Sky Boy earned a free ticket to next year's Doncaster Mile following his brave win in Saturday's $250,000 Group II Villiers (1600m) at Randwick.
It was the fifth consecutive win but the first at stakes level for the 4yo son of Pendragon who carries the colours of the late Dato Tan Chin Nam.
Trained by Anthony and Edward Cummings and ridden by Christian Reith, Sky Boy defeated the fast-finishing Aloisia (Azamour) by a half-neck with My Nordic Hero (Archipenko) another length back in third. (photo Steve Hart)
It advanced his record to 7 wins and 3 thirds from 12 starts with earnings of $420,775.
"The way he presented today was the best he has been," Anthony Cummings said.
"He used his speed to get a spot, relaxed and had a sprint at the finish. In terms of race craft, he has ticked every box now. he had to because there was a Group 1 filly running on behind him and he had to be that standard to win that race today.
"His Group 1 race will come and his turn will come. It's fantastic to see the plan come together.
"He just had it in his mind that he was in too big of a hurry. Even parading we got him to so down because he was in too big a hurry. We had to bring him back two steps, get him to relax and use himself constructively. It is all part of it.
"He is only halfway there so far."
Edward Cummings will soon to branch out on his own with Sky Boy to remain with his father.
"It's a great way to go out and the serendipity of the occasion gets me to me a bit," Edward Cummings said.
"The fact that my grandfather was involved, James was involved, dad, myself, Duncan (Ramage), so many people that have been great supporters over a long time. To be coming to the end of a period of my life where I got to achieve a lot of great things with my dad and now I step out on my own and attempt to achieve similar or hopefully greater feats - I'm very excited."
Sky Boy is a pure product of Think Big Stud being a son of Dato Tan Chin Nam's dual Group III winner Pendragon out of the 1999 Melbourne Cup third Zazabelle who also placed in the Group 1 AJC Oaks.
A daughter of the great Zabeel out of the Queen Of The Turf winner The Perfumed Garden, Zazabelle produced eight winners before her death in July this year.
Her final foal is an unraced 3yo Eurozone gelding named Auszone.
Sky Boy becomes the second stakes-winner for Pendragon who now stands at Brisbane Meadows on the Southern Highlands at a fee of $5,500.
