MELBOURNE - Caulfield Cup winner Sky Heights is set for his first showdown of the new season with champion Sunline when he tries to win for the second year in a row the $A251,000 ($333,000) Craiglee Stakes (1600m) at Flemington.
Trainer Colin Alderson said the five-year-old was on target for another
big spring after a rousing trial win at Cranbourne.
Sky Heights hasn't raced since injuring his back in a severe buffeting in last year's Melbourne Cup but on Monday, ridden by Damien Oliver, showed he had completely recovered with a crushing 3-1/2 length win in the 1000 metre trial.
"I'm very happy with him," trainer Colin Alderson said.
"We wanted him to have a fair dinkum trial and while he was pumped out to the line he was powering away," he said.
Sky Heights settled fourth before scooting around the leaders and dashing clear to beat moderate performer Spirit of Westbury.
He ran the 1000 metres in 61.7 seconds.
Sky Heights clashed for the first and only time with Sunline when third to the champion mare in last year's Cox Plate, a week after he won the Caulfield Cup with Oliver aboard.
Sunline, who resumed with a stunning win in last Saturday's Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley, will either have her next run in the $A200,000 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on September 3 or the Craiglee Stakes six days later.
Sky Heights would join champions Sailor's Guide (1956-57) and Chicquita (1950-51) should he win successive Craiglees.
The task will be made more difficult as he will be first up at 1600 metres but it poses no concern for Alderson.
"He's well forward and has done a lot of mileage," Alderson said.
"Damien seemed quite happy with the trial."
Last year Sky Heights resumed with a second in the Liston Stakes before winning the Craiglee.
Alderson is specifically preparing Sky Heights for the Cox Plate and believes the horse can improve enough to win Australasia's premier weight-for-age race.
Sunline already appears to have had an impact on entries for next Saturday's $A200,000 Liston Stakes (1400m) at Sandown. Trainers have taken the precaution of entering their horses for the Liston, for which there are 30 nominations, to avoid a clash with Sunline in the Memsie.
