Last season’s brilliant two year old Rubick was back in the winner’s stall with a brilliant win in the Group 2 $200,000 Anco Instant Turf Schillaci Stakes (1000m) at Caulfield today.
Rubick returned as a 3yo to win the Schillaci Stakes at Caulfield. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
Rubick was taking on the older horses at weight for age at his first run as a three year old and put paid to a slick field of sprinters in the smart time of 56.68 secs for the 1000m.
Kerrin McEvoy made it his third winner from the first four races after taking out the previous two on Earthquake in the Group 3 $150,000 Thoroughbred Club Stakes (1200m) and Hosting in the Listed $120,000 APT Weekend Hussler Stakes (1400m) .
Winning trainer Gerald Ryan was relieved to see Rubick return to the racetrack in such brilliant form and will now head to the Group 1 $500,000 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on November 1.
“It’s a relief,” Ryan said immediately after the race.
“You wonder whether they are going from two year olds to three year olds. He wasn’t taking on three year olds, he was taking on weight for age horses.”
“I would have been a little disappointed if he hadn’t have done that.”
Ryan is expecting plenty of improvement from Rubick after his first up win and will schedule a gallop up the Flemington straight before the Coolmore Stud Stakes.
“He’ll improve. He’s first up today and he’s got three weeks until the Coolmore and hopefully he can have a look down the straight in the meantime.”
Ryan had stated in the Autumn that Rubick was the best horse he had trained since his Group 1 winning sprinter Snitzel and reaffirmed that after today’s win.
“He’s the best horse I’ve had since Snitzel. I’m not saying he is better than Snitzel, but at the same age he is probably right up there with him.”
McEvoy had Rubick ($4.60) quickly out of the gates but didn’t bustle him in the early stages and let him stride to the lead under his own stem to hold out the favourite Overreach ($3.40) who had to sit outside the leader.
Overreach made a challenge in the straight but McEvoy knew he plenty left in the engine and Rubick was able to score a comfortable one length win over Platelet ($8) with Overreach holding on for third
