 |
|
| Dane Squance |
 |
Saturday will see the running of the $175,000 Listed Regal Roller Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield with past winners including Vega Magic (Lope De Vega) and Osborne Bulls (Street Cry), who just two starts after their wins, went on to finish in the money of their running’s of The Everest.
Trained at the time by David Hayes and Tom Dabernig, Lucky Vega (pictured) came into the 2017 Listed Regal Roller Stakes as a last start winner of the Group 1 Goodwood Handicap, and duly saluted, interestingly defeating Brave Smash and Santa Ana Lane, who would both go on to place in different running’s of The Everest.
Winning the Group 1 Memsie Stakes next time out over 1400m, Lucky Vega dropped back to the 1200m next time, contesting the first ever running of The Everest, worth $10m in its initial year.
Starting the favourite, just ahead of Group 1 Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign, the Craig Williams ridden gelding jumped from barrier 10 in the 12 horse field and was forced to go back to try and find a position while 3yo filly Houtzen charged along the rail to take the lead with Redzel settling on her outside.
Tracking Deploy who had made a run out wide, Vega Magic was one of the widest on the turn, but it was clear that Williams had plenty of horse underneath him.
As Redzel took the lead just before the 200m mark, Williams asked for an effort and Vega Magic charged late, passing every runner ahead of him expect the Peter and Paul Snowden trained Redzel who took the prize by less than half a length.
The year after Vega Magic won the Regal Roller, the James Cummings trained Osborne Bulls commenced his campaign in Melbourne, winning the Regal Roller narrowly. Just like Vega Magic, he stepped up to the 1400m of the Memsie Stakes at his next start, but the son of Dubai World Cup winner Street Cry could only manage fifth, beaten just over a length.
Next seen in The Everest on an extremely wet track, Osbourne Bull only gained a start due to the withdrawal of his stablemate Home Of The Brave, with slot holder the Australian Turf Club selecting the runner from six emergencies for the race.
The equal outsider when the field jumped away chasing a share of the $13m in prizemoney, jockey Tommy Berry missed the start ever so slightly with the gelding settling last in the run behind Redzel who took up the running.
Travelling last and wide, Berry made the decision to pull Osbourne Bull to urge towards the outside fence as the turned for home.
As Kerrin McEvoy kicked clear on Redzel who would record back to back wins in the race, Berry chased hard down the outside fence to charge into third place, with the Gerald Ryan trained Champion 3Yo Colt Trapeze Artist finishing in third.
With a field of 12 runners accepting for the Listed Regal Roller Stakes, including last start Group 1 Goodwood Handicap winner Lombardo (just like Vega Magic), only time will tell if this year’s field can once again supply an Everest contender, and with seven slots still up for grabs, anything is possible.