bletchingly, so all going well with him we’ll bring him back and see what happens.”
Lord Of The Sky was having his first start since running second to Flamberge in the Group 1 $500,000 Darley Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville on May 16 but a Brisbane Winter Carnival campaign had to be aborted after that when the four year old suffered a setback in a mishap on the float to Queensland.
Laing was looking forward to see Lord Of The Sky running in the Group 1 $2m AAMI Stradbroke Handicap (1350m) at Doomben on June 6 but was forced to scratch and head back to Cranbourne to recuperate.
Laing stepped the speedy Lord Of The Sky up to Group 1 company in the Autumn and after running down the track for an eleventh in the Group 1 $400,000 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield on February 28 finished fourth to Brazen Beau in the Group 1 $1m Lexus Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on March 14.
Then at big odds Lord Of The Sky was beaten a nose by Chautauqua in the Group 1 $2.5m Darley T J Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 6 before filling the runner’s up stall again in The Goodwood.
