Bryan Guy is thrilled to have saddled Eagle Way for the final time to win the Group 1 Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm over the weekend, and has confirmed he will send the horse to owner John Moore to chase further success abroad in Hong Kong.

Eagle Way was transferred to the care of Guy after failing to make much of an impact through his debut season for Gary Moore in Sydney in 2015, and subsequently posted four race wins and two close second-place finishes through nine starts for the Gold Coast-based horseman.

Returning from a brief spell for second in the Sandhurst Fine Foods BM75 (1400m) on April 16^th, the More Than Ready gelding was luckless in transit when eighth in the Group 3 Gunsynd Classic (1630m) on April 30^th but responded with a smart performance for fourth in the Group 3 Rough Habit Plate (2000m) a fortnight later.

Savaging the line for second in the Group 3 Grand Prix Stakes (2200m) on May 28^th, Eagle Way clearly relished a step up to a mile and a half and the big Eagle Farm track when posting his maiden win at the highest level on Saturday by close to two lengths.

Guy told Racing Ahead he was confident Eagle Way would be tough to beat in the Queensland Derby, and is thrilled to have been given the opportunity to saddle the talented three-year-old through his final Australian preparation.

“I was really confident within the horse because we were trouble-free going into it,” Guy said

“We didn’t have a single thing go wrong with him through the whole preparation – he just kept getting stronger and stronger.

“I knew as soon as we got onto a bigger track like Eagle Farm you’d see the real Eagle Way, he was flying home at Doomben and coming from second and third last on the corner. Once he got to the bigger track I knew he’d he be hard to beat.

“He was going to go to Hong Kong in January. He’d just won an 1800m three-year-old race at the Sunshine Coast. He sat three or four wide the whole way and won by three and a half or four lengths.

“I told John I thought I could win the Queensland Derby with him and to his credit he said, I can’t train a Group 1 winner in Australia, I might as well own one!”

Eagle Way has claimed a career total of four wins and two minors through his thirteen starts since debuting in early 2015.