The big spring wins for Chris Waller and jockey Glen Boss continued at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday with their Epsom Handicap winner Kolding taking out the inaugural edition of the $7.5 million Golden Eagle (1500m).
Kolding secured the inaugural $7.5 million Golden Eagle at Rosehill. Photo: Steve Hart.
After the stable’s success with three-year-old Yes Yes Yes in the $14 million The Everest (1200m) two weeks ago, Waller was back to take out the country’s third richest race with Kolding overcoming a messy run to become the first ever Golden Eagle winner.
The four-year-old son of Ocean Park carried the 50.5kg light-weight to victory in the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Royal Randwick last start on October 5.
The form of that race was subsequently franked when the runner-up Te Akau Shark ran third to Japanese star Lys Gracieux in last weekend’s Group 1 Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley.
A week later and Kolding took his career record to eight wins from 15 starts, Boss continuing his ace association with the now $5 million plus earner in the Golden Eagle results.
Boss gave Waller his first ever Group 1 win back in the 2008 Doncaster Mile with Triple Honour, the successful trainer – jockey duo still dominant over a decade on.
Things didn’t look great early for Boss on Kolding in the Golden Eagle with a muddled start followed by the horse getting bailed up on the inside of horses with nowhere to go at the 600m.
Champion Zoustar mare Sunlight meanwhile began brilliantly, the multiple Group 1 winning sprinter out to atone for her 10th in The Everest last time out.
Sunlight pushed on to take the lead, while the Team Hawkes-trained Doncaster Mile winner Brutal did all the work to roar around the outside of the field and settle second.
Still in front turning, Sunlight was off and running to the line before Kolding picked himself up and stormed home defeating the very brave mare in a wonderful finish.
There were two four-year-old daughters of Zoustar in the 2019 Golden Eagle trifecta with the Anthony Cummings-trained Golden Pendant winner Mizzy, backing up off her third to The Inevitable in the Silver Eagle, third again.
“What a thrill,” Waller said post-win.
“He looked as if he was going to be very unlucky…he was like a pinball machine up the straight.
“When he got out, I thought the finishing post was going to come too quickly.
“But he’s a great horse. He had to lift. Very, very impressive.
“The second half of his career has been something else and he hasn’t finished yet.
“You can’t come back for another Golden Eagle so maybe he’s going to be there for the cox Plate next year or the Queen Elizbeth.”
Waller won four straight Cox Plates with his history making mare Winx (2015-18) and currently Kolding sits as a $15 shot in futures markets on the 2020 Cox Plate through Ladbrokes.com.au.
2019 Golden Eagle Results & Finishing Order
| Place | # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Barrier | Weight | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | KOLDING (NZ) | Chris Waller | Glen Boss | – | 4 | 57.5kg | $6 |
| 2 | 14 | SUNLIGHT | Tony & Calvin McEvoy | Luke Currie | 0.4L | 15 | 55.5kg | $26 |
| 3 | 16 | MIZZY | Anthony Cummings | Jason Collett | 1.7L | 6 | 55.5kg | $41 |
| 4 | 7 | BEHEMOTH | David Jolly | Todd Pannell | 1.8L | 8 | 57.5kg | $101 |
| 5 | 15 | ARCADIA QUEEN | Chris Waller | James McDonald | 2L | 5 | 55.5kg | $3.30F |
| 6 | 11 | BEAT LE BON (FR) | Richard Hannon | Pat Dobbs | 3.8L | 14 | 56.5kg | $51 |
| 7 | 8 | MILITARY ZONE | Peter & Paul Snowden | Andrew Adkins | 4.1L | 12 | 57.5kg | $101 |
| 8 | 9 | JONKER | David Atkins | Robbie Dolan (a) | 4.2L | 2 | 57.5kg | $201 |
| 9 | 17 | FASIKA | Joseph Pride | Ms Rachel King | 4.3L | 11 | 55.5kg | $14 |
| 10 | 2 | CLASSIQUE LEGEND | Les Bridge | Kerrin McEvoy | 5.7L | 1 | 57.5kg | $6 |
| 11 | 1 | BRUTAL (NZ) | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Tommy Berry | 5.9L | 16 | 57.5kg | $8.50 |
| 12 | 4 | THE INEVITABLE | Scott Brunton | Nash Rawiller | 6.1L | 3 | 57.5kg | $6.50 |
| 13 | 13 | I AM SUPERMAN (IRE) | Michael O’Callaghan | Leigh Roche | 6.9L | 13 | 56.5kg | $101 |
| 14 | 12 | NEVER NO MORE (IRE) | Aidan O’Brien | Pierre-Charles Boudot | 9.1L | 7 | 56.5kg | $41 |
| 15 | 10 | FUN FACT | Bjorn Baker | Brandon Lerena | 12L | 10 | 57.5kg | $301 |
| 16 | 5 | GEM SONG | Kris Lees | Brenton Avdulla | 47L | 9 | 57.5kg | $61 |
| – | 6 | ZOUSAIN | Chris Waller | Glyn Schofield | – | 0 | – | – |
