Flying Sydney colt Rubick is not a certain runner in the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill on April 5.
Flying Sydney colt Rubick is not a certain starter in the Golden Slipper. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
The Gerald Ryan trained youngster is currently the second favourite for the Group 1 $1m Sportingbet Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 22 but any further starts beyond that are yet to be finalized.
“This is just his first racing preparation and the Blue Diamond is the race he has been aimed at,” Ryan told AAP.
“It’s up to the horse. He will tell us whether to push on but I would be just as happy to bypass the Slipper and bring him back in the spring as a three-year-old.
“There has been no pressure from Coolmore. They love to race their horses so I don’t think there’s a rush to get him to stud.”
Coolmore signed off for a share in Rubick only hours before the colt won the Group 3 $150,000 Sportingbet Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G) (1100m) at Caulfield with the intention of him becoming a future stallion for the famous stud.
Coolmore Australia’s Tom Magnier said that the world wide racing empire was planning ahead and looking to the future for a well performed stallion to replace Rubick’s sire Encosta De Lago on the Coolmore roster in the years to come.
“We’ve been looking for a son of Encosta de Lago, who is coming to the end of a great stud career, and we think we’ve found him in Rubick. He’s a particularly good looking individual with unbelievable ability and a sensational stallion’s pedigree so he looks the real deal,” Magnier said in a press release on Saturday.
Existing part owner David Raphael was happy to join forces with Coolmore after the colt had been the centre of interest from several sources seeking to gain a part of the exciting young star since his debit two and three quarter lengths win at Randwick on January 25.
“Gerald Ryan has made no secret of the regard in which he holds this colt – he says he’s the best he’s trained – and as such we’ve been fielding expressions of interest in and offers for Rubick for quite some time,” said Raphael.
“However, the opportunity to partner with Coolmore, the most successful stud farming operation in the world, was an irresistible one and I hope that we are lucky together.”
Even though Rubick had to do it at both ends in winning the Blue Diamond Prelude for the colts and geldings, Ladbrokes.com.au demoted him from the head of the market order to be the $3 second favourite behind Earthquake ($2.60) who ran the same time in winning the filly’s version on Saturday.
In Golden Slipper betting Earthquake has been marked the $4.60 favourite with Rubick sharing the $8.50 line with Magic Millions winner Unencumbered.
