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| Dane Squance |
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With three of the five Everest winners having resumed their spring campaigns by winning the Group 3 Concorde Stakes, Saturday’s running of the $500,000 1000m sprint sees two leading runners having already secured slots for this year’s running of the $15m race, while depending on the result, there could be further potential slot contenders.
Won in 2017 and 2018 by Peter and Paul Snowden’s Redzel who two starts later won the Everest for Kerrin McEvoy and Triple Crown Syndications in consecutive years, it was Nature Strip in 2021 that also won the race enroute to success in the Everest.
In 2019, the Everest winner Yes Yes Yes took a very different path to any other winner of the race. Aged three, the colt finished first up in the Group 2 Run To The Rose before second again in the Group 1 Golden Rose before dropping back from 1400m to claim the Everest.
Classique Legend who was successful in the 2020 commenced his campaign by winning the Group 2 Shorts before winning the Everest off the back of second in the Group 2 Premiere. What is interesting about this Everest win was that Gytrash finished third, and he had won the Group 3 Concorde Stakes, clearly highlighting that the Concorde is a solid form race leading into the Everest.
This year’s race sees the clash of Group 1 winners Masked Crusader for Hawkes Racing and Eduardo for Joe Pride who finished second and third respectively last year in the Everest behind Nature Strip.
In the field of nine, Eduardo is sure to start the race favourite, while Godolphin will saddle up three runners in Athelric, Zapateo and Andermatt, all with solid chances.
Bjorn Baker will start impressive barrier trial winner Malkovich, while last season’s Group 1 The Galaxy winner Shelby Sixtysix, who likes Masked Crusader is a son of Swettenham Stud’s Toronado, could be an Everest wildcard possibility if he can resume in form.
