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| Staff Writer |
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Tulloch Lodge plans to field three runners in the Silver Eagle, while Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott will bring an international touch to the race with the debut of two overseas acquisitions. These additions will surely add excitement to the A$1 million event.
In the upcoming 1300m race, Coin Toss and New Endeavour, formerly from Singapore and England respectively, will be competing alongside local horse Kibou. The trio will be vying to prove their worth and secure a spot in the highly anticipated A$10 million Golden Eagle race, which will take place in three weeks at a distance of 1500m.
Coin Toss boasts an impressive track record, having won four out of his nine starts. He left Singapore with two Group Two victories under his belt, achieved over distances of 1400m and 1600m.
Despite only recently arriving in the country, Coin Toss and his trainers are working hard to get to know each other. However, trainer Gai Waterhouse hopes to see him perform well at Randwick, as this will be a crucial factor in determining whether he is ready to take on the Golden Eagle challenge.
“He’s a very interesting horse who is obviously bringing different formlines here,” Bott said.
“It’s a pretty crucial race for him.
“There is the potential for him to go to the Golden Eagle, but he will need to qualify himself through a good performance on Saturday.
“We haven’t had a great deal to do with the horse’s preparation outside the last month so no doubt we’re going to learn a lot more about him Saturday.”
Before heading to Australia, New Endeavour displayed potential as a sprinter-miler in the UK, coming in second place in Group Two competition at his last race.
However, this Saturday, he will have to contend with a difficult barrier draw in the 16th position. Nonetheless, Bott believes that New Endeavour will thrive as he tackles the slightly longer journey of the Golden Eagle.
“He’s a really classy horse coming through some nice races in Europe,” Bott said.
“He should be qualified for the Golden Eagle already on his ratings, but he will be better suited by that trip. This is a shorter trip for him and a tricky draw but he’s very nice horse.”
Kibou is heading to the Silver Eagle after a solid win at Randwick in September. However, he had a setback in his last race, finishing behind Airman. In that race, Kibou had to exert extra effort to take the lead early on. Nevertheless, with a favorable barrier one starting position this time, trainer Bott anticipates Kibou to bounce back.
“His first-up win was very good and I’d be forgiving of his second-up performance,” he said.
“He is better than that. The 1300 should suit him better and he’s done well, so I’d just have to put a line through his last run.”