Inevitable favourite

TALENTED Tasmanian fouryear-old The Inevitable makes his Sydney debut on Saturday in the inaugural $500,000 Silver Eagle over 1300m at Randwick in which corporate bookmakers have installed him a $2.50 favourite.

The Silver Eagle is the leadup race to the inaugural $7.5 million Golden Eagle to be run over 1500m at Rosehill on November 2, a race that is restricted to four-year-olds.

Trainer Scott Brunton earmarked the Silver Eagle and Golden Eagle as the gelding’s main targets some time back.

The Inevitable is unbeaten from two Melbourne starts this preparation and, according to his trainer, the horse heads to Sydney in great shape.

“I’ve given the horse a good gallop the Sydney way of going [clockwise] at Mowbray and he did it without missing a beat and we’ve also been working him that way at home,” Brunton said. “I’m a bit surprised that the bookies opened him as short as they did but I guess they were as impressed as me the way he won by a big margin at Moonee Valley last start.”

The Inevitable was sent around as favourite at his most recent start at Moonee Valley with Craig Williams aboard, but when he missed the start and settled near last Brunton thought it was a lost cause.

But the pint-sized Dundeel gelding sprinted around the field and powered home to win untouched by four lengths.

“He goes to Sydney by plane tonight and he will be stabled at Mossvale about a 90-minute drive from Sydney,” Brunton said.

“I won’t have to do much with him before Saturday’s race, we’ll just have to keep him happy. The property where we’ll be staying is a quiet country environment that won’t be much different to home.”

The Inevitable will be ridden by Nash Rawiller on Saturday for what will be a dress rehearsal for the Golden Eagle. “This race on Saturday will be his biggest test, but if he wins or runs a great race then he’ll stay in Sydney and head to the Golden Eagle,” Brunton said.