Renowned for her ability to handle wet tracks, speedy Deep Field mare Sky Command showed another string to her bow when winning her second Black Type race this season to land the Listed ATC Razor Sharp Stakes (1200m) on a good track at Randwick on Saturday.
Now trained by Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou after starting her career with Gary Portelli, Sky Command has always been a very speedy conveyance and maturity is delivering the rewards promised earlier in her career.
Sky Command pressed forward for Regan Bayliss and kept up a good gallop to win by the best part of a length.
"She is just a mare in terrific form," said co-trainer Sterling Alexiou.
"She is really genuine and dry ground and 1200m seems no issue now.
"Obviously the day she won a stakes race her on a bottomless track she looked to get a lot of things in her favour but they all had their chance to run her down today."
Connections were considering sending Sky Command to stud this spring, but the decision to push on for another year has been a good one with the mare’s overall record now five wins and five placings from 16 starts with prizemoney topping $455,000.
A homebred for Bert Vieira and his family, Sky Command continues the success for the family with Gerald Ryan, who also trained Champion 3YO Trapeze Artist for them to win $5.5million.
She is the first winner for Love Commands, a winning daughter of Group III winner Sky Love from Stuart Ramsey’s famed Suggestive family that has produced horses like Group I winner Sky Cuddle and outstanding Group II winner Champagne Cuddles, the winner of over $1.4million.
Sky Command has an interesting pedigree that features three lines (6 x 4 x 4) of influential blue hen Eight Carat as her sire Deep Field traces in tail female line to the famed matriarch as do her first two dam sires Commands and Octagonal.
Love Commands has a yearling colt by Vieira’s Trapeze Artist, but has no foal this spring after missing to him last year.
Sky Command is one of seven stakes-winners this season for Newgate Farm’s Deep Field, who has 54 entries for Magic Millions and 16 for Inglis Classic.
