Redzel will try to scale Everest a third time at Royal Randwick but Santa Ana Lane is favored

Redzel is the only winner The Everest has known in the Australian sprint race’s two-year history and on Saturday at Royal Randwick, Redzel will try to win his third Everest when he faces 15 rivals.

The $9.56 million (US) Everest is Australia’s version of the Pegasus World Cup, with connections shelling out big bucks for a spot in this six-furlong race around a right-handed turn.

Redzel won the 2017 Everest over a good course but last year was the horse that best coped with turf designated Heavy9 on the scale Australia uses to rate course conditions: In American parlance, that means something along the lines of “really, really wet.” Redzel skipped over it and one by about 1 1/4 lengths but the gelding, trained by Peter and Paul Snowden, is a 7-year-old now and only listed as sixth choice to make it three Everests in a row.

Narrowly favored in early fixed-odds betting as of Friday in Australia was the 2018 Everest sixth-place finisher Santa Ana Lane, whose calling-card closing kick was blunted by course conditions a year ago. Another 7-year-old, Santa Ana Lane has gotten in two training races and a second-place finish in an Oct. 5 six-furlong dash at Flemington as his Everest preparation. He capped his previous form cycle with an ambitious trip to Hong Kong, where he checked in fourth of nine in the Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint.

Four-year-old filly Arcadia Queen briefly overtook Santa Ana Lane for favoritism and even after more betting came in for Santa Ana Lane continued to attract widespread support as of Friday. Arcadia Queen has started seven times and lost only once, finishing second in the lone defeat. She won her only Group 1 start by 4 1/2 lengths, though that race came over 1800 meters and Arcadia Queen hasn’t started in a race as short as the Everest since her maiden win.

Pierata, a Group 1 winner over 1400 meters, also is well backed, while 3-year-old colt Yes Yes Yes is trading at about the same price as Redzel.

Ryan Moore is missing British Champions Day back home in England to ride longshot Ten Sovereigns for Coolmore and trainer Aidan O’Brien.

Post time for the Everest is 1:15 a.m. Eastern early Saturday morning.