Scratchings Update: #2 Attrition (19) and #6 Rediener (3) have come out of The Golden Eagle field due to lameness issues. 

The Simon Miller-trained Amelia’s Jewel has retained favouritism for Saturday’s $10 million The Golden Eagle (1500m) in Sydney after drawing ideally with gate five in Tuesday evening’s all-important barrier draw.

Amelia’s Jewel is one of a capacity 20 four-year-olds facing off in the fifth edition of the lucrative The Golden Eagle race at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, which is the richest event of the weekend that also sees VRC Derby Day and the Melbourne Cup field announcement in Victoria.

A Group 1 winner at home in WA, Amelia’s Jewel has been good in her first interstate prep this spring enjoying back-to-back Group 2 victories in Melbourne.

She is out to atone for her latest performance when ninth to Attrition at Caulfield in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m).

Amelia’s Jewel had a tough run there from out in barrier 12.

This weekend Damian Lane retains the ride and should get a charmed run from barrier five.

The latest Golden Eagle odds at Ladbrokes.com.au have Amelia’s Jewel as the $4.20 favourite.

Firming in the markets and now following very closely at $4.60 is the talented Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Hawaii Five Oh who was another big winner in The Golden Eagle barrier draw.

The son of I Am Invincible will jump one on Amelia’s Jewel’s inside from barrier four.

He has been racing in fine form against the country’s best sprinters this season and was last seen finishing only two lengths sixth to Think About It in the $20 million The Everest (1200m).

Nash Rawiller comes aboard for Saturday and rode the horse two back when runner-up in the Group 2 Premiere Stakes (1200m).

Hawaii Five Oh must stretch out to 1500m here, but he has Group winning form up to 1400m so should have no worries doing so from the good gate.

Looking to steal the Golden Eagle trophy from the locals and take first prize back across the Tasman is the Ken & Bev Kelso-trained Kiwi raider Legarto ($8).

The daughter of Proisir comes into the race with an ultra-consistent record of seven wins from nine starts.

She is a Group 1 winner over the mile down under having narrowly beaten home the boys at Flemington during the autumn in the Australian Guineas.

Two subsequent runs at home have produced a Group 1 third and a Black-Type mile victory on October 7 carrying 58.5kg from barrier 11.

Legarto, who will be ridden by Michael Dee, drops to 55.5kg on the weekend and should get the ideal run from barrier six.

The other single-figure fancy in the latest Golden Eagle betting markets is Kovalica ($9) for Chris Waller.

Waller prepared the inaugural The Golden Eagle winner Kolding back in 2019.

He saddles-up a strong five-horse contingent in the field this year with his top pick, Ocean Park gelding Kovalica, suffering an early blow drawing out wide in gate 16.

The widest gate to produce a Golden Eagle winner so far was barrier 10 that I Wish I Win jumped from to salute in last year’s event.

Despite the wide alley there is still support for Waller’s Group 1 Queensland Derby winner with Kovalica last seen finishing fifth from the outside alley (14) to stablemate Fangirl in the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes (1600m) on October 14.

Prior to that he ran second to another Waller runner in Rediener in the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m).

In 2019 Kolding did the Epsom Handicap – Golden Eagle double and this season Rediener pays $21 to do the same.

The Redoute’s Choice gelding was good with a light 50kg weight in the Epsom in late September but comes into Saturday’s $10 million showdown off a disappointing 10^th in the King Charles.

He jumps from barrier three and Kathy O’Hara retains the ride.

The James Cummings-trained Pericles meanwhile gets the inside run from barrier one with Ben Melham aboard the son of Street Boss.

Pericles was last seen finishing a length third to Vienna Princess in the $1 million Silver Eagle (1300m) on The Everest Day.

Vienna Princess also runs in the Golden Eagle for the Waller stable with the in-form Snitzel mare boasting an excellent Rosehill record (5:1-3-0).

She is out to extend her winning streak to three on the trot and will jump from barrier nine with Kerrin McEvoy in the saddle of the $26 pop.

Another out of the Silver Eagle in Saturday’s grand final is the Edward Cummings-trained runner-up Strait Acer who was narrowly beaten in the $1 million lead-up at a big price.

Pericles meanwhile is joined in the line-up by the fellow Godolphin-raced Golden Mile who is one of the widest drawn in gate 18.

Others that will need early luck from out wide are the Mitchell Freedman-trained Toorak Handicap winner Attrition (barrier 19) and last weekend’s $2 million The Invitation runner-up Ruthless Dame (barrier 20) from the Maher/Eustace stable.

Click here for the latest Golden Eagle 2023 betting markets courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2023 Golden Eagle Final Field & Barrier Draw

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