For a horse with no fanfare around him, Green Eagle just continues to assemble the record of a very decent horse, landing his fourth on end in the final race yesterday.
The unassuming five-year-old was parked in the box seat by Weichong Marwing, he popped out from behind the leaders at the 300m and won by a tradesmanlike length.
Once again - for the fifth time in nine starts, in fact - the manner of victory wasn't anything to get the pulse racing or to spark talk of major targets, but Me Tsui Yu-sak-trained Green Eagle simply keeps doing the job.
"It's full credit to Me - not many horses hold their form to win four in a row in the tight handicapping here. And that goes across two campaigns because the first in the streak was at the end of last season," Marwing said. "He's a winner and he just does enough to win and no more. He's done remarkably well, but horses like this deserve to win races. He does everything for you - he begins, he relaxes and then he kicks when you ask him. He's push button."
Green Eagle will now take his place up a grade in Class Two after this success, but Marwing says the story isn't necessarily over for the son of Fastnet Rock.
"I don't know if he's going to get beyond Class Two, that class rise might dampen his spirits. I do think he'll be very competitive in that class with a lighter weight, though. He can't have earned too many points for this win."
Fresh from Tuesday's Melbourne Cup heroics, jockey Brett Prebble received a presentation from the Jockey Club to mark the success but went winless on the day. Punters said his best chance was Flash Knight in the final race, but the John Moore-trained four-year-old ran out of condition first-up after looming and had to settle for second.
"One thing about this place - it soon brings you back to earth," Prebble said as he returned to weigh-in.
