Cover image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
There are few trainers better placed to assess the development of the progeny of Deep Field than Laurie, who became the first to train a Group 1 winner by the Newgate stallion when Portland Sky dead-heated to win the G1 Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield last month.
All three Deep Fields he has taken to the track have been winners, and two of them have been stakes winners, with Portland Sky having three black-type wins and now 4-year-old Riddle Me That two from his five lifetime victories.
Both were horses who showed plenty of talent when they first came into work as 2-year-olds, but both gave signs that while the ability was present, the maturity was not quite there to continue to press on with them in the early juvenile races.
Portland Sky was an $85,000 buy for Laurie at the 2019 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale from the draft of Alwyn Park Stud.
On first impressions, Laurie was dreaming of Magic Millions 2-year-old riches, but the colt soon told him that he'd be a much better horse if he was given time.
Portland Sky as a yearling
"As a whole, the Deep Fields aren't really early horses. He did show us that he had good ability as a 2-year-old, but he just physically couldn't take the complete workload to go to the races early on," Laurie told TDN AusNZ.
"I thought he could be a Ballarat Clockwise Classic-type horse, and then maybe head up to Queensland, but he couldn't take the workload to be fully there. He certainly always showed ability.
"In my experience, Deep Field's stock as a whole, tend to be like that. These high-quality fast horses don’t always get out there as 2-year-olds, and I feel he can still improve with age for sure."
The stats seem to back Laurie's contention up. While 39 of Deep Field's 116 2-year-old runners to date have been winners, a strike rate of 33.6 per cent, he has had 113 winners from his 216 3-year-old runners (52.3 per cent), and 60 winners from 113 runners as 4-year-old (41.1 per cent).
Whether it is reality or perception, trainers seem to be much more likely to give their Deep Fields more time. In his first crop, he had 17 2-year-old runners by this point of the year, while we have seen only nine of his third crop this season to date.
Deep Field | Standing at Newgate Farm
Best is yet to come
Even as an in-form 3-year-old coming off a Group 1 victory, Portland Sky is not a colt which Laurie thinks is anywhere near his career peak heading into the William Reid S. It’s a race the trainer expects him to be competitive in but is not worried if things don’t work out as planned.
"He's obviously still a very young horse. If he doesn't measure up tomorrow night, then I won't be concerned about it. There is an obvious amount of upside to him. He's going to be a lot better again after having another break," he said.
"He's (Portland Sky) obviously still a very young horse. If he doesn't measure up tomorrow night, then I won't be concerned about it. There is an obvious amount of upside to him." - Matt Laurie
"I think he's a horse that we can look forward to going into the future and he can improve another couple of lengths, with a bit more age and maturity under his belt.”
While managing expectations, Laurie does feel that Portland Sky is ready for his first Group 1 weight-for-age assignment at just start number eight.
"He is still young, with limited racing, but he's going into this race in pretty good order. The month from the Oakleigh Plate into this has worked nicely for him and I'm just looking forward to seeing how he performs," he said.
"I think he's going there in really good shape. We are just looking forward to seeing how he measures up. The race has come up a bit stronger than I originally thought it might. It's going to be a tough contest."
Teodore Nugent and Matt Laurie | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
Fillies shape as main rivals
The past two editions of the William Reid S. have been won by high-class 3-year-old fillies in Loving Gaby (I Am Invincible) and Sunlight (Zoustar) and it is again that brigade which presents a major obstacle to Portland Sky on Friday.
G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner September Run (Exceed And Excel) should prove hard to hold out if she can bounce off her below-par run in the G1 Newmarket H. while Swats That (Shamus Award) is another filly with excellent credentials. Speedy mares Libertini (I Am Invincible) and Pippie (Written Tycoon) also loom as major challengers.
Tactically, the race could work out well for Portland Sky, who has drawn barrier one for jockey Mark Zahra, although the scratching of fellow speed horse Ancestry (The Brothers War {USA}), does change things a bit.
"I was hopeful that Ancestry would run and that would have been more to our advantage against a horse like Pippie. To have those two drive forward and us begin well and track them off the pace would have been ideal," Laurie said.
"He's got pretty good gate speed, but it would take a pretty speedy horse to lead up Pippie. We have no intentions of doing that, but if we can maintain a bit of contact and she can spread the field out, we should get a good run from the gate and hopefully by that point in the night, the rail is still an okay place to be."
Portland Sky is one of two runners in the race for his breeders, Robert and Ann Anderson of Anita Vale Stud, who also have the Daniel Morton-trained Elite Street (Street Boss {USA}), who they hold an ownership share in and who won the G1 Winterbottom S. last December.
Western Australian-bred horses have a good recent record in the race, with Silent Sedition (War Chant {USA}), bred by Ellie Giles, successful in 2017 and the great Miss Andretti (Ihtiram {Ire}), bred by Keith and Peggy Beauglehole, winning it under the moniker of the Australia S., in 2007.
