The winning roll for Kia Ora Stud's outstanding first season sire Farnan continued at Randwick on Saturday, when the Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained Grand Eagle stormed home from what looked like a hopeless position, when last at the turn to win impressively.
The Bjorn Baker-trained Hayek (Capitalist) led the race at a powerful tempo, with the favourite and well-performed Hidden Motive (Capitalist) stalking him in second place. At about the 200-metre mark Hidden Motive and Akaysha (Capitalist) loomed up and looked likely to fight out the race, before Grand Eagle flew past them both to score impressively, with Akaysha and Hidden Motive having to settle for minor placings.
"It was a very good win," trainer Gerald Ryan told media.
"This colt has always promised to be a lot, and I always thought this horse wasn't very far behind King Of Pop, but King Of Pop is so professional, and this horse wanted to do a bit wrong.
"But Nash rode him work one morning and put a really big wrap on him. After the colt won at Hawkesbury the other day, (owner) John Moore was thinking about taking him to Hong Kong.
Grand Eagle winning the Bookmakers Recognition Day Handicap | Image courtesy of Sportpix
"I rang John and said, 'don't take him to Hong Kong, he will win good races here in the spring', so he will go out now.
"I wasn't worried, not with Nash riding him," Ryan said, "Nash really likes the horse.'"
Grand Eagle was coming off a Hawkesbury win and Rawiller has been a fan of the horse throughout;
"He has shown us good ability from day one, and I think we have found the key to him,'" Rawiller said.
"At his first couple of starts, he was overusing his energy early in his races, so I had a chat to Gerald before the Hawkesbury race and I said I might ride him cold that day to see if he could turn it around.
"He was explosive that day although he probably hit the front too soon.
"It was the plan to ride him that way again today because I just wanted to switch him right off early.
"There was good speed on and they gave a kick before the turn when he was still going through his gears. He is still very green but he was really strong late. He's a beauty.'"
That takes Grand Eagle's record up to two wins and a placing from only four starts and he looks the type that could continue to improve, more distance may be of assistance, but he did enjoy the strong tempo and the genuinely run 1100 metres.
Grand Eagle is a half-sister to Chilled (Shalaa ) who was a dual winner as a juvenile and was stakes-placed in the Listed Without Fear Stakes, he comes from the extended family of Catchy (Fastnet Rock) who was the brilliant winner of the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes.
Grand Eagle was purchased by George Moore Bloodstock from the 2024 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale for $300,000 from the draft of Valiant Stud
Since producing Grand Eagle, Sauvignon has produced a Farnan weanling filly, and was subsequently served by Anamoe last spring.
Article c/o The Thoroughbred Report Australia & New Zealand
