Charm Stone Faces Everest's Tough Selection Process
Champion Mare Must Audition For Racing's Richest Prize
Even a Group One-winning mare like Charm Stone isn't guaranteed entry to racing's richest race. The Manikato Stakes becomes a high-pressure audition for slot holders - win and the offers come, lose and watch from the sidelines.
Charm Stone stood in the winner's circle at Morphettville in April, draped in the flowers of Group One glory after her commanding victory in the Robert Sangster Stakes. Yet four months later, this Group One winner faces an extraordinary predicament - she must win the Group 1 Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley on September 26 to earn the right to compete in The Everest. Despite her elite credentials, the US$1.02 million yearling purchase has no guaranteed entry to racing's richest prize, where victory could transform her from a promising mare into a A$20 million champion.
This is Gr.1 The TAB Everest's harsh reality, where slot holders control every starting position, making the Manikato Stakes the ultimate high-pressure audition. Win, and the phone calls come flooding in. Lose, and watch from the sidelines as others chase racing's biggest payday.
"We have not been offered a slot at the moment," trainer Mick Price admits with weary honesty. "Now, things change up until the last minute, and if she wins the Manikato, there'll be slot holders that want to offer a deal to their owners, and then I would say we would go to The Everest."
The daughter of I Am Invincible embodies the peculiar contradiction of The TAB Everest - a mare who stormed to Group One glory but must now convince commercial interests that she deserves another chance. Twelve slots, sold for US$462,000 each, create a secondary market where champions become commodities to be evaluated, negotiated over, and potentially discarded if the numbers don't add up.
Why This Champion Requires Double Transport Space
Behind every great racehorse lies a revealing character trait, and Charm Stone's includes one of racing's more endearing quirks that perfectly mirrors her TAB Everest predicament. The imposing bay mare refuses to stay in an enclosed space, transforming routine travel into elaborate logistical exercises that require double the usual space.
"Well, we've had to teach her to be a good traveller on horse transport," Price explains with patient understanding. "So, she's quite a sizable mare. She does not like enclosed spaces. You'll notice on her form, on her gear, she's got a stallion chain."
That stallion chain warns of her challenging temperament - equipment typically reserved for racing's most difficult characters. "So, stallion chain is where you can encourage them into the barrier with no jockey on. But with a stallion chain, you get the jockey off for safety, you lead them in with a stallion chain into that small space, and she touches the sides and gets a little bit claustrophobic."
The solution reveals the lengths to which connections will go for special horses, but comes at double the cost. "So, when we travel her, we need to make sure she has double space. When you travel by horse, you pay for one space. When we travel here, we pay for two spaces. So, she can get her big backside in and have a bit of a move around and not touch the sides, in which case she travels beautifully."
The metaphor is perfect - a horse requiring two seats on the transport bus must somehow secure that single, precious invitation to racing's biggest stage. In Group One's spectacle slot system, space is the ultimate luxury, and Charm Stone requires twice what others do to feel comfortable.
Taking A 'Big Track' Mare To Racing's Tightest Turn
The Group 1 Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley represents everything Charm Stone isn't built for, yet it's her only path to Gr.1 The Everest glory. Price's assessment creates the classic David versus Goliath narrative - a stretchy, leggy mare forced to compete on racing's most claustrophobic circuit.
"Well, actually, Moonee Valley itself is a very tight course, and that doesn't fill me with confidence, because if you look at Charm Stone, you'll see a beautiful, stretchy, leggy,4YO mare," he states with characteristic honesty. "I think she's suited to the big tracks, but she has won at Moonee Valley, and it is a Group 1, and sometimes you have to go where the races are."
That final phrase captures the eternal trainer's dilemma—the compromise between ideal circumstances and available opportunities. The tight track versus her natural build creates a compelling underdog narrative, magnified by the Group One spectacle's demands for performance on schedule rather than when conditions align perfectly.
"She's got to go for the Group Ones. She's a Group One mare. If the Group Ones were at Caulfield, Flemington, or somewhere else, I'd be feeling a bit better. But you've got to have a go, don't you?"
His preparation remains meticulous despite these concerns. "She trialled at Caulfield this morning on a tight track there and trialled really well. That was her first trial back. So, I have a plan for her, which will go to trial next Monday at Cranbourne. They're always good trials there, good jockeys, good surface, good competitors."
The attention extends beyond simple fitness work. "Then we'll go to Moonee Valley on the Monday morning before Friday the 26th of September. It's like an hour and a half trip from Cranbourne. It will adrenalise her a little bit more, and she'll have a good gallop around the course proper there at Moonee Valley and have a refresher back at that tight track."
Price's candid assessment amplifies the pressure surrounding the Manikato Stakes - this represents more than a Group One, it's an audition where the stage couldn't be less suited to his mare's natural attributes.
The Slot Holders' Commercial Reality
The TAB Everest's unique position in racing stems from its revolutionary slot system that transforms traditional racing dynamics, yet the memory that endures isn't the performance but the surrounding theatre.
"I remember we were out on Sydney Harbour on this magnificent yacht, and they had the fireworks. Nowadays, they have 500 drones up in the air, and they go up, and it says, 'The TAB Everest,' and there's champagne everywhere. For the owners and their connections, it's a significant build-up. It's very exciting."
The race demands more than simple speed. "A bit of a misconception that you need a wet tracker, because Sydney in October can be very wet, especially Randwick. Randwick is located on the coast, and Sydney experiences a significant amount of coastal rain, as well as tropical rain. Some years have been very heavy on the track, and some years have been good, but I think you need a 1200-meter sprinter with stamina."
His assessment proves uncompromising about the race's genuine demands: "If you have a 1200-meter horse that can get away with a race on a soft lead, he could not win Gr.1 The Everest. It's never a soft horse's race. It's a genuine 1200-meter test. So, although it's only 1200 meters, it's a test of speed and stamina, and you've got to be lucky to handle the track."
Success requires the precise alignment of multiple factors, with timing proving to be crucial. "Well, there are a few things. One, you've got to have the right horse, then with the nature of the terms and conditions of the race , you've got to have a slot holder that wants you. So, if you get all those things happening, you then must get your timing right. I believe timing is crucial for winning big races. You can have the right horse, but if your timing is wrong, well, it just doesn't work, does it?"
September 26: The Date That Changes Everything
For Charm Stone, the logistics prove complex. "She does have to travel from Melbourne to Sydney, which is 1000 kilometres, which is an extra layer of risk ; their travel, their hydration, their immune system. We do have a permanent stable in Sydney, which makes it easier."
The timeline works in her favour. "I've got three weeks. Two weeks are squeezy. Three weeks is good. It gives me time for her to get over the Manikato."
Price's experience with her racing patterns adds complexity to the situation. "Last time first up in the Robert Sangster, she won that race first up, and we brought her back home from Adelaide, which is 1000 kilometres. I thought she was right off the bat, but she didn't perform, and I still don't know why. Maybe she's a mare that adrenalineises up fairly well at a first-up run and then a second-up run - maybe she doesn't adrenalineise up so well."
Racing's unpredictability fascinates him. "No horse trainer ever knows all the answers, which makes it such a challenging career, but that's also the fun of it. It's the stress of it, too. Anyway, we'll do our best and we'll see what happens. But I think we can achieve it."
The cultural transformation has been remarkable. "It's a A$20 million race. It's the race that basically stops Sydney. They have a song - they stop the course with 'Sweet Caroline'. The whole crowd takes on Neil Diamond. It's a great atmosphere. It's aimed at the demographic, and the younger demographic embraces it, which I think is great for racing."
For now, all roads lead to Moonee Valley on September 26. Victory opens doors to Gr.1 The Everest's exclusive field and racing's biggest prize. The slot system continues to create compelling storylines whilst rewarding excellence.