Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
A recipe of wire and glue has enabled handsome colt Skylord to demonstrate his wonderful ability and prove he is one of the State’s best two-year-old pacers in 2022.
The son of boom stallion Fly Like An Eagle ended the year with an effortless victory in the 2130m Team Bond Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night and showed that he has the class to develop into a leading contender for the rich WA Derby in 2023.
Part-owner and trainer-driver Jocelyn Young has had a constant battle to keep Skylord on track during the year when he raced only seven times for three wins, three placings and stakes of $73,523.
Skylord has been affected by feet problems and his front feet have been kept in shape with wire and glue.
“His feet are stitched up with wire and glue to keep them together,” explained Young. “He has had feet problems all along and it was only the work of the farrier that enabled him to run in the big group 1 feature events for two-year-olds in September.”
Skylord finished third behind Never Ending and Rocket City in the Westbred Classic for cots and geldings before finishing strongly to be second to Never Ending in the Golden Slipper.
He was making his first appearance for 13 weeks when he was the $1.04 favourite for Friday night’s $20,250 event in which he started from the No. 3 barrier in the field of six and ambled to the front after 250m.
The lead time was run in a slow 39.2sec. before Skylord simply ambled through the opening quarters of the final mile in 32.9sec. and 32.3sec. The third quarter went by in 30sec. before Skylord sprinted over the final 400m in 27.1sec. and beat Telkem Jay ($23) by one and a half lengths.
“I didn’t realise that we were going that slow,” said Young. “I didn’t want to knock him around, but it wasn’t all that sensible to go that slow.
“He has suffered from quarter cracks, and the wire has held his feet together. His back feet were bandaged on Friday night because he had been threatening to get down on his bumpers.”
Skylord is the second foal out of the Northern Luck mare Southern Legacy, who earned $81,326 from six wins and ten placings from 26 starts. Her best performance was her second to the brilliant Sensational Gabby in the WA Oaks in May 2012.
Southern Legacy’s first foal (by Bettors Delight) is Gardys Legacy, who has had 50 starts for 15 wins, eight placings and $179,671. Gardys Legacy won at nine of his 20 WA starts, including the group 2 Pearl for three-year-old colts and geldings in May 2020 before leaving in March 2021 for America where he has won six times.