A change in distance is the sole concern for the connections of Skyhook as he aims to achieve his fourth consecutive victory in Saturday’s $1 million Silver Eagle at Randwick.

The four-year-old has been in exceptional form since being ridden more forward, winning the Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m) in May and going on to win three of his four subsequent starts.

He has also maintained an unbeaten record in two starts this campaign, first taking out the Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) and then dominating the Shannon Stakes (1500m) at his last appearance.

However, he faces a 200-metre reduction in distance for Saturday’s Silver Eagle (1300m), which serves as his final tune-up for the Golden Eagle (1500m) two weeks later. Co-trainer Sterling Alexiou admits this is his only reservation.

“Really happy with him, and he’ll take his place in the Silver Eagle,” Alexiou said.

“He’s been in a really good groove all preparation. He does have to come back to 1300, which may be a little question mark with him coming back from 1500.”

“But he seems to have freshened up well, so hopefully we’ve got a bit more speed in his legs for that.”

Skyhook is currently the third favourite for the Golden Eagle, with odds shortening to $8 after Sheza Alibi eased from $1.60 to $1.80 following a surprise defeat last Saturday. Beiwacht is the second favourite at $6.

Skyhook’s stablemate Matias will be pushing his claims for The Big Dance on Saturday, set to run in the $160,000 Big Dance Wild Card (1600m).

After winning the Frank Packer Plate (2000m) in the autumn, Matias resumed with a promising fourth in the Cameron Handicap (1400m) at Newcastle and has since completed a trial to keep him race-ready.

“Hopefully he can run first or second in that race and qualify himself for a Big Dance or Little Dance,” Alexiou commented.

“He went to the Cameron Handicap a little bit underdone off only one trial, but you can’t run in the Wild Card if you haven’t run in a qualifier, and that was his chance to run in a qualifier, so he went there with improvement to come.”

Alexiou confirmed that the smart filly Chilly Girl has been sent to the spelling paddock and will be aimed towards The Sunlight at the Gold Coast in January.

With Skyhook a strong contender, explore the latest racing betting markets at these Australian betting sites.