Newgate Farm boss Henry Field is in the business of creating the next generation of racing with stallions from his Hunter Valley farm and he spies an unique opportunity as In The Congo lines up in the $10 million Golden Eagle at Rosehill on Saturday.
The son of Snitzel secured his life after racing last year when he won the Golden Rose, beating superstar Anamoe in a show of sustained speed, but another Golden performance would add even further to his value.
Tim Clark salutes as In The Congo wins last year’s Golden Rose.Credit:Getty Images
“It is probably the strongest brand in racing – the Golden Slipper, the Golden Rose, and now the Golden Eagle,” Field said.
“If you can win two of those three races, he would be a very marketable horse going to stud. It would probably make him a unique horse at stud.
“It is really a pot of gold for In The Congo because winning this race, which has very quickly got the reputation of an elite horse’s race, takes him to another level as a stallion. It is why we are in Sydney instead of Melbourne with him.”
In its short three-year-old history, the Golden Eagle has only been won by two geldings – Kolding and I’m Thunderstruck, which were split by group 1-winning mare Colette in 2020 – so an In The Congo victory offers the chance for the second-richest race in the country to become part of the breeding landscape.
“Everyone is probably wondering if he can run out the 1500m and that’s what we are going to find out on Saturday,” Field said. “His biggest asset is speed and like in the Golden Rose, he will be using it and see if they are good enough run him down.”
