The countdown to the $20 million The Everest is well and truly on with the latest horses to lock in a spot in the world’s richest turf race likely known after Saturday’s Premiere Stakes 2024.
Last Sydney Spring Racing Carnival the Joe Pride-trained Think About It secured the Premiere Stakes – The Everest race double and plenty of eyes will be on the opening leg this weekend at Royal Randwick.
A small but elite field of just eight sprinters does battle in the Group 2 $1 million Premiere Stakes (1200m) on Epsom Handicap Day with current markets at Ladbrokes.com.au led by the 2022 The Everest hero Giga Kick.
Clayton Douglas‘s now five-year-old son of Scissor Kick is at Premiere Stakes odds of $2.50 to salute second up in the important spring sprint.
Winner of the Group 1 All Aged Stakes – Doomben 10,000 double last year, he returned this prep running a promising fifth fresh with a hefty 60.5kg behind I Am Me in the Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1000m).
Fitter for the run he has a subsequent winning trial at Canterbury behind him and will relish a return to weight-for-age on Saturday with 58.5kg from gate five with master hoop James McDonald continuing associations.
The danger occupying the second line of Premiere Stakes betting this season at $3 is firming is an already confirmed The Everest 2024 runner, Ciaron Maher‘s multiple Group 1 winning mare Bella Nipotina.
The ultra-consistent daughter of Pride Of Dubai is going as good as ever proven by her strong return when second beaten a nostril flare in the Concorde.
The step-up to the six furlongs now is ideal for this sensational seven-year-old who, incredibly, has her 54th start on the weekend.
Bella Nipotina jumps from barrier six with Craig Williams in the saddle.
Last year’s Premiere Stakes winner, Think About It, also returns chasing back-to-back wins in the Group 2 for the first time since Mr. Innocent (1999-2000).
Jason Collett partners the defending champion and reigning The Everest hero from the outside barrier on Saturday as the six-year-old son of So You Think returns for the spring.
Think About It was last seen running fifth to I Wish I Win in the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) in Brisbane over the winter, an event Bella Nipotina was runner-up in.
He has an outstanding first-up record (5:4-1-0), is two-from-two at the track and trip, is a genuine Randwick specialist (6:4-1-0) so at $4 Premiere Stakes odds could be the value runner.
Pride also saddles-up two other runners in the Premiere Stakes field with the rails-drawn Coal Crusher ($35) as a roughie hope and Mazu ($8) drawn a treat in gate three second-up off his third to I Am Me in the Group 2 The Shorts (1100m).
Multiple Group 3 placegetter Airman ($31) for Team Hawkes, former TJ Smith Stakes winner Chain Of Lightning ($21) from the Moody/Coleman stable, and the rank outsider Bandi’s Boy ($126) complete the line-up.
The 2024 Premiere Stakes is set to run as Randwick Race 7 at 3:35pm (AEST).
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2024 Premiere Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Probable Weight | Penalty | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5x3211x3x5 | GIGA KICK | Clayton Douglas | James McDonald | 5 | 58.5kg | 116 | ||
| 2 | x113x2505x | THINK ABOUT IT | Joseph Pride | Jason Collett | 8 | 58.5kg | 115 | ||
| 3 | 54x50172x3 | MAZU | Joseph Pride | Nash Rawiller | 3 | 58.5kg | 110 | ||
| 4 | 41x25450x0 | COAL CRUSHER | Joseph Pride | Joshua Parr | 1 | 58.5kg | 105 | ||
| 5 | 128x370x66 | AIRMAN | Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes | Zac Lloyd (a) | 4 | 58.5kg | 101 | ||
| 6 | 3x13119x00 | BANDI’S BOY | Danny Williams | Jay Ford | 7 | 58.5kg | 96 | ||
| 7 | 54241221×2 | BELLA NIPOTINA | Ciaron Maher | Craig Williams | 6 | 56.5kg | 118 | ||
| 8 | 70x01166x8 | CHAIN OF LIGHTNING | Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman | Tommy Berry | 2 | 56.5kg | 114 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
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