Yard to the Post | The Everest Day
Race Day: Royal Randwick on Saturday, 15 October 2022
Fine conditions helped dry out the Royal Randwick surface from a SOFT 7 to SOFT 6 today, but the famous rise and long straight still made each of the ten races a test.
The Everest itself was an energy-sapping six furlongs of speed and stamina. Veteran speedster EDUARDO fired along in the two wide line and kept the short-priced favourite NATURE STRIP working to his outside. James McDonald moved up strongly at the 300 metres and for a few fleeting seconds it looked like NATURE STRIP would hold on before the unbeaten three-year-old GIGA KICK flashed home late to claim the $6.2 million first prize.
Earlier on the card the talented country sprinter FRONT PAGE led from start to finish in The Kosciuszko after being an unlucky scratching from the race in 2020 and 2021. He's a horse that could reach higher grades now he is back in training and injury free. A sharp time of 1:10.12 (same as JACQUINOT, 5th in The Everest) puts him in the frame for an Everest slot next year too.
In other races VILANA (Silver Eagle) and ELLSBERG (Five Diamonds Prelude) both produced strong wins ahead of carnival targets in the coming weeks.
A full review is provided below.
Track Info
| Rail | TRUE |
| Conditions | SOFT 7 to SOFT 6 |
| Weather | FINE |
| Bias | 4W to about 9W best, but inside ground OK |
Race 1 BISLEY WORKWEAR REGINALD ALLEN QUALITY
strong tempo
Bias:
| Place | Silk | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Gate | Kgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Lot More Love | Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou | Brenton Avdulla | 1 | 56.0 | |
| 2 | Vienna Princess | Chris Waller | Craig Williams | 13 | 53.0 | |
| 3 | Call Di | Joseph Pride | Kerrin McEvoy | 4 | 53.5 |
The Interest
The really rolled along in this 1400m sprint for the fillies and the progressive A LOT MORE LOVE was much too strong late. She's always been a talented filly that was a touch green in her races and the addition of blinkers kept her focussed on the job here. VIENNA PRINCES and CALL DI both good to the line late too. AMATI peaked on her run as usual. FUN SUNDAY (stuck wide) and RAZETA (blocked) worth forgiving,
Race 2 BIG DANCE WILD CARD
fair tempo
: long sprint
| Place | Silk | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Gate | Kgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cisco Bay | Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou | Robbie Dolan | 2 | 54.0 | |
| 2 | Wicklow | Chris Waller | William Pike | 16 | 53.5 | |
| 3 | Two Big Fari | Todd Howlett | Ms Kathy O'Hara | 10 | 52.0 |
The Interest
CISCO BAY found his best form today, a horse with a brilliant turn-of-foot that burst through the pack after a great weaving ride from Robbie Dolan. WICKLOW very good from the back and no knock on the on-pacers TAMPERING and TWO BIG FARI after they kicked for home before the home turn. STEELY (peaked on run late) probably didn't have the fitness base for this testing mile second-up and KIRWAN'S LANE was stuck on the slower inside ground. Forgive DREAM RUNNER after he was cast 4W NC the whole way.
Race 3 NEW TAB APP CRAVEN PLATE
strong tempo
| Place | Silk | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Gate | Kgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cascadian | James Cummings | James McDonald | 5 | 59.0 | |
| 2 | Just Folk | Gavin Bedggood | Hugh Bowman | 3 | 59.0 | |
| 3 | Promitto | David Atkins | Andrew Adkins | 1 | 50.0 |
The Interest
Kerrin McEvoy couldn't get control of ZEYREK and the resulting rapid tempo was perfect for CASCADIAN out the back. He had won a harder race than this in the lead-up and James McDonald guided him through the pack for a fairly dominant win. JUST FOLK strong in second and the rest were safely held. Some of the horses early in their preps (e..g PINARELLO, SURF DANCER and ESTI FENNY) could be worth forgiving in a race that was a real test of fitness and stamina.
Race 4 THE STAR ST LEGER STAKES
strong tempo
| Place | Silk | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Gate | Kgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stockman | Joseph Pride | Sam Clipperton | 4 | 57.5 | |
| 2 | Arapaho | Bjorn Baker | Ms Rachel King | 9 | 57.5 | |
| 3 | Sacramento | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Craig Williams | 3 | 55.5 |
The Interest
FUN FACT rolled along at a STRONG tempo and the staying cream rose to the top. STOCKMAN strongest from the very reliable ARAPAHO, who continues to have a successful campaign for Bjorn Baker. SACRAMENTO very brave too after riding the hot speed set by the leader. There was a big gap back to 4th with CADRE DU NOIR ($2.7 to $3.6) disappointing out the back and the market seemed to know.There were no vet issues reported.
Race 5 THE KOSCIUSZKO
strong tempo
Bias:
4w+
| Place | Silk | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Gate | Kgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Front Page | Matthew Dale | Tyler Schiller | 4 | 59.0 | |
| 2 | Far Too Easy | David McColm | James Orman | 7 | 57.5 | |
| 3 | Fender | Brett Cavanough | Sam Clipperton | 14 | 57.0 |
The Interest
This was all about FRONT PAGE finally getting his Kosciuszko win. Bizarre last minute injuries had cost him a place the last two years running and he proved today that he is the top country sprinter in NSW. FAR TOO EASY ran a good 2nd, but was no match for the leader, who had set a rapid tempo for the others to chase. ART CADEAU had his chance and pulled up 3/5 lame.
Race 6 FUJITSU GENERAL SYDNEY STAKES
strong tempo
Bias:
4w+
| Place | Silk | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Gate | Kgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rocketing By | David Pfieffer | Ms Rachel King | 7 | 58.5 | |
| 2 | In The Congo | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | James McDonald | 13 | 58.5 | |
| 3 | Weona Smartone | David Vandyke | Kyle Wilson-Taylor | 1 | 58.5 |
The Interest
The leaders went a bit quick here and the quality of backmarkers to take advantage of that tempo was questionable leaving ROCKETING BY to weave through and win at $61. WAIHAHA FALLS (tightened) probably just as good as the winner. IN THE CONGO and REMARQUE (stuck wide) two of the runs of the race on-pace. APACHE CHASE probably better suited if he's allow to roll along over 1300m to 1500m.
Race 7 THE TAB EVEREST
strong tempo
| Place | Silk | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Gate | Kgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giga Kick | Clayton Douglas | Craig Williams | 5 | 53.0 | |
| 2 | Private Eye | Joseph Pride | Brenton Avdulla | 3 | 58.5 | |
| 3 | Mazu | Joseph Pride | Sam Clipperton | 11 | 58.5 |
The Interest
The champ NATURE STRIP didn't get the best of luck on-pace and the race was anyone's as he started to tire 150m from home. In the end it was the fresh legs of GIGA KICK that bounded home best, completing a remarkable rise from Sale maiden winner to Everest champ in just five starts. Strong runs from PRIVATE EYE, MAZU and JACQUINOT had them right in the finish too. MASKED CRUSADER missed the start and should have finished closer. No doubt NATURE STRIP remains the best sprinter of this bunch, but today wasn't his day after getting stuck wide on a very rapid tempo upfront.
Race 8 SILVER EAGLE
strong tempo
Bias:
4w+
| Place | Silk | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Gate | Kgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vilana | James Cummings | Nash Rawiller | 9 | 56.5 | |
| 2 | Mr Mozart | Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes | Brenton Avdulla | 1 | 57.5 | |
| 3 | Brigantine | James Cummings | Ms Rachel King | 17 | 56.0 |
The Interest
After squeezing up the inside MR MOZART set a STRONG gallop over the 1300m, most horses niggled 500m out on the turn. The fresh horse VILANA ($7.5 to $6.5) travelled well though in a stalking position and sprinted impressively to win by a margin. MR MOZART brave and will be better over the 1500m of the Golden Eagle, especially if the track is wet. BRIGANTINE, KISS SUM and even the roughie GLOBAL AUSBRED (what a return!) ran well too. LOCH EAGLE and STARTANTES a touch disappointing stuck back on the inside with the bias against.
Race 9 FIVE DIAMONDS PRELUDE
| Place | Silk | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Gate | Kgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ellsberg | Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou | Brenton Avdulla | 3 | 59.5 | |
| 2 | Sibaaq | Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald | Chad Schofield | 1 | 56.0 | |
| 3 | Rebel Rama | Marc Conners | William Pike | 18 | 54.0 |
The Interest
ELLSBERG got control in-front and gave a big kick to win easily. He's a horse on the rise that rates right up to Weight-for-Age level now and has a great racing style near the pace. AYRTON a bit wide, LORD ARMORE wider and ATISHU found trouble back on the inside. A few staying types were solid to the line looking for further including ALCYONE and TOOMUCHTOBEAR out the back.
Race 10 FURPHY ANGST STAKES
fair tempo
: long sprint
Bias:
4w+
| Place | Silk | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Gate | Kgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hope In Your Heart | Kerry Parker | Craig Williams | 12 | 56.0 | |
| 2 | Honeycreeper | James Cummings | Nash Rawiller | 3 | 56.0 | |
| 3 | Finepoint | Chris Waller | Kerrin McEvoy | 2 | 54.0 |
The Interest
POLLY GREY got into a nice rhythm leading before trying to make it a test of stamina by sprinting early. HOPE IN YOUR HEART is a brave mare though and she was always going to be strong late once the leader got rolling. HONEYCREEPER very good and perhaps a touch unlucky (held up), but the winner was fighting back. FINEPOINT with some excuses up the inside. WONDERFUL RIRI ran on late after getting too far back and outsprinted on the turn.