Prepared by David Hayes and Tom Dabernig, Sacred Eye was sporting a nose roll
for the first time in a bid to help her concentration and head carriage.The gear change proved a good one with the filly closing hard late for Damian Lane to score a powerful win over last week's Caulfield Guineas runner-up Lizard Island in the 2000 metre staying test.
"She's a beautiful filly," said Lane.
"Michael Walker (suspended regular rider for Sacred Eye) said she'd be hard to beat today and in the Oaks."
A $270,000 Inglis Easter purchase for BBA Ireland from the Coolmore draft, Sacred Eye was foaled and raised at Coolmore and is the second winner for royally bred Group III winning Rock of Gibraltar (IRE) mare Musidora and runs for Coolmore and Emaroo Bloodstock.
"She's a star and the longer she runs, the better she'll be," said David Hayes."She'll probably go straight to the Oaks, but we'll enter for the Wakeful if I think she needs it."
Sacred Eye has two wins and two placings from four starts with earnings of $361,400 and plenty more to come.
She has a big pedigree as her dam Musidora is a grand-daughter of influential stakes-winner Grand Luxe, whose many superior descendants include the likes of champion sires Flying Spur and Encosta d Lago as well as current European Group I winner Erupt.
Musidora has a yearling filly by Pierro and will foal again to him this spring.
Sacred Eye is the 73rd stakes-winner for ill-fated High Chaparral (IRE), who has several exciting young sire sons at stud including So You Think, Dundeel, Toronado (IRE) and Monaco Consul, whose three year-old daughter Honesta was second in the previous race, the Group III MRC Ethereal Stakes.
