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By Ray Hickson

The underdog tag is something trainer Dominic Sutton has become used to with his Group 1 winner Feroce and he’s content enough to wear it again in the $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) at Randwick on Saturday.

Since he graduated to stakes company at his third start, Feroce has started in single figures in only three of his 11 attempts.

At the top level, he was $51 when runner-up in the Caulfield Guineas, $14 when he won the Australian Guineas, $13 in the Australian Cup, $31 when third in the Sir Rupert Clarke and $13 in his last start in the Toorak Handicap.

Trainer Dominic Sutton (Pic: Racing Photos)

Sutton, only in his second full season of training, targeted the Golden Eagle from the start of the spring and said he has to be forgiving of the Toorak run (eighth).

“He’s a Group 1 winner over a mile against his own age so it was always logical to have it there,’’ he said.

“That wasn’t the true Feroce (in the Toorak) but until then he’d been super. His first-up effort was very good over a trip far too short for him and his Rupert Clarke run was his best rated run to date.

“You put a line through the Toorak and he’s going well.

“I think he fits right in. He’s a $51 shot at the moment but he’s never been a horse that’s been respected by the market so that doesn’t bother us.”

When looking back on the Toorak, Sutton said he can’t be hard on the horse given the run he had after electing to try their luck and ride him against his normal pattern.

It didn’t work and after sitting on the speed he faded out to be beaten four lengths by Transatlantic.

“We had to make a decision from the gates and that was either go back to last or try and put him into the race,’’ Sutton said.

“We opted for the latter and gave him a squeeze out of the gates.

“He did a lot of work from the get go, he was posted when Lazzura kicked up inside him so he had to work again to get a spot and that took the edge off him late.

"What we learned from the Toorak is you can’t do it at both ends in these big, high pressure, races.

“We’ll be looking for cover, we’ll just see how the track is playing through the day and it might favour those drawn middle to out later in the day.”

Josh Parr will ride Feroce, who races for the Redkite charity in the Eagle, and he’s no stranger to winning the race having guided Obamburumai to victory in 2023.

Sutton, who has only had just over 250 runners, said when he looks at $17 for Sepals, who finished behind him in the Toorak, and $10 for Evaporate he has to believe his gelding is being underestimated.

“There’s a bunch of Victorian horses that he’s competed against, he’s beaten Sepals fair and square on Guineas day and gave him 4kg in the Rupert Clarke and was only beaten a short margin,’’ he said.

“He’s beaten Evaporate a couple of times, they’re in the market and if he brings his best he’s as good as them on his day.”

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