KIERSTEN DUKE: Panja Tower poses major threat to unbeaten Autumn Glow at The Golden Eagle

Worth $10 million, The Golden Eagle is so much more than just the second richest race on turf.

Held two weeks after The Everest but just days before the Melbourne Cup, this 1500 metre dash aims to give back to the community not just some lucky punters.

Each runner nominates a charity approved by Racing NSW and competes on their behalf with $1 million (10 per cent of the $10 million prize pool) donated.

Lucrative races naturally attract some of the world’s best talent. We saw this over the last two years.

In 2023 the race was smashed out of the park by Japanese raider Obamburumai.

I remember watching this horse do a routine exercise gallop at quarantine a week out from the race and getting goosebumps.

More machine than horse, Obamburumai powered across the blades of grass at Canterbury Park Racecourse so effortlessly it sent gasps through the media gathered along the rails.

Last year William Haggas, a British trainer known for placing the right horses in the right races, brought over Lake Forest.

A smaller, more nuggety type of horse, he was underestimated going into the Golden Eagle.

But in a controversial finish the chestnut gelding showed guts to squeeze through and battle to the line for a thrilling outcome for the stable.

Since Obamburumai sped to victory in 2023, the Golden Eagle has been firmly on the radar of Japanese connections with its enormous prize money and ability to produce future Group 1 winners.

It’s been a strong selling point for organisers, including Racing NSW, aiming to attract the best international talent.

This year, Group 1 NHK Mile hero Panja Tower will represent Japan in the Golden Eagle, hoping to upset one of the world’s best trainers Chris Waller – who is running unbeaten superstar Autumn Glow.

The colt, who boasts a near-world record 1600m time, has many expecting him to be there at the finish.

The Brits can go back-to-back with wins if Seagulls Eleven has the run of its life. A great name with a great story behind it.

The three-year-old gelding is owned by eleven current and former stars of English Premier League club Brighton and Hove Albion.

This horse’s links to the EPL don’t stop there, as he is trained by Hugo Palmer, who educates his horses at former Liverpool star striker Michael Owen’s Manor House Stables in Cheshire.

To keep the British partnership going, connections have opted to fly out jockey Tom Marquand, who has Group 1 success in Sydney on British trained horses.

And it’s probably for the best following the public bust-up between Everest winning jockey Zac Purton and the wife of English trainer William Haggas, Maureen, after she accused Purton of riding like a “big sissy” on Lake Forest in the King Charles III Stakes where he finished last.

Joining the all-star cast of jockeys at Royal Randwick on Saturday is “Magic Man” Joao Moreira.

He’s set to partner race favourite Autumn Glow’s stable mate, Lord Penman.

There is also Japanese trained Strauss, who has travelled over with Panja Tower as a stable mate and is attempting to win the Russell Balding Stakes worth $3 million.

The Sydney Spring Carnival continues to attract and produce some of the best story lines in horse racing across the globe. The prize money, the international flair and the glamour. It’s racing that has it all.

KIERSTEN’S GOLDEN EAGLE TIPS

Best: PANJA TOWER $5.50 Value: SEAGULLS ELEVEN $26