In her 55th start, the 7-year-old mare Bella Nipotina overcame a wide trip to win the world’s richest sprint in Saturday’s Group 1 Everest Stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia. Bella Nipotina, who paid $13.70 in American pools, fought through the stretch to win the $13.3 million Everest Stakes by a short head over Giga Kick, the winner of the 2022 Everest. Bella Nipotina, on Saturday, and Giga Kick, in 2022, had another thing in common – both were ridden by veteran jockey Craig Williams. :: Get free past performances, analysis, and picks for Australian racing Aboard Bella Nipotina on Saturday, Williams raced wide from the outside post in a field of 11. Bella Nipotina stalked the pace before moving closer to the front in early stretch. She was fully extended to hold off 14-1 Giga Kick.  Williams had conferred with trainer Ciaron Maher about a strategy that would have Bella Nipotina near the front despite the likelihood of a wide trip. “Ciaron said, ‘let’s just trust her,’” Williams told the Australian press. “We might be a bit wide, but let’s not be negative. Let’s be positive and let’s go forward.” Growing Empire (9-1) finished third, beaten 1 1/4 lengths. Joliestar, the 5-2 favorite, finished eighth, but was beaten only 1 1/2 lengths. There were 10 runners within 3 1/4 lengths at the finish. The race did lose a prominent runner before the start when Traffic Warden was scratched after becoming upset in the gate. Traffic Warden, a 3-year-old in the Southern Hemisphere, has won 3 of 9 starts and is considered a rising star in the Australia sprint division. Bella Nipotina, who is by the Street Cry stallion Pride of Dubai, has won 10 of 55 starts. The Everest Stakes was her third Group 1 win this year. There was a concerning incident earlier in the day when Think About It, the winner of the 2023 Everest Stakes collapsed in early stretch of the Group 3 Sydney Stakes at six furlongs, which was won by Overpass. Think About It, who was on the also-eligible list for this year’s Everest Stakes, was found to have bled, Randwick stewards said in their daily report.  Think About It was walked off the track. The stewards advised that a meeting will be held with trainer Joe Pride about Think About It’s racing career. Two races after Bella Nipotina’s win in the Everest, the Pride-trained Ceolwulf won his second consecutive Group 1 in the $3.33 million King Charles III Stakes at a mile. Ceolwulf ($11) finished about three-quarters of a length in front of 2-1 Pride of Jenni, the Australian Horse of the Year for the 2023-2024 season. Fangirl, the multiple Group 1 winner, finished sixth by slightly less than four lengths as the 7-5 favorite in American pools. Ceolwulf began the month with a win in the Group 1 Epsom Handicap, a one-mile race worth $1.02 million at Randwick on Oct. 5. The Epsom Handicap had a field of 20. There were 11 in the King Charles III Stakes. Maher had a memorable day aside from the win in the Everest. In the Group 1 Caulfield Cup at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne, the stable’s Duke De Sessa scored an upset win the $3.33 million race at 1 1/4 miles. An Irish-bred, Duke De Sessa won for the first time in Australia in his 13th start in the country in the Caulfield Cup, racing near the front throughout.  Duke De Sessa ($21.80) finished 1 1/4 lengths in front of 2-1 favorite Buckaroo in a field of 18. Both Duke De Sessa and Buckaroo are candidates for the famous Group 1 Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecouse on Nov. 5. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.