 |
|
| Staff Writer |
 |
When A$15 million in prize money is at stake, every fraction of a second counts, and the horses and jockeys must leave no stone unturned. In last year's race, the world's best sprinter, Nature Strip, won by a slide-ahead margin after taking out the A$15 million Everest. He did so by nipping ahead of a fast-closing Masked Crusader and Eduardo.
Whoever wins Saturday's The Everest at Royal Randwick will go down in history, and the barrier draw could have a significant impact on the betting markets. Simply put, the barrier draw is the method by which the starting positions and loading gates for a horse race are assigned. The barrier at position one is the inside one and is closest to the inside fence, while the barrier at position twelve is the outside one and is farthest from the running rail. The reality is that a horse's starting position in a race does have some bearing on the outcome, despite the fact that some trainers, jockeys, and punters will give it a great deal of weight and others will pay it little attention.
The Randwick 1200m course is likely the only one that provides every horse a chance, regardless of the starting gate. It has a long, straight run up to the final turn, so horses from wide barriers don't have to constantly turn and cover more ground than their rivals from closer to the rail. However, there are some courses where an inside gate is a necessity. If a horse is unable to get near the fence after the start, as is the case on Rosehill's 1100m metre course, they will have to cover a lot more ground than their competitors. Considering there have only been five runnings of the race, no clear trends have emerged among the victorious starting blocks. On average, 12 participants will enter the race each time it is held.
Redzel, a two-time winner, took advantage of his luck when he drew barrier four in the inaugural race in 2017 and gate one in the following year. He is known for his preference to lead or race close to the frontrunners. However, Yes Yes Yes (from stall nine) and Classique Legend (from stall six) demonstrated that it is possible to win with wider barriers, and last year's winner Nature Strip broke from stall 10.
Officially, the barrier draw will be done via a drone show over Sydney Harbour on Tuesday night. It will follow several years of spectacular exhibitions to reveal the barriers for all 12 runners, using landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Opera House, and Sydney Tower.
Technically, however, the barrier draw will take place in the offices of Racing NSW earlier in the day with only the reveal to take place later that night. All betting will be suspended on the race on Tuesday morning.