A mere seven hours after Prince of Monaco puts his undefeated record on the line in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, former U.S.-trained mare Princess Grace will chase Group 1 glory in Melbourne, Australia. On the same spectacular Flemington card (of nine graded stakes), Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify are represented by two top chances in the G1 Victoria Derby. Sandwiched between those two events within a 40-minute power-packed window, Sydney hosts a race worth more than the Breeders' Cup Classic. The Golden Eagle has attracted horses from four Australian states plus Japan, England and New Zealand. The first of 10 races at Sydney's Rosehill Racecourse is at 9:10 p.m. Eastern (6:10 p.m. Pacific), with Melbourne's Flemington card kicking off ten minutes later, and will be broadcast live by FanDuel TV and Sky Racing World.
The Golden Eagle
At Rosehill in Sydney, a purse of US$6.3 million makes the Golden Eagle richer than any Breeders' Cup race. The 7 1/2-furlong event for 4-year-olds (Race 8) was inaugurated in 2019 as a deterrent to the premature retirement of superior 3-year-olds. 10% of purse money will be donated to the owners' charity of choice. The field of 20 features form lines that are diverse and top class:
- Hawaii Five Oh (7-2) finished sixth of 12 in The Everest, the world's richest turf race.
- Amelia's Jewel (7-2) broke the track record for a mile at Melbourne's Moonee Valley Racecourse two starts ago.
- Star New Zealand mare Legarto (7-1) won her only previous race on Australian soil at the Group 1 level.
- Chris Waller adds blinkers to Kovalica (9-1), who's had consecutive unlucky trips; Osipenko (14-1); and Age of Kings (50-1), who makes his Australian debut after a Group 3 score at Royal Ascot.
- Obamburumai (11-1) has raced only five times and will represent Japan minus champion rider Yutaka Take, who was injured when kicked by a horse in Tokyo last weekend. Local jockey Josh Parr has inherited the mount and got acquainted during an impressive morning gallop, saying: “He's not overly big in stature, but makes up for that in his fluid galloping action and long stride.”
Rosehill's card also features a return bout between the Joe Pride-trained stablemates who finished first and third in The Everest. Think About It (4-5) and Private Eye (7-2) head Race 7, the Giga Kick Stakes.
The Flemington Group 1 Races
The Coolmore Stud Stakes (Race 6) will provide the exhilarating spectacle of 19 horses charging down Flemington's iconic straight six-furlong course. The Coolmore is a highly coveted “stallion-making” race for 3-year-olds, although the credentials of the favored runners are already such that this year's renewal might be more of a “stallion-enhancing race.” The trio atop the market filled the trifecta in last season's G1 Golden Slipper Stakes, whose US$3.15 million purse makes it the world's richest juvenile race (Prince of Monaco will be chasing a share of $2 million at Santa Anita). Golden Slipper winner Shinzo (6-1) will carry the sponsor's navy blue colors and is already guaranteed a lucrative breeding future with Coolmore; “Slipper” runner-up Cylinder (3-1 favorite) will carry a different shade of blue – the royal Godolphin variety; while third-placed King's Gambit is listed at 7-1.
The Victoria Derby (Race 7) will see a field of 16 compete at the demanding distance of 1 9/16 miles, which is just over a lap of the spacious Flemington layout. Derby wagering is headed by the Waller-trained Riff Rocket (6-5), who launched to the top of the future book with an explosive win two starts ago. Shockingly, he was edged out of his latest race as the 1-5 favorite (by Sunsets, who remains a 14-1 longshot to pull the same trick twice). Verdad (7-1) also finished second as favorite last start. In this instance, his conqueror, Apulia (7-2), has leap-frogged him in the market. Riff Rocket is a son of American Pharoah, while Verdad is by Justify.
Just as Grace Kelly left the U.S. for another country (marrying Rainier III, Prince of Monaco in 1956), her equine namesake left American shores after being purchased for $1.7 million last November. A five-time graded stakes winner with trainer Michael Stidham, Princess Grace transferred to champion Sydney conditioner Chris Waller and has gone exasperatingly close to a deserved Group 1 breakthrough. Her six Australian starts have yielded a Group 3 win, a pair of Group 2 placings and two close seconds (beaten a neck each time) at the elite Group 1 level. The “Princess of Monaco” is quoted at 7-1 for Friday night's Empire Rose Stakes (Race 8), at a mile for 16 fillies and mares.
The Rosehill card will be broadcast live on FanDuel TV this Friday night (First Post: 9:10 p.m. ET / 6:10 p.m. PT) alongside cards from Flemington, Newcastle and Eagle Farm. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, FanDuel and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances, and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com.
About Michael Wrona
A native of Brisbane, Australia, Michael Wrona has called races in six countries. Michael's vast U.S. experience includes; race calling at Los Alamitos, Hollywood Park, Arlington and Santa Anita, calling the 2000 Preakness on a national radio network and the 2016 Breeders' Cup on the International simulcast network. Michael also performed a race call voiceover for a Seinfeld episode called The Subway.
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