Racing unites to climb Everest and Guineas heights
Scheduling clashes threaten to overshadow the marriage between Caulfield Guineas day and The Everest which is set to become Australia's biggest raceday outside of the Melbourne Cup.
Scheduling clashes threaten to overshadow the marriage between Caulfield Guineas day and The Everest which is set to become Australia's biggest raceday outside of the Melbourne Cup.
Trainer Matthew Dale has been preparing the six-year-old on the south coast for the biggest race of his career.
He stands to earn more money in 70 seconds than what he did in the last 12 months, but The Everest's youngest jockey is adamant the biggest cheque ever signed for a jockey after an Australian horse race won't rattle him in the world's richest turf race.
Fairytale filly She Will Reign threatens to rip millions of dollars from bookmakers bags across the country as money continues to pour in for The Everest favourite prior to the inaugural $10 million race at Randwick.
Fears that the Cox Plate field may cut up and that wonder mare Winx may scare off most of her old rivals are a concern for the Moonee Valley Racing Club.
Caulfield Guineas favourite Royal Symphony will have to come from a central barrier in the $2 million classic while the filly Catchy, bidding to become the first of her sex to win the historic race in more than 40 years, will jump from stall three in the 16-runner field.
The Everest favourite She Will Reign might have been last horse out in the barrier draw but could have drawn better, getting gate two for Saturday's $10 million at Randwick.
Gai Waterhouse sent English out in a set of blinkers for her final piece of fast work at Canterbury before The Everest but they won't be there come Saturday.
The content chuckles of Ben Hayes and Neil Werrett as Vega Magic powered down the Randwick straight on Monday morning were a hint to the pressure and the difference dynamic The Everest brings to racing.
The Caulfield Guineas, at this stage anyway, does not look as if it will be contested by a standout colt although history suggests that it is still too early in the season to definitively judge this year's crop of three-year-olds.
Champion trainer Darren Weir was left scratching his head after Caulfield Cup favourite Humidor's loss to the wonder that is Winx on Saturday at Flemington.
The parochial critics down south have been slipping their overpriced boots into The Everest, the $10 million sprint to be held for the first time on Saturday at Royal Randwick.
A host of fresh faces is pitching the sport of kings to a new market.
Godolphin's star filly Alizee could match the efforts of Guelph and Global Glamour by completing the Flight Stakes-Thousand Guineas double as Hartnell faces a spring D-day at Caulfield on Saturday.
Melbourne Cup winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy is ready to enjoy the build-up to riding Redzel in the $10 million Everest this week but knows come Saturday "every inch counts" over the 1200m at Randwick
Winx produced another imperious performance for her 21st consecutive win in Saturday's Turnbull Stakes, which dazzled and stunned, but her latest accolade was even more predictable.
It hardly seems possible, but the incredible Winx may be even better racing on left-handed tracks in Melbourne than she is going right-handed in her home city of Sydney.
It was a record low in one instance for an otherwise successful Spring Champion Stakes day at Royal Randwick that rode on the tale of Winx and the ballyhoo of The Everest.
Ben Hayes, the junior partner in the Hayes/Dabernig training set-up run by his father, David, will supervise the stable's leading Everest hopes Redkirk Warrior and Vega Magic in a gallop on the Randwick course proper on Monday.
Darren Weir might have been disappointed by the defeat of Humidor in the Turnbull Stakes, his Caulfield and Melbourne Cup hope thrashed by the mighty Winx.
It has taken a decade but owner John Cordina and trainer David Payne finally have their group 1 together after Ace High outstayed Tangled to take the Spring Champion Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.
The world's best horse on turf has done it again. The champion mare made it 21 wins in a row with her dominant victory in the $500,000 group 1 Turnbull Stakes, her debut race at Flemington.
The David Hayes/Tom Dabernig/Ben Hayes yard kept up their terrific strike rate this season with a big race double at Flemington, landing the big sprint of the day with Keen Array and the first two-year-old race of the Victorian season with Nomothaj.
Unbeaten Godolphin colt Viridine is still learning his racing manners but was still a class above his rivals as he took the Roman Consul Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.
Corey Brown hasn't even got up to full speed on Everest favourite She Will Reign, but he is already excited.
The king of the Jungle Juice Cup, Jeremy Sylvester might not have a runner in this edition of Cessnock biggest race on Friday.
Lazarus and Lennytheshark sits one-two in the latest set of Inter Dominion ranks and showed why with powerful performances on Friday night.
Canberra gelding Fell Swoop has taken a beach trip ahead of the inaugural $10 million Everest.
Canberra trainer Nick Olive Canberra won his fourth Tony Campbell Memorial Cup on Friday.
Jockey Damian Lane will have the best seat in the house at Flemington for what is expected to be the Winx's show in Saturday's Turnbull Stakes.
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