3 minute read
The world’s most innovative and exciting racing event – the Sydney Everest Carnival – launches at Royal Randwick this Saturday on a huge day of feature racing and entertainment as the build-up to the $20 million TAB Everest continues.
Saturday's 10-race card with 155 entries sees the inaugural running of the $1m 7 Stakes over the famous Royal Randwick mile and the $1m Group 2 Toyota Forklift Shorts, a key pathway to the $20m TAB Everest on 14 October.
The Toyota Forklift Shorts features a horse already selected in an Everest slot, Mazu (a $13 chance on Saturday with TAB), along with a host of potential TAB Everest runners, including early well backed $3.60-$3 favourite In Secret for Godolphin's head trainer James Cummings and boom young jockey Zac Lloyd.
The Group 2 $300,000 Darley Tea Rose Stakes, the third leg of the Darley Princess Series, the Group 3 $250,000 Bill Ritchie Handicap and Group 3 $250,000 James Squire Kingston Town Stakes add further black type to the day.
Saturday's raceday includes an After The Last music performance by the hugely-popular Hot Dub Time Machine in the Theatre Of The Horse, all included in entry ticket purchases.
Australian Turf Club Chief Executive, Matt Galanos said the Sydney Everest Carnival at Royal Randwick and Rosehill Gardens would offer $87 million in prizemoney.
"The Sydney Spring and Everest Carnival gets bigger each year and with our partners Racing NSW it continues to set the pace for Australian racing," Mr Galanos said.
"The next 10 weeks in Sydney are amongst the highest quality racing of anywhere in the world headlined by the $20 million TAB Everest at Royal Randwick and $10 million James Squire Golden Eagle at Rosehill Gardens.
"With world-class racing we are thrilled to offer a raceday experience being embraced by younger and first-time fans."
The Group 2 Toyota Forklift Shorts – won in previous years by Nature Strip, Eduardo, Pierata, Ball Of Muscle and Redzel – is a pivotal event for TAB Everest hopefuls.
On Saturday, along with In Secret, horses such as Overpass (Bjorn Baker/Josh Parr - $6.50 into $5.50), Remarque(Hawkes Racing/Tyler Schiller - $6.50 to $7), Buenos Noches (Matthew Smith/Dylan Gibbons - $7 to $7.50), Private Eye (Joe Pride/Nash Rawiller - $8.50 to $9.50) and Lost And Running (John O'Shea/Chad Schofield - $8.50 to $11) are among a cast of chances.
The 12-horse $1m 7 Stakes has attracted seven previous Group 1 winners and a field collectively to win $35m in prizemoney.
Zaaki (Annabel Neasham/Chad Schofield) opened TAB favourite at $3.50 but is now $3.70 with the strongly-supported Fangirl ($4.40-$3.30) displacing him for favourite as she steps out for 13-time Sydney premier trainer Chris Waller and jockey Kerrin McEvoy.
Think It Over for trainer Kerry Parker and jockey Nash Rawiller is $4.40 out to $5.
Those three horses are high in TAB futures markets for another mile feature later in the Sydney Everest Carnival – the $5m King Charles III Stakes to be run as part of TAB Everest Day.
The Group 3 $250,000 Bill Ritchie Handicap has attracted a capacity field of 16 runners in what has become a crucial pathway to the $1.5m TAB Epsom on 30 September.
The race has provided the past three TAB Epsom winners and this Saturday Olentia (Chris Waller/Jay Ford) the $2.80 to $3 TAB favourite, ahead of Converge ($6 into $4) for trainers Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott and jockey Adam Hyeronimus.
