Grand Eagle in stunning last-to-first win to continue Gerald Ryan’s stellar season with two-year-olds

Gerald Ryan had to convince the owner to keep talented two-year-old Grand Eagle in Australia and was rewarded with a brilliant Saturday city win at Randwick on Saturday.

Two-year-old colt Grand Eagle produces a powerful finish from last two win the opening race at Randwick on Saturday. Picture:Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)

Grand Eagle has added his name to the talented two-year-old team trainers Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou are nurturing this season after an impressive last-to-first win at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

Nash Rawiller was riding to a specific plan as he brought Grand Eagle with a fast-finishing burst down the centre of the course to win the ATC Bookmakers Recognition Day Handicap (1100m).

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Ryan has had a stellar season with his juveniles with the likes of King Of Pop, Skyhook, Sanctified and Sequista all winning or being placed at stakes level and his trainer has no hesitation in rating Grand Eagle among his stable’s most gifted young sprinters.

“It was a very good win,’’ Ryan said.

“This colt has always promised to be a lot and I always thought this horse wasn’t very far behind King Of Pop, but King Of Pop is so professional and this horse wanted to do a bit wrong.

“But Nash rode him work one morning and put a really big wrap on him. After the colt won at Hawkesbury the other day, (owner) John Moore was thinking about taking him to Hong Kong.

“I rang John and said, ‘don’t take him to Hong Kong, he will win good races here in the spring’, so he will go out now.”

Grand Eagle storms home to win the Randwick opener! @nashhot@RARacing_pic.twitter.com/9DIBBVnP75

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 26, 2025

Grand Eagle ($7.50) came with a powerful surge to run down a very game Akaysha ($4.20) to win by a half-length with Hidden Motive ($3 favourite) nearly two lengths away third.

Ryan said he wasn’t concerned during the race despite Grand Eagle dropping out to a clear last early in the 1100m dash.

“I wasn’t worried, not with Nash riding him,’’ the master trainer said.

“Nash really likes the horse.’’

Grand Eagle was coming off a Hawkesbury win that was an ATC meeting which Rawiller believes has been the makings of the colt.

“He has shown us good ability from day one and I think we have found the key to him,’’ Rawiller said.

“At his first couple of starts, he was overusing his energy early in his races so I had a chat to Gerald before the Hawkesbury race and I said I might ride him cold that day to see if he could turn it around.

“He was explosive that day although he probably hit the front too soon.

“It was the plan to ride him that way again today because I just wanted to switch him right off early.

“There was good speed on and they gave a kick before the turn when he was still going through his gears.

“He is still very green but he was really strong late. He’s a beauty.’’

Nash Rawiller says Grand Eagle is at his best when ridden back. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

Grand Eagle was one of 119 live foals that formed the first crop of 2020 Golden Slipper hero Farnan who stands at the historic Kia Ora Stud in Scone.

The colt was a much admired yearling at Inglis Classic Sale, so much so that he was the most expensive of the 22 Farnan’s catalogued when knocked down to George Moore Bloodstock for $300,000.

Grand Eagle has now won two of his four starts and is two Tulloch Lodge-stabled Golden Slipper winners.

Trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Farnan and the colt’s dam is by Pierro, Waterhouse’s 2012 juvenile triple crown winner.

They aren’t the only Group 1-winning juveniles in Grand Eagle’s pedigree given the presence of close relation Catchy, winner of the Blue Diamond.

Grand Eagle’s dam, Sauvigon, foaled a full sister to Ryan and Alexiou’s gun juvenile last October before being served by Anamoe a month later.

Ryan said Grand Eagle has indicated his obvious potential in successive wins and the trainer is already thinking of a spring three-year-old campaign for the promising colt.

“There’s the Golden Rose and all those races,’’ Ryan said.

“His main aim this time was going to be the Baillieu and he was doing things wrong so we said to John, ‘forget about that and just educate the horse first’.

“He was just thinking too much. He used to settle and I put blinkers on him at Newcastle and they backfired, he overraced.

“But Nash has worked him out and the colt has responded really well to being ridden quietly early in his races. He’s going to develop into a good three-year-old next season.’’

Originally published as Grand Eagle in stunning last-to-first win to continue Gerald Ryan’s stellar season with two-year-olds