Trainer Peter Moody confirms stunning TJ Smith Stakes winner I Wish I Win will be set for The Everest in spring

Trainer Peter Moody will set I Wish I Win for The Everest following his stunning TJ Smith Stakes win on the weekend.

I Wish I Win racing away for victory in the Tj Smith Stakes Picture: Jeremy Ng

TRAINER Peter Moody has confirmed there is considerable The Everest slot-holder interest for I Wish I Win, the spectacular TJ Smith Stakes winner at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

“I’ve had a few (slot-holders) contact me even leading into the TJ,’’ Moody said. “There has certainly been significant interest in this horse for The Everest.

“But anyone who has spoken to me I’ve just said we will let the dust settle for a couple of weeks.

“This is new territory for (owner) Mark Chittick and myself, we haven’t been in this situation before of knowing how to handle and deal with the offers put forward to us.

“We might need to speak to a few people who have been down this road before but The Everest is now the race we want to target in the spring.’’

I Wish I Win vaulted into $6 equal favouritism with Giga Kick for the $15 million The Everest (1200m) at Royal Randwick on October 14 after they ran the quinella in the TJ Smith Stakes.

In a stunning last-to-first effort, I Wish I Win gave another demonstration of his immense talent to run down last year’s The Everest winner Giga Kick near the line.

Luke Nolen is all smiles after guiding I Wish I Win to victory in the TJ Smith Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

Mazu, which ran third in the TJ Smith Stakes, is the only sprinter so far confirmed as an Everest runner this year but it should only be a matter of time before I Wish I Win and Giga Kick are locked in for the world’s richest sprint race.

Moody, famous as the trainer of the incomparable Black Caviar, admitted: “I’m not sure how good I Wish I Win is, I’m not sure the horse knows either!”

I Wish I Win’s TJ Smith Stakes success vindicated Moody’s decision to train the gelding as a sprinter when it was widely thought he would appreciate getting out to a middle distance as his breeding suggests.

But Moody, who shares in the ownership of I Wish I Win with Chittick, said the four-year-old is blessed with superior acceleration.

“In his first preparation with us last spring, I trained him as a mile (1600m), mile-and-a-quarter (2000m) horse as I had my heart set on the Cox Plate,’’ Moody said.

“But in his Toorak run (fifth) I had an inkling he wasn’t going to get a lot further than a mile.

“We readjusted and went to the Golden Eagle and he showed his turn of foot that day.’’

After the Golden Eagle win, Moody felt he had found I Wish I Win’s calling.

“I said to Mark I’d love to train him as a sprinter,’’ Moody said. “We both looked at one another and questioned my sanity.

“Then we wanted to see if we were kidding ourselves thinking we could chase an Everest slot with this bloke and up until (last Saturday) it wasn’t definite.

“But I think he deserves his chance now after winning the TJ Smith. We will go home and map out a program towards The Everest. It will probably be something similar, third run in and have him cherry ripe on the day.’’

Moody all but ruled out keeping I Wish I Win in training for the Group 1 $1.5 million All Aged Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick on April 15, revealing the horse was on a float Sunday morning returning to the trainer’s Pakenham property.

“The All Aged was on the radar but I’ve sent the horse home (Sunday morning),’’ Moody said. “I would say it is highly doubtful he will come back for the All Aged, it is sort of a case of job done now.’’

Originally published as Trainer Peter Moody confirms stunning TJ Smith Stakes winner I Wish I Win will be set for The Everest in spring