Hot on the heels of welcoming a couple of million dollar babies to the stable, trainer Gerald Ryan will get back to some of his established horses this week.
Stakes-winner Standout is among several Ryan-trained stablemates listed in barrier trials at Rosehill on Tuesday while debut winner Return With Honour is scheduled to have his second start at the track a few days later.
A half-brother to 2013 Golden Slipper winner Overreach, Standout has raced four times for three wins including the Listed Heritage Stakes in September.
He was spelled after running second to Cosmic Force in the Group Two Roman Consul Stakes on October 12 in which Group One winner Microphone was third.
Standout is raced by his breeder, Corumbene Stud’s George Altomonte who also owns Overreach.
“Standout is trialling on Tuesday. I’m very happy with how he’s come back,” Ryan said.
“He will resume in either the Expressway or the three-year-old race the following week.
“It will be on the first or the eighth of February.”
Ryan will train two of the top 10 lots sold at the Magic Millions sale at the Gold Coast over the past few days.
David Raphael paid $1 million for an Exceed And Excel yearling from the imported mare Smokin’ Alice with the colt a half-brother to Eleven Eleven, runner-up to Alligator Blood in Saturday’s $2 million Magic Millions Guineas.
“We thought dead-set he was one of the colts of the sale,” Ryan said.
“He’s a lovely, athletic, great moving colt and he’s got a stallion’s pedigree.”
Chinese businessman An Zhiqiang, who owns Return With Honour paid $1.1 million for a Redoute’s Choice colt out of Gresset.
Return With Honour led all the way to win over 1100 metres at Randwick on December 26 and will run over the same distance on Saturday.
If he can repeat that performance, the colt will be set on a path to next month’s Blue Diamond Stakes.
He was a $520,000 yearling at the 2019 Magic Millions but did not come to hand in time for Saturday’s 2YO Classic.