The Everest 2020: From traders to tradies, guests for world’s richest race
Princes and paupers, traders and tradies, rich or poor — in just four years The Everest has become the $15 million racing mountain everyone wants to climb.
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Princes and paupers, traders and tradies, rich or poor — in just four years The Everest has become the $15 million racing mountain everyone wants to climb.
This year the world’s richest race on turf has attracted a cross section of society from royal palaces to the back bar of The Royal pub.
“The Everest is an incredible concept,” Coolmore’s Tom Magnier said.
“It is a race that has captured the imagination of people from all corners of the globe and the entire racing world will have their eyes on Randwick on Everest day.”
Coolmore’s slot in the race will be filled by Santa Ana Lane which is owned by The William Street Syndicate, a group of wealthy Melbourne business tycoons who are all members of the exclusive and prestigious The Australian Club in William St, Melbourne.
By contrast Behemoth, the biggest horse in the race, cost just $6000 as a yearling and is owned by a group of 13 Aussie battlers including a concreter and a retired school principal who bought shares in the horse through Grand Syndicates.
“Our owners are Aussie battlers who have bought a horse from the cheapest end of the market and now we have one shareholder in line to win more than $500,000,” Grand Syndicates racing manager Sam Lyons said.
“We are proud to be the underdogs and now we are taking on the best and richest in the world.”
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Sitting at the top of that jewel-encrusted pile is His Highness sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum whose enormous Godolphin racing stable in Australia has two runners in the big race.
Bivouac, trained by James Cummings, is jumping out of the slot owned by Godolphin.
The Sheik’s other horse, Trekking, is running out of a slot owned by King’s Cross identity Max Whitby and Neil Werrett.
Mr Werrett also has shares in Tofane with co-owners from his Black Caviar glory days, which will run out of a slot owned by Chinese billionaire Yuesheng Zhang.
Mr Werrett said: “When we were thinking of our Everest horse, we got it down to Trekking or Libertini. At the time, Libertini had not raced this spring and we wanted to lock in our horse so we decided to go with Trekking.”
That left Libertini, co-owned by Aussie larrikin millionaires Gerry Harvey and John Singleton, to find a berth in a slot owned by bloodstock agent James Harron. It is an auspicious spot – Redzel jumped from there to win the inaugural Everest in 2017.
And Mr Harvey believes anything can happen over the 1200m sprint. “This is a race that baulks at the accepted wisdom in racing,” he said.
That is why the 2000 mum and dad members of The Racing League can have Eduardo, owned and trained by Joe Pride, jumping from an $880,000 slot they jointly own against the Chris Waller-trained Nature Strip, coming out of a slot owned by betting giant TAB.
In contrast to Eduardo’s owners, who include Fox Sports presenter Yvonne Sampson, Nature Strip is owned by a syndicate of businessmen including former All Blacks coach Steve Hanson.
Unlike any other race, The Everest brings together unlikely partnerships with frantic deals being done behind closed doors between the purchaser of the slot in the race and the owners of prospective runners.
Mr Singleton was not a fan of the revolutionary approach initially but conceded: “I didn’t understand it, mate”. Now he believes it is a “great concept”.
A concept that can see Hong Kong businessman Boniface Ho buy the slot owned by the Australian Turf Club for one year just to get his horse, Classique Legend, trained by 82-year-old Les Bridge, a run.
That has fed into some family rivalries with jockey Kieran McEvoy riding Classique Legend against Dollar for Dollar which is trained by his uncle Tony McEvoy and jumps out of a slot owned by Hong Kong-based businessman Tony Fung’s Aquis Farm.
The Everest concept also helped “an agreement” to be reached between trainer and slot owner Chris Waller and Victorian breeder Three Bridges Thoroughbreds to allow their mare to become the last horse to join the field.
But if there was any horse that summed up the spirit of The Everest it is Gytrash, which is in the slot owned by Inglis, Australia’s oldest bloodstock auctioneer. It is trained by Gordan Richards out of South Australia and cost just $40,000 to buy as a yearling.
Among his owners is 92-year-old retired teacher Valerie Gordan who called Mr Richards and offered to buy a share because “I liked his pedigree”.
After a lifetime following and buying shares in racehorses she hopes Gytrash will win The Everest based on an assessment that it is “a combination of a little bit of acumen and a lot of luck.’’
TOMMY BERRY’S BIGGEST FANS
Jockey Tommy Berry’s biggest supporters will not be at The Everest on Saturday — they will be dressed in racing silks and bouncing on the sofa at home.
“My family are my biggest supporters,” said Berry, who has four children with wife Sharnee.
“Sharnee obviously hasn’t been able to bring them to the races recently because of COVID-19, but they cheer me on at home watching the TV.”
And they will be his inspiration at 4.15pm on Saturday when he rides Victorian raider Tofane in The Everest.
“I strive for greatness because I want them to be proud of me when they grow up,” Berry said.
The couple named their eldest son Kaiden Nathan, 5, after his twin brother Nathan, who died unexpectedly from a rare form of epilepsy while riding in Singapore aged just 23.
After every victory Tommy clasps his hands together and looks up to his brother.
Berry and Sharnee have two other sons, Levi, 2, and Nate, 1, and a daughter, Charlise, 3.
Win or lose on Saturday, Berry will follow his usual routine.
“I like to make it a rule not to ride on Sundays. It’s well-known that it’s a family day for me,” he said.
“I have a nice feed on Saturday night with the family and then I enjoy my Sunday with them.”
Originally published as The Everest 2020: From traders to tradies, guests for world’s richest race