KIERSTEN DUKE: Ascoli Piceno is the Golden Eagle favourite but Lake Forest could be a dark horse winner

How far would you travel for a shot at winning $10 million?

With the large sums on offer during the spring carnival more foreign horse are coming Down Under with British trainer William Haggas bringing three-year-old colt, Lake Forest, from the UK for Saturday’s Golden Eagle.

Haggas is a master at knowing what type of horse suits overseas travel. I remember asking him one day how he selects an overseas runner and aside from talent, the top requirements are versatility and a laidback personality.

His selection process seems to be relatively fool proof.

In 2020 Haggas’ runner Addeybb, nicknamed the “British Bulldog”, blitzed the field at Royal Randwick in both the Ranvet and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

He broke Verry Elleegant’s heart on multiple occasions and we all know what a wonder mare she went on to be winning the Melbourne Cup in jaw dropping fashion.

If one year of domination wasn’t enough, Addeybb then came back in 2021 to win the Queen Elizabeth Stakes for the second time.

In 2023 the Haggas’ domination continued as Dubai Honour won the same double Addeybb did.

Will Lake Forest be as successful as Haggas’ previous success? Racing in spring is entirely different from racing in autumn, however, that same Haggas check list comes into play.

Is Lake Forest versatile? Yes. He placed second in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, a track with solid undulation as well as winning the 2023 edition of the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes at York, one of the flattest racecourses in the UK.

This leads me to feel confident in Lake Forest adjusting to the tighter, flatter Aussie tracks.

Will he handle the firmer ground under foot? The harder the better it seems for this fella. He’s only ever stepped out on good to firm tracks.

So does he have a laid-back attitude? In August I was hoping to get a good glimpse of this runner during the York Ebor festival but unfortunately he was withdrawn at the barriers.

This led me to doubt him making the trip over for the Sydney Spring Carnival. I figured if he wasn’t a cool customer, Haggas wouldn’t bother bringing him. But he has. So was his behaviour at York out of character? I suppose we’ll find out at Rosehill on Saturday. In William Haggas we trust.

Another competitor who hasn’t shied away from the 24 hour journey is French based thoroughbred Lazzat.

At first, I had no idea where to place this horse in this weekend’s race. But after going through the form and asking around I’ve concluded that this horse will make his presence known.

Earlier in the year Lazzat raced on a track in France called Cagnes-Sur-Mer. The ground was boggy, and the track is tight with sharp turns but he still kicked away flawlessly.

The jockey, Antonio Orani, has ridden this gelding in all its starts. He knows him like the back of his hand and although this is his debut riding in Australia I believe racing at the Cagnes-Sur-Mer track has him well set up.

Like all Europeans, Lazzat will likely be beaten for speed at the start, but his high cruising speed should get him out of trouble allowing him to relax into the race.

Versatility is no question for this horse, he handles all grounds and I’ve been told he’s looking a million bucks so clearly the long-haul flight hasn’t fazed him in the slightest. If only we could all travel that well.

Last year’s Golden Eagle was taken out by Japanese raider Obamburumai. And when I use the term “taken out”, I mean it.

This horse was like a trained sniper navigating his way through the field before coming home strong in the last 100 metres.

Believe it or not this horse came over to Sydney without a Group 1 win on his resume. If a horse this talented can’t score a Group 1 in Japan what does that say about the horses who do?

We’re about to find out with this year’s Golden Eagle favourite Ascoli Piceno also hailing from the land of the rising sun.

Last year the three-year-old filly won the Grade 1 Juvenile Fillies at Hanshin.

Her efforts were rewarded with some time in the paddock before she bounced back in April this year to place second in the Japanese equivalent of the 1000 Guineas and then second again in the Mile Cup in Tokyo at Grade 1 level.

This filly loves the firmer ground and her optimum distance range is between 1400m-1600m. She should be right in this despite the horrible wide draw.

The good news is she’s not the only Japanese raider to compete in the Golden Eagle this year with Corazon Beat joining her.

The bad news is Corazon Beat has basically drawn the car park with the widest barrier. It’s super disappointing for those hoping for a repeat of last year.

I’m not sure this runner will have the talent to overcome the terrible draw either. Her form doesn’t scream superstar, but I hope she proves me wrong.

Corazon Beat loves a firm track and has consistently raced over this distance. However, every time she has come up against fellow Japanese competitor Ascoli Piceno, she has been beaten by her.

Her form dropped off at the end of her last preparation and since coming back she doesn’t seem to have hit the ground running in the slightest.

In fact, eleven lengths behind Ascoli Piceno in her most recent start. I hope she’s travelled well and proves the doubters wrong, but I don’t think she’s a chance.

The other great thing about the Golden Eagle aside from large field from across the globe is that not all the money goes to the bookies and those few lucky punters.

The Golden Eagle has an incredibly special set up where each runner nominates a charity to take home 10 per cent of their prize money. This means $1 million goes to charity so there will definitely be some worthy winners on Saturday.

Kiersten Duke is a presenter on Sky Racing