Sky Boy earns stripes for Melbourne trip

Sky Boy wins for in-form jockey Blake Shinn and trainers Anthony and Edward Cummings at Canterbury.

Sky Boy will head to Melbourne with two options after the Anthony and Edward Cummings-trained gelding won convincingly at Canterbury.

The three-year-old had already been earmarked for a run in the spring carnival and those plans were rubberstamped when he claimed a benchmark win for three-year-olds over 1150mon Wednesday.

The father-and-son training partnership now have to weigh up whether to ask Sky Boy to handle a short turnaround into the Listed TV Curve Stakes (1800m) on VRC Oaks day at Flemington next Thursday.

In the aftermath of Sky Boy’s 2-1/4 length win from Aonair ($8.50) as the $2.50 favourite, Edward Cummings said how he handled his first trip to Melbourne would dictate the next step.

“It’s just a matter of how he travels,” Cummings said.

“They all seem to really furnish quite well with a trip down there so I think it will be quite good for him. The nice open spaces of either Flemington or Sandown would be fine.”

Sky Boy is three races into a preparation that now includes two wins.

“He’s really gone from strength to strength this preparation,” Cummings said.

“He’s still quite raw but he’s a lovely mover. He’ll develop into an even nicer horse six months time.”

In-form jockey Blake Shinn agreed after Sky Boy produced the first leg of a riding treble.

“He was in control, he travelled so lovely throughout,” Shinn said.

“He’s going to be a lovely horse once he gets to 2000 and beyond.”

Shinn racked up four winners and guided Humidor to second behind Winx in the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley last Saturday and continued an impressive strike rate before heads to Flemington on Saturday.

He also saluted on Cellarman and Cosmic Engine for Sydney’s premier trainer Chris Waller.

“Thankfully I’m fortunate enough to have some nice support. Hughie (Bowman) and Mac (Kerrin McEvoy) aren’t here so I’m reaping the rewards from that,” Shinn said.

“I’m riding well so that makes a difference as well.”