Lord Of The Sky will make his black type racing debut next month after recording a dominant victory in the Guinot International Handicap (1000m) at Caulfield this afternoon.
Lord Of The Sky cruised to victory in the Guinot International Handicap at Caulfield this afternoon. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Lord Of The Sky was well backed in the lead-up to the event and the victory never looked in doubt; with jockey Patrick Moloney taking the Danerich colt straight to the lead in the early stages of the race before pulling clear for an effortless six and a half lengths victory.
The Caulfield track was criticised throughout the day for having a ‘fast lane’ on the outside rail, with jockeys desperate to avoid the inside of the track, and trainer Robbie Laing told the media after the race that he believes Lord Of The Sky would have broken the track record if the outside track bias did not exist.
“He went around the outside fence and still ran 57.1 seconds,” Laing said.
“He ran his last 600 metres in 44.1 seconds so he can really gallop.
“He can run 11 seconds (over a furlong) any day you want him and he’ll run 10 and something when he learns.
“He’s still a bit on the light side, but he’s top class.”
Lord Of The Sky will now be given an opportunity at the highest level of racing during the 2014 Melbourne Festival Of Racing and will have his next race start in either the Listed WJ Adams Stakes (1000m) at Caulfield on February 1 or the Group 2 Rubiton Stakes (1100m) at the same venue on February 8.
Laing said at the end of last year that Lord Of The Sky was a chance of making his Group 1 debut in the Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield on February 22 and the in-form trainer confirmed that the $400,000 event was still on the agenda for the talented three-year-old.
Lord Of The Sky made his racing debut with a fourth place finish behind Rowdy Belle in the International Breakfast Plate (1118m) at Werribee on June 25 before recording a most impressive three and a half lengths victory over Monkstone and Gallant Express in the Procal Dairies Handicap (1000m) at Caulfield on July 13 – a victory that drew the attention of a number of leading studs from right around Australia.
Laing will be having just his second runner in the Oakleigh Plate after Mr Cube finished fifth behind the great Schillaci in the 1992 edition of the race.
