Gerald Ryan doesn’t have a runner in the $2 million Magic Millions but the trainer does have his eye on some other rich two-year-old prizes.
Unraced colt Rubick showed why he has been specked to win the $1 million Blue Diamond Stakes when he won his first barrier trial by more then seven lengths at Rosehill on Tuesday.
And Peggy Jean will be out to cement a place in the $250,000 Inglis Classic when she makes her debut at Randwick on Wednesday.
She is one of four fillies in the 1000m race for two-year-olds who can qualify for Saturday week’s feature, restricted to yearlings sold at last year’s Classic sale.
“She is lovely filly who will probably appreciate more ground but she needs to earn some prize money to get into the Inglis Classic,” Ryan said.
“I was pleased with her barrier trial. She does everything right and from barrier one she should get a good run in the race.
The filly, by Myboycharlie out of Lady Of Love, is cleverly named. Peggy Jean was Charlie Brown’s girlfriend.
Encosta De Lago colt Rubick is also well named. He is the third foal from Sliding Cube, a daughter of grand brood mare Shantha’s Choice, the dam of Redoute’s Choice and other Group One winners Platinum Scissors and Manhattan Rain.
Ryan flew back from inspecting yearlings at the Gold Coast to oversee Rubick’s trial, which he won in 52.5sec, the fastest of the 900m heats.
“He just lobbed along and cruised up and accelerated in the straight and it was very pleasing to see him take what I had seen him do on the track to the trial,” Ryan said.
“He will run at Randwick on the 25th then go to Melbourne for the Blue Diamond Prelude and the Blue Diamond.”
Rubick is as short as $9 for the Blue Diamond (1200m) at Caulfield on February 22.
Rubick is raced by Teeley Assets, the Australian racing arm of Sri Lankan businessman Muzaffar Yaseen with whom Ryan has a long association.
“I trained Shantha’s Choice but she only got to the races twice,” Ryan said.
“She won a two-year-old race at Seymour then ran second in the last two-year-old race of that season. She hurt a suspensory so she went to stud.”
