By Craig Kerry
When told on Friday morning that Blue Diamond Stakes favourite Big Sky had been scratched, Pakenham trainer Phillip Stokes still had no regrets about sending Stretan Ruler to Rosehill the night before to contest Saturday’s Silver Slipper.
Stretan Ruler was first emergency for Saturday’s $2 million Blue Diamond (1200m) at Caulfield, but the Wild Ruler colt had drawn gate 19, prompting Stokes to scratch and take him north for the $300,000 Group 2 Golden Slipper lead-up instead of waiting for a call-up for the Group 1.
Stretan Ruler, right, battles eventual winner Eternal Warrior in the Merson Cooper at Caulfield on November 29.Credit: Getty Images
Torture, which had the outside gate, also came out of the Blue Diamond on Friday, but Stokes was content with his decision.
“With the bad barrier, I’ve been down this path before,” he said.
“You always seem to get posted wide and have hard luck stories, so I thought this is still probably a lot better option.
“When he drew the bad barrier, blinkers on the first time, I just thought it was all going to be too hard, so we’ve sent him up there.”
Stretan Ruler, with Chad Schofield to ride, was an $8 TAB chance for the Silver Slipper from gate four in a 10-horse field, which features Canonbury Stakes winner Hidrix ($4.80), runner-up Confederation ($4.20), Breeders’ Plate victor Incognito ($5.50) and Gimcrack Stakes champion Shiki ($3.90).
He brings new form to the Golden Slipper qualifier after finishing a close second to Eternal Warrior on debut in the listed Merson Cooper Stakes (1000m) then 1.65 lengths fourth behind Closer To Free in the Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m), both at Caulfield.
Stokes was unsure how Stretan Ruler would measure up against the Sydney two-year-olds, but he was counting on blinkers helping him improve off his last start, where he failed to capitalise on a dream run. He will consider a shot at another Slipper qualifier, the Todman Stakes, in two weeks if he performs well.
“We like the horse, but he’s obviously got different form lines,” he said.
“His first-up run was very good, second-up he probably needed the run and blew out a bit late. We needed to find a few lengths so we think with the extra fitness and the blinkers going on, we’ve done that.
“We’ve tried to keep him sharp for this. There’s a few winners in it, I’m not sure how they all stack up, but our horse presents in good order, he’s travelled up there well and hopefully he can be doing the job and he might be back there in two weeks.”
Stretan Ruler, a $220,000 buy at the Inglis Easter sale, is a half-brother to Stokes’ Group 1-placed mare Stretan Angel.
Trainer Phillip Stokes.Credit: Getty Images
“He doesn’t look like her, but we thought he was a nice colt with a great attitude, so we bought him and he’s shown us some good signs,” Stokes said.
Stokes established himself as the leading trainer in South Australia before expanding into Victoria a decade ago. He rarely races horses in Sydney, where he has two wins from 38 starters.
“We don’t bring them up there too often, but it’s something we want to do more of,” he said.
“I’ve had a few runners in the Sydney Cup, Daqiansweet Junior ran third in that [in 2022]. We’ve probably had more luck in Queensland, we won a Derby there [with Mr Quickie] and a few stakes races.”
He had no other runners in mind for the Sydney autumn carnival but said quality stayer Deakin and three-year-old Regal Award could travel up later this year.
Sweethearted, a travelling partner for Stretan Ruler, was a $14 chance in the third at Rosehill.
“He’s been racing OK. He is a bit of a backmarker and will have one run at them,” Stokes said.
“I thought it was the right rating race for him. I’m happy with the horse, I’m just not sure how the form lines stack up for him, but it wouldn’t be much harder, I wouldn’t have thought, than what he’s been racing in.”
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