Australia: Chances for many in $11 million Everest at Royal Randwick

From a Southern Hemisphere 3-year-old racing against older horses for the first time to an 8-year-old gelding with blazing speed, half of the 12-horse field in Saturday’s $11.05 million Everest Stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Australia have the credentials to win the world’s richest sprint.

Nature Strip, fourth in 2019 and seventh last year, was the 3-1 favorite for the six-furlong race as of Thursday, a slight choice over 7-2 Classique Legend, the 2020 winner. Eduardo, the 8-year-old speedster who was 11th last year, was 5-1.

Gytrash, third in the 2020 Everest, was 7-1 after a third behind Eduardo and Nature Strip in the Group 2 The Shorts Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs at Randwick on Sept. 18, while Masked Crusader was 8-1 on the strength of a recent win in the Group 2 Premiere Stakes at six furlongs at Randwick on Oct. 2.

Home Affairs is the lone 3-year-old in the race and was rated at 10-1 on the basis of a win in the Heritage Stakes for 3-year-olds at 5 1/2 furlongs at Rosehill Gardens on Sept. 25 in his first start in six months. The Everest is the sixth start for Home Affairs, a two-time winner.

Home Affairs, trained by Chris Waller, set the pace in the Heritage Stakes, but that tactic may not work in the Everest against Eduardo, who has won four Group 1 or Group 2 races at five and six furlongs this year by leading or disputing the pace.

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Eduardo’s lone loss in five starts this year was a third behind Nature Strip and Masked Crusader in the Group 1 T.J. Smith Stakes at six furlongs at Randwick in April. Eduardo set the pace, but faded to lose by about 2 3/4 lengths.

Eduardo followed with a win in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 Stakes at six furlongs in May, his final start before the win in The Shorts Stakes.

Gytrash also returned from a layoff to be second in The Shorts, while Nature Strip had the benefit of a win in the Group 3 Concorde Stakes at five furlongs at Randwick on Sept. 4 prior to his loss in The Shorts. Nature Strip was the Australian Horse of the Year for the 2019-20 season.

The potential for a vicious duel may help Classique Legend, who has not raced since an 11th-place finish in the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin Racecourse last December, his only start since the 2020 Everest.

Classique Legend was based with trainer Caspar Fownes in Hong Kong in the spring, when he was sidelined after a bleeding incident shortly before a scheduled start in the Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize at Sha Tin in April.

For his Australian comeback, the 6-year-old Classique Legend has finished first in three schooling races, or barrier trials, at five and 5 1/4 furlongs, the equivalent of workouts from the gate, at Randwick since early September.

Classique Legend will be ridden by Kerrin McEvoy, who was aboard for the 2020 Everest win and has won the lucrative race in three of its our runnings.

Caulfield Cup

The Everest is Australia’s richest race this weekend, but the most prestigious race is Saturday’s Group 1 Caulfield Cup at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne, a key prep for the Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse on Nov. 2.

The $3.68 million Caulfield Cup, run at 1 1/2 miles, drew a full field of 18, but the singular focus will be on Incentivise, the future-book favorite for the Melbourne Cup at two miles.

A 5-year-old gelding, Incentivise has won eight consecutive starts, including two recent Group 1 races at Flemington – the Makybe Diva Stakes at a mile on Sept. 11 and the Turnbull Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on Oct. 2.

The Caulfield Cup will be Incentivise’s longest start and a test of his running style of racing near the front. Brett Prebble retains the mount on Incentivise, who has been trained by Peter Moody in recent starts. Incentivise was previously trained by current co-owner Steve Tregea for his first nine starts, which included losses in his initial three starts followed by six wins.

Delphi, a two-time stakes winner in Ireland last year when trained by Aidan O’Brien, will handle the distance, having won the 1 1/2-mile, Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes at Caulfield on Oct. 9 for current trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman.

Caulfield and Randwick have 10-race programs that begin at 9:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Eastern on Friday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.