Team Hawkes’ in form entire Mr Mozart is clear favourite of the four-year-olds engaged in the Follow $1 million Silver Eagle (1300m) this weekend at Royal Randwick.

Mr Mozart is the four-year-old to beat in Saturday’s 2022 Silver Eagle field in Sydney. Photo: Steve Hart.

The 2022 Silver Eagle is the headline event on the Sydney race card for Saturday and serves as the key lead-up into the $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) held at Rosehill on October 29th.

Heading the Silver Eagle betting markets at $3.60 and firming through Ladbrokes.com.au to win second-up is Mr Mozart.

The classy chestnut won three on the trot over the autumn and resumed with a close first-up second when narrowly beaten by Kiku in Rosehill’s Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) on September 10.

He is over the same distance in the Silver Eagle fitter for the run, but has work to do to overcome the outside barrier in the capacity field.

What is working in the favourite’s favour is the current Heavy (10) Randwick track rating as Mr Mozart is two-from-two on Heavy going.

Occupying the second line of Silver Eagle betting at $7.50 is the Chris Waller-trained British import Waterford.

The Irish-bred Awtaad entire has had just the four starts to date for three wins and a third.

All of his victories have been in Australia in easier company, the latest of which was over 1500m in a Benchmark 78 at Rosehill carrying 56.5kg.

He comes back to 56kg at set weights plus penalties in the Silver Eagle, is proven on Heavy going and has Tommy Berry in the saddle from a double-digit gate.

Rounding out the single-figure fancies are the Robert Heathcote-trained Startantes ($8.50), Espiona ($9) for Waller and Vilana ($9.50).

Group 1 winning Star Turn mare Startantes is looking to return to her best having won the Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m) over the older mares during the winter.

She defeated subsequent Memsie Stakes winner, the now The Everest-bound Snapdancer, in that Brisbane feature but has been somewhat flat this preparation.

Her two lead-up runs saw her unplaced when seventh in the Sheraco Stakes and 11^th in the Golden Pendant at Rosehill on Good (4) tracks.

She has previous winning form third-up however and looks to be improving with her latest start better than it reads on paper.

Espiona is another mare taking on the boys in the Silver Eagle, the daughter of Extreme Choice fourth last time out behind Nimlaee in the Golden Pendant.

Vilana meanwhile is first-up on the weekend, the Hallowed Crown entire boating a strong Heavy track record of two wins from three starts in the conditions.

The next best fancied for an upset in the Silver Eagle include last start Group 3 How Now Stakes runner-up Lavish Girl ($11) from the Maher/Eustace stable, the James Cummings-trained Brigantine ($12) coming off a win fresh at the track on September 17 and Kris Lees’ fellow last start winner Loch Eagle ($12) who is superior in the wet.

The Silver Eagle 2022 is set to run as Randwick Race 8 at 4:50pm (AEDT) on Saturday.

Click here for the latest markets thanks to Ladbrokes.com.au.

2022 Silver Eagle Final Field & Barrier Draw

Table Credit: Racing Australia.