Tulloch Lodge-trained mare English has secured her spot in the 2017 The Everest field at Royal Randwick this October.
English is the fifth sprinter to secure a spot in the 2017 The Everest field. Photo: Steve Hart.
Prepared by Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott, the Group 1 winning daughter of Encosta De Lago has been selected by a slot-holder to be their representative in the $10 million The Everest (1200m) on October 14.
“With some of the world’s best sprinters on show, we are thrilled to be part of such a great concept as The Everest,” Craig Nugent, a representative for the company, told AAP on Tuesday.
“With English in our corner we think we have a great chance of being part of history and winning the inaugural race.
“We have been working closely with English’s connections.
“We are in uncharted waters here.
“If you have a slot you could sit back and wait or go early which is all part of the mystique of The Everest.
“This is the intrigue of the race because there is no exact way to go about it.”
The Restricted feature is now Australia’s richest race, surpassing the $6.2 million in prize money on offer for the iconic Melbourne Cup held at Flemington on the first Tuesday of November.
The Everest has been introduced by Racing NSW in a bid to steal some of the limelight from Victoria during the spring racing carnival and takes place on the same day as the Caulfield Guineas in Melbourne.
Slots in event come at a cost of $600,000 for connections and the inaugural The Everest race field are starting to take shape with the Newhaven Park Stud-raced English the fifth confirmed starter.
Along with the outstanding mare the other horses assured of a spot in the line-up are race favourite Chautauqua, Golden Slipper winning filly She Will Reign, the Queensland-trained Houtzen and Fell Swoop.
English currently pays $13 in the pre-field The Everest betting markets at Ladbrokes.com.au, the $2.55 million earner last seen running sixth to Secret Agenda in Adelaide’s Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) on May 6.
The rising five-year-old is best known for her Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) win at Randwick over Black Heart Bart in April of 2016 as well as her two placings behind Chautauqua in the TJ Smith Stakes.
This autumn gone, the Team Hawkes-trained Chautauqua became a three-time winner of the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) over The Everest track and distance.
English was second past the post in ‘The Championships’ sprint run on a Heavy (8) beaten just a neck in an improved effort on her third from a wide barrier (14 of 15) in last year’s TJ Smith Stakes.
Co-trainer Waterhouse was thrilled her mare was in the mix saying the slot-holder had “shown shrewd judgement in selecting English as their representative.”
“English is the champion two-year-old and three-year-old filly of her generation, a proven Group One winner at weight-for-age level and, importantly, she has performed exceptionally well over the 1200 metres at Randwick,” she said.
“I think the form out of the TJ Smith Stakes is the right form for The Everest.
“It is not surprising to me that the three placegetters [Chautauqua, English, Fell Swoop] from that race are in The Everest now.”
To check out the latest all-in The Everest betting odds head to Ladbrokes.com.au today.
