A$8 million Eagle overshadows Cup

THE cannibalisation of Australian racing carnivals continues with the announcement on Wednesday that the Golden Eagle, first run in 2020 and held at Rosehill in Sydney on the first day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival will be worth more than this year’s Lexus Melbourne Cup.

Boosted to A$8 million, the Golden Eagle will now be the second most valuable race in Australia behind the $15 million Everest, the world’s richest turf race.

“The Golden Eagle has been a stunning success both on the track and through wagering, with this increase reflecting what an instant hit the race has been,” said Racing NSW chairman Russell Balding.

“The race has clearly resonated with the racing public and has cemented its place in our expanded Sydney spring carnival.”

While Sydney will celebrate, it was evident through this year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival that fields in certain races were adversely affected by Sydney’s boisterous expansion of their spring racing carnival, particularly the top-end open-age sprints.

Historically, Sydney’s spring group races would have concluded leading into the Caulfield Cup carnival. Like history, that is now a thing of the past.

Racing Victoria chairman Brian Kruger has already flagged a response with the drop in quality a concern for the administrators.

“We will certainly be looking at the impact of what NSW has been doing and see what we need to do differently,” said Kruger.

NOVERRE ran riot in the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas.

Last on the bend with a huge task ahead, Opie Bossun dragged the Savabeel colt across heels to find room on the outside. Into gear and balanced, Noverre charged after the leaders, not only catching them but putting three lengths into his nine rivals at the line.

Second was the Snitzel colt Meritable ahead of the Starspangledbanner colt Field Of Gold

“It was a really impressive win,” said trainer Jamie Richards. “I said to Opie, ‘Don’t panic, I don’t want you to the outside until the 700 metres, and he was really explosive when he got clear.

“He looks a pretty special colt, doesn’t he? He was a beautiful yearling when (Te Akau Principal) David (Ellis) bought him. He paid a bit of money, but he had the pedigree and the looks.

He’ll be set for the Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m) in January and after that we’ll have to see where we end up.”

A product of Waikato Stud, Noverre cost Te Akau NZ$800,000 from Book 1 of the 2020 Karaka Yearling Sales.