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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Tony McEvoy can only hope his Group 1 winner Veight channels a Sunlight-like performance and shows his true colours in Saturday’s $10 million James Squire Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill.

Trainer Tony McEvoy (Pic: Steve Hart).

The George Ryder Stakes winner from the autumn has let McEvoy, and his co-trainer son Calvin, down with two unplaced efforts leading into the four-year-old feature but he’s adamant the entire is going better than the form guide reads.

In the inaugural edition of the Golden Eagle back in 2019, McEvoy produced Sunlight (starting $26) on the back of a failure in the TAB Everest to be run down in the shadows by Kolding.

Veight will also need to overcome a wide gate and, with a similar racing pattern to Sunlight, McEvoy says they won’t die wondering.

“This horse has got a big job ahead of him from that barrier,’’ McEvoy said.

“He will have to go forward from out there, he needs a bit of clean air so Harry (Coffey) will send him forward and work it out.

“They’re not all Sunlight are they, she was a bit of a superstar. She did a lot of work going forward, got a rest midrace and was home for all money before Waller’s horse got her on the line.

“Sometimes it can work out for you, it all depends on how he jumps and that first five metres is critical.”

McEvoy was left scratching his head a little after Veight beat one horse home in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley first-up but he had genuine excuses for his second-up ninth in the Silver Eagle two weeks ago.

He had another wide gate and plans to be in his usual on pace pattern went out the window when he suffered a check at the start.

James McDonald told McEvoy post-race the horse’s run had plenty of merit but he said he couldn’t help but be disappointed.

“He drew 13 last start in the Silver Eagle and the plan was to go forward but he got squeezed at the start and ended up last,’’ he said.

“I was flat as a tack, James came in and said the horse went really well but he just got squeezed out, it was a leader dominated race and they went too slow.”

Veight, one of eight Group 1 winners in the Golden Eagle, was $41 with TAB on Wednesday.

If McEvoy is right and the horse is going better than his form suggests then that’s generous and he says if he is going to be in the finish then he’ll need to be at his best.

“Coming into these big races you’ve got to be in top form to win them,’’ he said.

“You’d have to say he’s not in his top form on his two runs but all I can say is his work leading into those two runs has been like it was leading into the Ryder.

Veight wins the George Ryder Stakes

“It’s the race we’ve set him for all prep, I think the horse is fantastic.

“He’ll present magnificently, he’s just got to be in the right headspace on Saturday and he’s good enough to win a race like this but he’s got to have a bit of luck.”

The Fordham Foundation is Veight’s charity partner and will receive 10 per cent of the prizemoney he earns in the Golden Eagle.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Golden Eagle at Rosehill