Newgate sires were in hot form on Saturday with a Randwick stakes-winner for Deep Field and metro winners for Capitalist, Flying Artie and Russian Revolution.
Renowned for her ability to handle wet tracks, speedy Deep Field mare Sky Command showed another string to her bow when winning her second Black Type race this season to land the Listed ATC Razor Sharp Stakes (1200m) on a good track.
Now trained by Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou after starting her career with Gary Portelli, Sky Command has always been a very speedy conveyance and maturity is delivering the rewards promised earlier in her career.
Sky Command pressed forward for Regan Bayliss and kept up a good gallop to win by the best part of a length.
“She is just a mare in terrific form,” said co-trainer Sterling Alexiou.
“She is really genuine and dry ground and 1200m seems no issue now.
“Obviously the day she won a stakes race here on a bottomless track she looked to get a lot of things in her favour, but they all had their chance to run her down today.”
Connections were considering sending Sky Command to stud this spring, but the decision to push on for another year has been a good one with the mare’s overall record now five wins and five placings from 16 starts with prizemoney topping $455,000.
A homebred for Bert Vieira and his family, Sky Command continues the success for the family with Gerald Ryan, who also trained Champion 3YO Trapeze Artist for them to win $5.5million.
She is the first winner for Love Commands, a winning daughter of Group III winner Sky Love from Stuart Ramsey’s famed Suggestive family that has produced horses like Group I winner Sky Cuddle and outstanding Group II winner Champagne Cuddles, the winner of over $1.4million.
Sky Command has an interesting pedigree that features three lines (6 x 4 x 4) of influential blue hen Eight Carat as her sire Deep Field traces in tail female line to the famed matriarch as do her first two dam sires Commands and Octagonal.
Sky Command is one of seven stakes-winners this season for Newgate Farm’s Deep Field, who has 54 entries for Magic Millions and 16 for Inglis Classic.
Capitalist and Flying Artie also had winners at Randwick with three year-old filly Penthouse winning the Highway race for the Matthew Dale stable, while progressive four year-old Democracy Manifest took another step up the ladder winning a Benchmark 78 event over 1400m under 60kg.
The Flying Artie gelding started life trained in the country, but has thrived in the care of Chris Waller and has now won five races with a further five placings from 13 starts netting his owners over $263,000 in prizemoney.
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott got the cash at Sandown with talented Russian Revolution three year-old Russian Roni, who backed up from a Bendigo success last month to win a Benchmark 70 event over 1400m.
Stakes-placed last season at two, Russian Roni looks to be on the improve and has won three of seven starts earning over $160,000 in prizemoney.
