The lightly raced Craig and proven performer Veight headline a squad of four Victorian-trained horses descending on the Golden Eagle in a bid to the take the $10 million prize interstate for the third time in six years.
While the first two renewals were captured by the locally trained Kolding (2019) and Colette (2020), the next two editions went to Melbourne courtesy of I’m Thunderstruck (2021) and I Wish I Win (2022), before Japan plundered last year’s version with Obamburumai.
Saturday’s race again boasts a divergence of formlines with Veight, War Machine, Craig and Skybird all coming from exclusively Victorian stables.
At $14, Craig is the most highly-fancied of that quartet and comes to Sydney after finishing runner-up to dominant winner Antino in the Toorak Handicap (1600m) when he settled last and made late ground.
Co-trainer Trent Busuttin said there was enough merit in the effort to roll the dice in Saturday’s lucrative feature.
“That winner (Antino) is twelve months ahead of us (in maturity). You can’t be unhappy,” Busuttin said.
“He won a maiden at Bendigo in May and a few months later he’s running second in a Group One.
“He will go up there a genuine chance. He’s got Nash Rawiller on board..he is 15-1 and for $10 million, you’ll have a spin around.”
Craig fared well in the draw with barrier five, as did War Machine who landed gate seven.
Skybird (16) and Veight (18) weren’t so lucky, although the latter does have the runs on the board having claimed the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) in March over the same course and distance as the Golden Eagle.
Calvin McEvoy, who prepares Veight in partnership with his father Tony, says that has given the stable confidence despite the entire finishing unplaced in two runs this preparation, most recently in the Silver Eagle (1300m) when he was ninth.
“The Golden Eagle has always been the grand final and unfortunately, he just had nothing go his way last start,” Calvin McEvoy said.
“He jumped half a length slow and got squeezed out and cannonballed out the back. (Jockey) James Mcdonald still thought he went well, he probably went better than what it looked on the tape.
“The leader led the race and won, and nothing from the back really ever had a chance and we were probably twenty lengths off the leader after a hundred metres.
“He is a Group One winner of the George Ryder at the track and trip, which gives us confidence.”
Veight had been a market drifter since the draw and was at $51 on Friday with Japan’s Ascoli Piceno maintaining her hold on favouritism at $3.80
