Make or break: Past two winners in danger of missing $20m Everest

They have previously won the world’s richest turf race, but the fortunes of Think About It and Giga Kick could come down to 70 hectic seconds on Saturday as they chase a shot at an Everest slot.

The Everest — the world’s richest turf race — is going to be so competitive this month that the past two winners are in danger of missing a start.

Giga Kick, the 2022 Everest winner, and last year’s champ, Think About It, clash in the Group 2 $1 million Premiere Stakes at Royal Randwick on Saturday in what is shaping as a make-or-break race for The Everest selection.

The Premiere winner will almost certainly gain a slot in the elite 12-horse field for the $20 million TAB Everest (1200m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

There are six confirmed Everest starters – I Wish I Win, Bella Nipotina, Joliestar, Stefi Magnetica, I Am Me and Bustling – with a seventh, Sunshine In Paris virtually a lock for the Fairway Thoroughbred slot that is managed by the mare’s owner, John Camillieri.

So, months of preparation will come down to less than the 70 seconds it will take to run the Premiere Stakes on Saturday.

Giga Kick, left, and Think About It, right, have won The Everest before, but to have another crack this year, they have to first win their spot. Pictures: News Corp

The Premiere Stakes is one of the feature races on the blockbuster Epsom Handicap meeting at Royal Randwick on Saturday that is part of a bumper long weekend for sport in Sydney.

On Sunday, the NRL Grand Final at Accor Stadium is a showdown between three-time defending premiers, Penrith Panthers and this season’s minor premiers, Melbourne Storm.

The Australian Turf Club is offering NRL Grand Final ticketholders free entry to the Epsom meeting at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

Then the countdown to The Everest, run at Royal Randwick on October 19, begins in earnest with the final field taking shape after the Premiere Stakes.