Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Lightly-raced four-year-old Skylou returned to action at Gloucester Park on Friday night in a blaze of glory, scoring an impressive all-the-way victory in the $50,000 Garrard’s Horse And Hound Easter Cup, a performance which stamped him as a major player in the $200,000 Golden Nugget in December.
Making his first appearance after winning the WA Derby early last November, Skylou was the $1.30 favourite, who was smartest to begin and was not seriously challenged throughout the 2503m journey, winning by two lengths from stablemate Im The Black Flash, who fought on grandly after racing without cover all the way.
The win gave champion trainer Gary Hall Snr his fourth success in the Easter Cup, and it was star reinsman Gary Hall junior’s sixth win in the big race.
“It all worked out well,” said Hall Jnr. “He jumped away well (at his first run in a standing-start event), and once he led, I wasn’t concerned at all. He led, he settled, and that was it.
“I think that he is good enough to go all the way. He has improved so much from his Derby win I expect him to be a WA Pacing Cup candidate next summer.”
Skylou is by the American stallion Sweet Lou and is the ninth foal out of the In The Pocket mare Sky Beauty, who raced 44 times for seven wins, 15 placings and $58,665. He had three starts in New Zealand for two wins and a nose second, and his seven WA starts have produced five wins and a third placing, taking his career record to ten starts for seven wins, two placings and stakes of $185,027.
Skylou is a half-brother to Our Sky Major, who earned $825,538 from 19 wins and 21 placings from 72 starts. He won the Group 1 Chariots Of Fire at Menangle in March 2015, and his final seven Australian appearances were in Western Australia the following year when he won a race at Gloucester Park and was placed twice before continuing his career in America.
Im The Black Flash, the $3.90 second favourite on Friday night, will also be set for the Golden Nugget, as will other pacers from the powerful Hall stable, including Mister Smartee and Hes Never Been Beta, each of whom was successful at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Skylou ran the first quarter of the final mile in a leisurely 31.7sec. before he dashed over the final three 400m sections in 29.8sec., 27.9sec. and 28.2sec. to leave the 30m backmarker Ardens Horizon and the in-form Lucca (20m) facing almost impossible tasks.
Ardens Horizon ($26) fought on from eighth and last at the bell to finish fourth, while Lucca, a $14 chance, finished last after racing three wide for much of the final thousand metres.
Brickies Dream ($13) enjoyed a favourable trip in the one-out, one-back position before finishing solidly into third place.