3 minute read

The Everest has been a success on many levels for Australian horse racing.

The loudly-stated and unashamed purpose for the establishment of the Everest was to be disruptive, to shake up traditional attitudes in Australian horse racing.

To that end, it has been an overwhelming success. But it has also achieved much more.

The race that bounced out of the gates four years ago as Australia's richest, offering the greatest prizemoney pool of any race run on grass in the world, has grown into the highest-rating sprint on the planet and an event that has the biggest names in the business behind it.

And with decent doses of stealth, secrecy, suspense, controversy, some very good horses and $15 million in prizemoney to help it along, the Everest is probably the most important addition to the local racing scene since the inception of the Golden Slipper more than 60 years ago.

The Everest isn't a novel event.

The race is an improved version of a failing American concept known as the Pegasus World Cup which at one point offered prizemoney of US$16 million ($A22 million), a figure which by 2020 had fallen to US$3 million ($A4.2 million).

Like the Everest, the Pegasus was funded by the sale "slots", or starting rights. The initial price of a Pegasus slot was US$1 million ($A1.4 million), a figure which dropped year-by-year until entry into the race is now free.

In Australia, the Everest began by offering 12 slots at $1.8 million for three years. Now in the race's fourth year, prospective Everest slot holders are clamouring for a piece of the action.

While the local scheme guaranteed viability for at least the first three years, by allowing the slots to be traded, or for new partnerships to be formed, it didn't bind any of the original owners to the race.

Among those who have taken up slots are Godolphin and Coolmore, the world's two largest racing conglomerates.

Bloodstock auctioneer William Inglis has a slot, as does the TAB, casino operator Star Entertainment and the Chinese racing operations Yulong and Aquis.

Along with the mega-rich, several hundred "mums-and-dads" formed a syndicate known as Mirunners, owning the slot from which the very good sprinter Eduardo will run.

One thing the Everest has done is to promote horse trading to a new level.

At some point in the process of filling their slots, the owners have engaged in wheeling and dealing to secure or sell their rights to run, to form partnerships and to carve up the prizemoney.

In one case the jailing of one of the original slot holders led to a bidding war between some 20 prospective purchasers, with Godolphin winning out.

In 2020 it has been no different, with slots laying empty until being purchased only days before the race.

There was the late withdrawal of Golden Slipper winner Farnan and the patient, stalking game that got Libertini into the slot owned by bloodstock agent James Harron.

The Everest undoubtedly occupies a lofty place in world racing.

But in the way that Australian racing does, it also has a liberal dose of down-to-earth flavour, the 2020 copyright on which is held by veteran Randwick trainer Les Bridge and The Everest favourite Classique Legend.

Bridge gives a good impression of the battler, but one who has battled well.

In 1983 his champion two-year-old Sir Dapper won the Golden Slipper and four years later he trained Kensei to win the Melbourne Cup.

In the years since he's produced a steady flow of winners, among them the very good mare Hot Danish.

In close to 60 years on racecourses, the 75-year-old Bridge has seen every champion since Tulloch.

Sir Dapper was one of them.

"Nobody will ever know how good he was," he said.

"It was one of the saddest days of my life when he retired."

Half a lifetime later, Bridge has his consolation, but only just.

Classique Legend, who finished in midfield in the 2019 Everest is back again, bigger and better after being removed from Bridge's stable early this year to be shipped to Hong Kong, the home of his owner Boniface Ho Ka-kui.

Bridge believed he had "lost" Classique Legend at the time, but a mix up caused the trip to be aborted and the horse was returned to its trainer.

"I'd said goodbye to him, and I'll have to do it again when he eventually goes to Hong Kong after the Everest," the trainer said.

For now though, Bridge has Australia's richest race to win on Saturday, and he is convinced he has the horse to do it.

"I was fairly confident going into the race last year," Bridge said.

"But he's a lot stronger than he was then.

"I honestly believe that if gets any luck they're going to be flat out holding him off."