Everest-winning jockey Chad Schofield will take the reins for Skyhook in the upcoming $10 million Golden Eagle, stepping in after Kerrin McEvoy’s unsuccessful appeal against a whip suspension.
McEvoy was handed an eight-meeting ban for a whip infringement during Wednesday’s Geelong Cup, a penalty that precludes him from competing in this Saturday’s Golden Eagle (1500m) program at Randwick.
Skyhook’s co-trainer Gerald Ryan expressed his disappointment for McEvoy, who has ridden the horse in 10 of its 16 starts. However, Ryan was pleasantly surprised to secure a jockey of Schofield’s caliber on such short notice.
“You move on, but I just feel sorry for Kerrin,” Ryan said. “He’s done a heap of work with him and knows him like the back of his hand.”
“The two jockeys it came down to were either Ethan Brown or Chad. It went Chad’s way because he can have a sit on him on Tuesday morning, and I’ve known Chad since he started. I gave him one of his first rides at Kembla.”
Skyhook is currently sharing third favouritism in the Golden Eagle markets at $8, with only the dominant $1.80 favourite Sheza Alibi and Beiwacht ($6) rated higher.
The four-year-old entire, trained by Ryan and Sterling Alexiou, has been in formidable form this spring. It commenced its campaign with two consecutive Group 2 victories before finishing second to Apocalyptic in the Silver Eagle (1300m), when facing a significant disadvantage in distance.
The horse pleased the training staff with its Saturday morning workout and is set for a final serious gallop on Tuesday, marking the conclusion of its preparations.
Ryan is confident that Skyhook is in prime condition and has no concerns regarding track conditions, although he would prefer a midfield barrier draw.
“I wouldn’t like to see him drawn inside three. I wouldn’t like to see him drawn eighteen either, but he does have a habit of drawing the outside gate,” Ryan commented. “Track conditions won’t worry me. He’s two from two on heavy tracks and he’s just as effective on dry tracks.”
Glen Boss stands as the only jockey to have achieved the lucrative Everest-Golden Eagle double in the same season, having won the sprint in 2019 with Yes Yes Yes and the Golden Eagle that year on Kolding.
Betting markets are live for the 2026 Golden Eagle, with Skyhook a prominent contender at betting sites.