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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Gerald Ryan isn’t putting exciting colt Skyhook alongside his former topline three-year-olds like Menari and Trapeze Artist just yet but he’s looking to emulate the former’s feat by winning Saturday’s Group 2 $300,000 Yulong Run To The Rose (1200m) at Rosehill.

Trainer Gerald Ryan

It’s been a month since Skyhook produced a big first-up performance to account for Grand Prairie while giving that horse 7kg in the Rosebud on a heavy track.

That’s the same pattern Menari followed and while Skyhook, $8.50 with TAB on Thursday, will have to carry 1kg more there’s a quiet confidence from Ryan about how the colt has progressed.

“I’d have thought he’d improve because had one soft trial prior to winning first-up, he drops 3.5kg and meets them okay at the weights,’’ Ryan said.

“Yeah, I’m happy with what I’ve seen so far. He had a nice tickover trial last Tuesday and worked well on the course proper.

“All of it worked for Menari, he won the Rosebud and then won the Run To The Rose.

“He ran third in the Golden Rose (behind Trapeze Artist) but he knuckled coming out of the gates and pulled a front shoe off and he ended up not racing again.”

Ryan, who co-trains with Sterling Alexiou, said as promising as Skyhook is he still has a way to go to match the deeds of Menari, who won the Run To The Rose in 2017, and if he’s able to get the better of the 2025 edition it’ll go a long way toward reaching that level.

“It’s a very good race, I don’t know whether you’ll get a stronger race in the Golden Rose,’’ he said.

“It’s a good draw for him and he will get his chance.”

Stablemate King Of Pop could be a big improver after he let the side down with a disappointing effort in the San Domenico Stakes first-up with Ryan saying he couldn’t keep up the strong gallop.

He weakened to be beaten over nine lengths by Raging Force but Ryan said he’s much better than that though would have liked a trailing draw.

“It didn’t work out for him the other day and it didn’t work out for him with the barrier either,’’ he said.

“He went too fast the other day, he’s never shown that speed before in his races. When he won at Canberra he sat behind them and when he ran well in the Kindergarten he sat behind them.

“I’d just put a line through it, he’s trained on well and he worked well on Tuesday morning so I’m happy with where he sits.”

It’s been a stop-start preparation for General Salute but Ryan said he’s well placed in the Group 2 $300,000 Toyota Forklifts Theo Marks Stakes (1300m).

The five-year-old, winner of the Star Kingdom at Group 3 level at Rosehill on a soft 7 in April, had a two month gap before running third on the heavy 10 to Lazzurra at Randwick three weeks ago.

“He’s trained on well, we elected to go this race because of the weight scale,’’ Ryan said.

Skyhook wins the Rosebud on August 16

“He still has to go up a notch to measure up to these because it’s the best field he’s met.

“He’s got no weight, he’s drawn a nice gate for him and 1300m on the home track with a bit of sting off the ground is going to help him.”

Gerald Ryan on Colourful Emperor (race 5): “He needed the run but he was another one that went too hard. You can’t keep going doing that. He’s back to 1100m and with the sting out he’s going to be all right.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Rosehill meeting