Sky Boy flies high to Villiers Stakes triumph
THE perfect plan came off as Anthony and Edward Cummings took Sky Boy from a Class 2 placing at Kembla Grange in September to victory in the $250,000 Group 2 Villiers Stakes at Randwick yesterday. After that placing he ran third again in midweek grade on the Kensington track before recording four-straight wins and rocketing through his grades all the way to the timehonoured event at Randwick.
Anthony was rapt to see his Pendragon four-year-old hit the front at the 250m before holding off a fast-finishing Aloisia by a long neck with My Nordic Hero in third.
The win guarantees Sky Boy a start in next April’s Group 1 Doncaster Mile at The Championships at Randwick.
“It might have been a Group 2 race but it was a Group 1 effort,” Cummings said.
“I’ve had a lot of long-term plans that haven’t come off so when it works it’s bloody fantastic. The way he presented today was the best he’s been.
“He handled everything in his stride and he used his speed to get into a spot and relaxed and he had a sprint at the finish.”
The interesting preparation of racing over 2000m twice before coming back to 1800m then back to the 1600m was what he needed.