Skyhook Soars in the Rosebud as History Points Toward Stallion Potential

When Written Tycoon’s colt Skyhook shouldered 60.5 kilograms to win the Listed Rosebud at Rosehill last Saturday, the performance was more than just a strong seasonal return. It was a statement. The victory highlighted both his resilience under weight and his class against a field that included Golden Slipper favourite Pallaton and the improving Nashville Jack.

For breeders and racing enthusiasts, the significance of Skyhook’s win extends beyond the $200,000 prize. The Rosebud has developed a reputation as a springboard for colts on their way to stallion careers. An examination of recent history shows that, in the past twelve years, eight winners of the race have gone on to stand at stud. Skyhook’s triumph, therefore, places him in company that demands attention.

A Performance of Substance

Run on a heavy-rated track, the Rosebud was never going to be straightforward. Skyhook settled at the rear under Kerrin McEvoy, biding his time as Nashville Jack set the pace. Turning for home, the six runners were tightly grouped, with Pallaton edging up on the inside and Grand Prairie looming through the middle.

Skyhook was swung wide, forced to make his run from the back under the impost of 60.5 kilograms. Despite the weight and ground, he lengthened powerfully, overtaking Grand Prairie inside the final 100 metres to score by half a length, with Pallaton a further two lengths away in third.

It was his second black type success, following his win in the Group 3 Pago Pago Stakes as a two-year-old. His record now stands at two wins and two placings from five starts, all at stakes level, with earnings exceeding $380,000.

The Rosebud’s Stallion-Making Reputation

First run in 2011, the Listed Rosebud (1100m) has quickly become one of Sydney’s key early-season features for three-year-olds. Its placement in August provides a platform toward the Group 1 Golden Rose the following month, a race synonymous with stallion-making potential.

A closer look at the past dozen winners reveals the Rosebud’s increasing importance as a stallion indicator.

Between 2013 and 2024, eight of the twelve winners entered stud careers. They include names such as Anders, Menari, Thronum, Sebring Sun, Scissor Kick, Eurozone, Sandbar, and, most recently, Paulele, now standing at Darley. These stallions represent a variety of farms, yet all trace their early momentum to Rosebud victories.

The exceptions were Gatsby’s (2024), Zoukerino (2022), and Dawn Passage (2019), all geldings, along with Tiz Invincible (2023), a filly retained for broodmare prospects. That pattern underscores a key point: when the Rosebud falls to a colt with pedigree appeal, history suggests breeders should take note.

Pedigree Perspective

Skyhook himself possesses credentials that align with the profile of successful Rosebud graduates. By Written Tycoon, one of Australia’s most prolific stallion-makers, he is out of the Redoute’s Choice mare Madame Pauline, a dual winner and three-quarter sister to Group 3 winner Anders, another Rosebud victor now at stud.

This family carries both performance and commercial depth. Anders added the San Domenico Stakes (G3) to his Rosebud triumph before retiring to Widden Stud, while Ostraka — also from this immediate family and owned by Stallion Match and G1 Goldmine — secured stakes success of his own. Written Tycoon has already produced 17 individual Group 1 winners, including stallions such as Ole Kirk and Capitalist.

Madame Pauline has a Dundeel yearling colt in the pipeline, though she missed to Maurice last spring. Her produce record, combined with Skyhook’s stakes ability, adds to the mare’s developing profile.

Training Judgement and Race Placement

Credit must also be given to trainers Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou, who judged Skyhook’s program astutely. Ryan noted pre-race concerns about the colt’s aptitude on wet ground, pointing out that Written Tycoons have not traditionally excelled on heavy tracks. Yet Skyhook handled the conditions with composure, an attribute that enhances his profile for future assignments.

The trainers have elected to follow the proven path of Menari, another Written Tycoon colt who won the Rosebud in 2017. Menari went on to capture the Group 2 Run to the Rose before running in the Golden Rose. Ryan and Alexiou plan to give Skyhook similar spacing: four weeks into the Run to the Rose, followed by a fortnight into the Group 1 Golden Rose at Rosehill.

Ownership and Identity

Skyhook was purchased by Ryan and Alexiou for $575,000 from the Arrowfield Stud draft at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale. He races for a large syndicate of owners led by his trainers, alongside Stallion Match and G1 Goldmine, who campaign the colt in the famous South Melbourne Football Club silks. It is a partnership that combines experienced horsemen with data-driven pedigree analysis and has already been rewarded with early black type success.

What the Rosebud Win Means for Breeders

The significance of Skyhook’s Rosebud victory is twofold. On the track, it confirms him as a leading three-year-old colt capable of carrying weight and overcoming adversity. Off the track, it positions him within a lineage of Rosebud winners who transitioned to stud duties, many of whom have contributed to shaping Australia’s modern stallion ranks.

For breeders, the Rosebud is not simply an early-season sprint. It has become an early marker of colts with the potential to command attention from commercial farms. With eight of the past twelve winners already at stud, the race has developed into a recognised proving ground.

Skyhook, with his pedigree, race record, and connections, now adds his name to that list. Should he continue to progress through the Golden Rose and beyond, breeders will undoubtedly watch with increasing interest.

Skyhook’s Listed Rosebud win was more than another step in his racing career. It was a performance that reinforced the race’s reputation as a stallion-making event and reminded breeders of the weight early-season black type can carry in shaping future stud prospects.

The chestnut colt has more to prove, and the Golden Rose will offer a sterner test. But history suggests that when a colt of his calibre claims the Rosebud, his trajectory toward stallion discussions is already in motion.