Stable star Anamoe and Caulfield Guineas favourite Golden Mile will be Godolphin’s headline acts in Melbourne this weekend, but the global giant also has a handy squad assembled for Randwick.
Leading the charge will be talented four-year-olds Vilana and Brigantine in the $1 million Silver Eagle (1300m), the pair rated at $9 and $12 respectively.
Still an entire, Vilana will be first-up on Saturday but he has superior wet track form, winning the South Pacific Classic on heavy ground in the autumn.
He also made his mark during the winter in Brisbane, defeating Silver Eagle rival Kiss Sum in the Fred Best Classic before taking on the older horses and finishing midfield in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap.
Trainer James Cummings has been happy with Vilana’s build-up and says while he will take benefit from Saturday’s run, he is capable of giving the race a shake.
“That horse is going beautifully, is fresh-up but can handle the ground,” Cummings said.
“He should be open to improvement, but I wouldn’t put it past the horse to be forward enough to be right among the most competitive horses in the race.”
Barn mate Brigantine buoyed the Godolphin team when he was able to return from an 11-month stint on the sidelines with a come-from-behind win over 1200m at Randwick last month.
Prior to his extended break, he had worked his way through the grades, rising from a maiden victory on the Kensington track in July 2021 to round out his spring three-year-old season with a second to subsequent Group 1 winner Fangirl in the Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) at Flemington last October.
He has continued to please the team and Cummings is keen to see how he handles Saturday’s test.
“At Randwick, he launched up the middle from the three-wide line in the same fashion he left off,” Cummings said.
“Now he’s coming up against a few of the big guns, it’s a big step up in class into Test Match footy here.
“Hopefully he can keep making that progression.”
No horse has won the Silver Eagle-Golden Eagle double since the races were launched in 2019, although Count De Rupee finished third in the former and was just edged out by I’m Thunderstruck in the $10 million finale 12 months ago.
