Horse racing: Golden Eagle will tap into Kiwis emotions as Legarto takes on stars from Australia, Europe and even Japan

Ladies Man in action.

The start of Melbourne Cup week has been known as Derby Day for decades but that will change for many New Zealand punters today.

Because while it will still most definitely be Derby Day at Flemington much of the Kiwi interest focussed across the Tasman will be further north in Sydney, making today Golden Eagle day.

The A$10million Golden Eagle is a relatively new four-year-old feature and the richest race ever contested by a New Zealand-trained horse with Matamata mare Legarto among the favourites.

Taranaki galloper Ladies Man will contest the Archer Stakes at Flemington today as a warm-up to Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup but he and Zambezi Khan (Wakefield Stakes) are the only New Zealand-trained horses on show at the iconic meeting

While the quality of racing, New Zealand-breds and great races like the Derby and Coolmore will still ensure punters here get involved in the Derby Day meeting, the Golden Eagle will tap into Kiwis emotions more as Legarto takes on stars from Australia, Europe and even Japan.

The wonderfully talented mare has shown she can win at the highest level in Australia by capturing the Australian Guineas in March and co-trainer Ken Kelso is thrilled with her preparation and condition, with a handy barrier draw the icing on her cake.

If she can settle in the first 8, balance up early in the home straight and launch Legarto may well be able to win but the Golden Eagle is one of the trickier punting puzzles of the spring, with such disparate formlines and Rosehill presenting its own unique set of challenges.

At Flemington, while Ladies Man’s crack at the Archer, which is a win-and-you-are-in race for the Melbourne Cup may be touted as his last chance at a Cup start in reality his connections could know their Cup fate well before then.

One of the horses who sits above Ladies Man in the Melbourne Cup rankings, Valiant King, was lame when undergoing the compulsory pre-acceptance veterinary examination yesterday and he will have to improve significantly when re-examined this morning or be ruled out of the Cup.

That would put Ladies Man in the field but with the possibility the winner of the Archer could leapfrog him but in another development yesterday the connections of Archer favourite Athabascan declared even if he wins today they won’t be accepting for the Cup on Tuesday.

So Ladies Man could be in the 24 as soon as this morning and would retain that spot if either he or Athabascan wins the Archer (Flemington R2, 3pm NZtime).

The two huge meeting in Australia overshadow what is a quieter day of domestic racing before the locals meetings go into overdrive for the summer season starting with 2000 Guineas day at Riccarton next Saturday.

Both Tauranga and Trentham hold interesting cards today but Tauranga could be affected by the weather as the track there was a Soft 7 last night and a heavy track would see plenty of scratchings and a total rethink of punting strategies.

The likely return of New Zealand’s glamour meeting to Ellerslie in January got even bigger yesterday.

The TAB Karaka Millions looks set to be at Ellerslie on January 27, the first major meeting there since its closure 18 months ago for the installation of a StrathAyr track.

Already the meeting as seen the addition of a new $1million four-year-old race, the Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic and now the Westbury Classic (1400m) for fillies and mares has been boosted from $300,000 to $500,000.

Ellerslie bosses hope to confirm its official re-opening date by early December, with the first meeting scheduled for January 14.