Everest-winning jockey Chad Schofield is set to partner Skyhook in the $10 million Golden Eagle, taking over from Kerrin McEvoy, who was unsuccessful in his appeal against a whip suspension.
McEvoy received an eight-meeting ban for a whip infringement during Wednesday’s Geelong Cup, which will prevent him from riding in this Saturday’s prestigious Golden Eagle (1500m) at Randwick.
Skyhook’s co-trainer Gerald Ryan expressed his disappointment for McEvoy, who has been aboard Skyhook for 10 of its 16 starts. However, Ryan was pleasantly surprised to secure a jockey of Schofield’s calibre on short notice.
“You move on, but I just feel sorry for Kerrin,” Ryan stated. “He’s done a heap of work with him and knows him like the back of his hand.”
“The two jockeys it came down to were either Ethan Brown or Chad. It went Chad’s way because he can have a sit on him on Tuesday morning, and I’ve known Chad since he started. I gave him one of his first rides at Kembla.”
Skyhook is currently sharing the third line of the Golden Eagle betting at $8, trailing only the $1.80 favourite Sheza Alibi and Beiwacht at $6.
The entire, trained by Ryan and Sterling Alexiou, has demonstrated exceptional form this spring, achieving two Group 2 victories to commence its campaign before securing a second-place finish behind Apocalyptic in the Silver Eagle (1300m), a race where the horse was facing a shorter distance.
The four-year-old performed impressively during its work on Saturday morning and is scheduled for a final significant gallop on Tuesday to conclude its preparations.
Ryan is confident in Skyhook’s condition and has no reservations about the track surface, though he would prefer a midfield barrier draw.
“I wouldn’t like to see him drawn inside three. I wouldn’t like to see him drawn eighteen either, but he does have a habit of drawing the outside gate,” Ryan commented. “Track conditions won’t worry me. He’s two from two on heavy tracks and he’s just as effective on dry tracks.”
Glen Boss remains the sole jockey to have achieved the coveted Everest-Golden Eagle double in the same season, winning the sprint in 2019 with Yes Yes Yes and the Golden Eagle that year on Kolding.
Betting markets are already buzzing for the $10 million feature, with Skyhook a strong contender at Australian betting sites.