It'd be easy for Berry to sit back and lament his barrier misfortune in both rich features at Rosehill Gardens, after Mazu also drew poorly in the $3 million Giga Kick Stakes (1300m).

But he's adamant he can still win the nation's premier four-year-old race from gate 16 and is banking on the breaks that haven't gone his way off the track turning in his favour on it.

"It's very sticky for him, I'm very disappointed but in saying that I still believe I'm on the best horse in the race and we've just got to hope for a bit of luck,'' he said.

"My barriers over the spring carnival have been very unfortunate. Mazu drew near the outside in the Everest, Kovalica drew the outside in the King Charles and they've both drawn wide again on the weekend.

"A big field creates pressure in the (Golden Eagle) so hopefully that's the key and we can try and slot in somewhere.

"There's always going to be horses caught wide that are going to have to press forward and create that tempo.

"I've got no plans at the moment, I haven't spoken to Chris (Waller), but whatever plans they might be before race one could change by race eight."

In the four editions of the race to date no horse has won from outside barrier 10, but that's not yet a reliable sample size, though all four have been won in tight finishes with a long neck the greatest margin.

Chris Waller won the inaugural Golden Eagle with Kolding and Kovalica carries the same colours.

Like that horse he also contested the Epsom Handicap, finishing a narrow second behind stablemate Rediener, before an eye-catching performance in the Group 1 $5m King Charles III Stakes (1600m) on Everest Day.

That race was Berry's first ride on the gelding under race conditions and it's easy to see why he was so confident going into the Eagle on the back of it.

Kovalica ran the race's fastest last 600m of 33.01 (Punter's Intelligence) and was the only horse to break 11 seconds for his last 200m (10.97) as he charged into fifth behind Fangirl after drawing the outside gate there.

"It was a massive effort. He was always going to have to put in a big effort to run well in that race considering the way we had to ride him,'' Berry said.

"I feel sorry for the horse and connections that he's been dealt that card in a couple of good races now. Arguably if he draws well in the King Charles, the way he ran, he goes close to winning and on the weekend it's going to make our task harder again.

"I've always liked the horse, and I like him even more now after riding him in the King Charles."

He was a $6 chance prior to the barrier draw and that price had almost doubled to $11 with TAB on Wednesday. Kovalica's charity is the National Jockeys Trust which will receive 10 per cent of his prizemoney from the race.

Berry warns that Mazu should not be forgotten in the Giga Kick Stakes, a race he ran second in a year ago, after having no luck in the TAB Everest.

While the five-year-old only beat one home he was badly tightened between Espiona and In Secret when building into the race.

"I think his last run he lost no admirers, he looked like he was going to chime in quite nicely with In Secret and just found that bit of trouble half way down the straight,'' he said.

"It all depends on how this horse jumps, he can sometimes fire out of the barriers and other times just pop out.

"That's why we rode him the way we did the other day, we were probably going to be a bit closer in the Everest but he jumped out and dropped the bit so I thought I'd get to the fence and find the shortest way.

"This is a smaller field with less pressure, up 100m in distance, at a different track so it's going to be very interesting with him."

Mazu jumps from gate seven of nine and Berry said Everest winner Think About It, from gate three, is naturally the horse to beat.