It didn’t end up happening, but when a Japanese horse won the A$10 million Golden Eagle, legendary jockey Yutaka Take was due to be riding him. It was going to be Take’s first time riding in Sydney in almost 30 years, a rare pleasure for Australian audiences.
But after sustaining an injury in the weeks leading up to the race, Take couldn’t travel and local jockey Josh Parr was trusted with the reins on Obamburumai, who sped to victory in one of Australia’s most lucrative races in 2023.
It has meant the Golden Eagle has been on the radar of Japanese connections ever since, with its enormous prize money and ability to produce future Group 1 winners a strong selling point for organisers aiming to attract the best international talent, restricted to four-year-old horses by southern hemisphere time.
This year, NHK Mile hero Panja Tower will represent the land of the rising sun in the Golden Eagle, hoping to upset Chris Waller’s unbeaten superstar Autumn Glow.
Panja Tower’s regular jockey, Kohei Matsuyama, will ride the stallion at Royal Randwick in a race which many expect him to feature in the finish.
Panja Tower has been working at the Canterbury Park quarantine centre, with access to the course proper alongside another overseas-trained Golden Eagle contender, the UK-based Seagulls Eleven, owned by a host of current and former English Premier League players.
Shinsuke Hashiguchi’s Panja Tower is not the only Japanese horse based in Sydney for the spring carnival, with Isana due to run in an earlier race at the meeting.
“The travel companion has come for the jockey to ride to make sure he’s been around the track before the Golden Eagle,” said Panja Tower’s representative Yusuke Ichikawa. “He will run in a benchmark race before the Golden Eagle so he can get a feel for the track.
“It’s a unique decision of connections to help the jockey before the big race.”
Ichikawa is in a rare position: a former race jockey who rode more than 100 winners in Australia, he now works as part of the giant operation of Waller, the country’s most successful Group 1 trainer.
During the spring carnival, Ichikawa has also been helping the Japanese contingent prepare for their major target races and acting in the role of interpreter to ensure everything goes smoothly.
Autumn Glow has been installed as favourite for the race, having yet to taste defeat in seven starts and winning the G1 Epsom Handicap at her last start.
“I will love to see the race,” Ichikawa said. “(Silver Eagle winner) Linebacker will be in the race too. I’m a fan who wants to see the good horses clash with each other and I can’t wait to see the race. All the locals will be good horses.”
Panja Tower’s preparation will include a trip to Royal Randwick before Golden Eagle day to familiarise himself with the surroundings.
Unlike at JRA tracks, Australian fans can go and look at the horses in the tie-up stalls during a race meeting, meaning the stallion could have hundreds of onlookers at any one time before the Golden Eagle.
Hong Kong superstar Ka Ying Rising had a barrier trial at Royal Randwick before running in The Everest, and unfamiliar with the environment, sweated up during his parade having been fractious in the saddling stalls.
By the time he returned for raceday, he was a much calmer horse, and raced his way to victory in the world’s richest turf event.
“In JRA, you don’t see the horse enclosure, but in Australia the public can see the horse in the tie-ups, so he’s never experienced that,” Ichikawa said of Panja Tower. “He’s going to have schooling on Wednesday and we hope he can cope well and run a good race.
“The owners love Australian racing and this particular horse can challenge for the big prize money.
“He’s quite versatile. He can be on pace, just off the pace and his record speaks for itself. He’s already a Group 1 winner and won over 1200 metres first-up which is an unsuitable distance.”
Japan’s Strauss will also run on Golden Eagle day, with Joao Moreira booked to partner the sprinter in the A$3 million Russell Balding Stakes. ∎
