He hasn’t won for over a year but don’t think for one minute that the Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained galloper Steely is out of form.
He has placed in three of his past four outings, with two of those efforts coming behind promising import Nugget. That horse has posted three wins on the bounce including a Listed victory in the Lord Stakes at Sandown last time out.
Steely lines up in the Maroubra Mile at Royal Randwick this weekend and co-trainer Gerald Ryan is grateful that there are no horses of the likes of Nugget in the field.
“He’s as honest as that come. He’s certainly well named, he’s as tough as steel,” Ryan said.
“Two out of his past three starts he’s run into a really really good horse.
“He didn’t have the best of luck at Kembla Grange when Nugget followed him and peeled off his back and beat him.
“Then the other day Nugget was going to beat him easy, but he didn’t lay down at all and fought right to the line.
“You’d love to see him win another race and he gets his chance on Saturday.”
Earlier in the day Ryan and Alexiou saddle up their three-year-old Tango Fame who has been thereabouts in all three outings this preparation. Whilst only posting one win from seven starts to date, the colt has been a victim of unsuitable conditions.
“His racing pattern doesn’t help him much,” Ryan said.
“He’s an honest horse, but he gets back and runs on and just needs the breaks to go his way.
“His pedigree suggests he should be fast being by Rubick out of a Charge Forward mare, but he is defying that.
“From barrier seven you’d like to see him sit a bit closer and he’ll win a race like this one day when he gets the favours.”
Ryan and Alexiou’s final runner on the card is their Sacred Falls gelding Oceanic Flash who should be near his peak now third-up from the spell. The five-year-old has done a commendable job for connections picking up four wins and almost $200,000 in earnings from 19 career starts.
“He probably needed his first two runs, and he’s a lot fitter this time,” Ryan said.
“From the good draw Brenton (Avdulla) will be able to dig him out of the gates and put him a bit closer in the run.
“He’s been getting too far back and going through the motions, but he should be right there on Saturday.”