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By Ray Hickson

Exactly how do we line up the international trio set to compete in Saturday’s the $7.5 million XXXX Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens?

To find out a bit more about where Maximal, Laws Of Indices and Reve De Vol stand in UK racing we asked Racing Post’s senior writer Lee Mottershead for the lowdown on what we might expect, not only in the Eagle but for their long term prospects in Australia.

Mottershead refers to the ‘Zaaki effect’ when he considers the trio because he feels their connections, both from the UK and new ones in Australia, have identified each are probably not going to win a Group 1 back at home despite their obvious ability.

“When (Zaaki) was racing in Britain he was a Group 3 horse, on a good day you might have said he would have been competitive in a Group 2,’’ he said.

“But he was never in a million years a Group 1 horse. He wasn’t viewed as a Group 1 horse, he wasn’t trained as a Group 1 horse.

“People are thinking if you can get a horse like Zaaki and bring him to Australia and do that well in weight-for-age races what else can we bring over who is at that sort of level.”

Maximal arrives in Sydney with form around some of the best milers in Europe and Mottershead said it’s a shrewd move from Juddemonte to partner with Australian connections and sent him down under.

The three-quarter brother to the legendary Frankel has only raced eight times and if he can win a Group 1 under John O’Shea he will have a handy stud career ahead, if he doesn’t already given his pedigree.

👏 Brilliant finish - Frankel colt Hurricane Lane makes it a perfect two from two, outbattling Maximal to win at Newbury!

🤩🔵 An embarrassment of riches for Charlie Appleby to work with ahead of this year's Classics!@godolphin | @NewburyRacing pic.twitter.com/Zns4dddam0

— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) April 16, 2021

“I think he is a really interesting horse, he’s obviously impeccably bred,’’ he said.

“They had seen enough this year to know that realistically he wasn’t going to be winning Group 1s in Europe. You could see him winning a Group 3, maybe a Group 2.

“He’s finished second to Hurricane Lane, who went on to win three Group 1s, he’s run second to Baaeed who won a QEII a couple of weeks ago and is probably the best miler in Europe, and he ran a really good race when he was fourth in the St James’s Palace.

“He cruised into contention and you thought he might be a contender for the win, in the end he was beaten by a much better horse in Poetic Flare.

“Of the three ‘internationals’ that have come over he is probably the best of the three even though on official figures Laws Of Indices is a couple of pounds higher.”

The market sees it the same way with Maximal $13, Laws of Indices at $21 and Reve De Vol a $51 chance with TAB.

The application of blinkers on Maximal raised Mottershead’s eyebrows given they haven’t been tried on him back in the UK. He said the outside barrier isn’t ideal but it’d be preferable to being drawn close to the fence and relying on luck.

As he alluded, Laws Of Indices is the highest rated of the three imports but it comes with something of an asterix around his Group 1 win in France.

Mottershead describes the son of Power as a “decent horse” but one that struggles with consistency and that will be the challenge for new trainer Annabel Neasham.

“On Racing Post ratings in his five runs this year he’s run 103, 111, 97, 114 and 111. So he goes up and down a bit,’’ he said.

“His Group 1 win in the Prix Jean Prat, most people would say it’s one of the weakest Group 1s.

“The idea is your three-year-olds are tested against the best until early summer then go up against older horses. So the fact he won a Group 1 restricted to three-year-olds in July is indicative of the fact it’s not the strongest Group 1 but he won it well.

“Most of his best runs came on pretty soft ground. It might well be that the races happened to take place on very soft ground as opposed to him needing it.”

Irish-trained 1-2 in G1 Prix Jean Prat @fgdeauville as LAWS OF INDICES (IRE) pips Thunder Moon (IRE) - winner trained @kencondonracing, sold @RathaskerStud for €8k to @FARRINGTON_D @Goffs1866 Autumn Yearlings 2019 - pic.twitter.com/JcVSz0rKGC

— ITM (@IREthoroughbred) July 11, 2021

His former trainer Ken Condon, who sent Success Days to Sydney to take on Winx in a Queen Elizabeth Stakes a few years ago, did consider taking Laws Of Indices to the Breeders’ Cup so had a degree of confidence that he wasn’t just a wet tracker.

In his Group 1 win he led all the way and that’s something he’s unlikely to be able to attempt in the Golden Eagle. Mottershead said on ability he can make his mark in Australia but there are queries around him on Saturday.

“He beat 12 horses in that race (in France) and only two hoses have won another race since,’’ he said.

“It was a weak Group 1 but if you take that view that from this distance upwards weight-for-age Group 1 form in Europe should be superior, generally speaking, he has to be a player.

“But he has ground question mark, he’s got the draw question mark, the run style question mark. However, Annabel Neasham has shown she has a very good handle on what sort of horse will do well in Australia.”

Neasham has also taken over the training of Reve De Vol and Mottershead doesn’t expect the Listed winning entire to have the dash over 1500m on fast ground and will have more of an impact at 2000m and beyond.

“On ability he’s not as good as the other two horses on our figures. His peak Racing Post Rating is 106, Maximal’s is 112, Laws Of Indices 114,’’ he said.

“The distance will be a factor, and although this horse has the better draw my suspicion is it’s being used as a starting point and to get an early handle.

“But the horse is in the country and you’re in a ridiculously valuable race so why not have a go. Although the horse shouldn’t be winning it on paper you never know.”

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