The Everest and All-Star Mile on verge of Group 1 status

There is growing confidence The Everest will be granted Group 1 status in time for this year’s event in a sign the turf war between NSW and Victoria could be over.

Trainer Joe Pride and jockey Sam Clipperton holding The Everest trophy. The race, won last year by Think About It, is set to carry Group 1 status. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

The Everest is set to gain Group 1 status and there is a golden chance it will happen before next month’s iconic $20m race.

Racenet has learned racing powerbrokers are growing in confidence that a last-minute push to make the 2024 Everest a Group 1 event will be successful.

“It is very close,” a high-placed racing insider told Racenet.

“There is a sense of urgency around this particular race (The Everest).”

It is understood one of the few remaining steps is administrative sign-off from the Asian Pattern Committee.

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It is likely a meeting of the committee will be convened at short notice and The Everest is likely to gain the Group 1 tick as well as Victoria’s All-Star Mile.

Racing NSW supremo Peter V’landys and new Racing Victoria chief Aaron Morrison have been working together for the benefit of both states after a tense racing cold war which prevailed under previous racing administrations in Victoria.

It will be one of V’landys’ proudest moments when The Everest becomes a Group 1, given he had to ward off criticism of the innovative slot race in its early years.

The Everest had its genesis when V’landys watched the inaugural running of The Pegasus in America in 2017 with its unique slot style concept – and he has since developed The Everest into the world’s highest-rated sprint race and the richest thoroughbred race on turf.

Think About It winning The Everest last year in front of a huge crowd at Randwick. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

Last month, Morrison foreshadowed there was bipartisan support for The Everest and All-Star Mile to be afforded Group 1 status.

But few racing people believed it could potentially happen before this year’s Everest, which is set to be raced at Royal Randwick on October 19.

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It will be the eighth running of The Everest and there have long been powerful voices who have pushed for the iconic sprint to become a Group 1.

Despite not having been a Group 1, it is clearly recognised as the world’s best sprint race and has been won by superstars like Nature Strip, Yes Yes Yes and Giga Kick.

A high-placed source said it was a natural outcome that The Everest and All-Star Mile would now qualify to be Group 1s based on the ratings of the races.

There are other races in both states that could also have upgrades, not just The Everest and All-Star Mile.

The All-Star Mile is also set to become a Group 1. Picture: George Sal/Racing Photos via Getty Images

The All-Star Mile, which was initially devised as an event where the racing public would vote horses into the field, was first staged in 2019 and has been won by stars Pride Of Jenni and Mr Brightside in the last two runnings.

Last month, Racing Victoria announced the All-Star Mile prizemoney would be cut from $4m to $2.5m, with the savings to fund grassroots and entry level racing.

RV ruled out the All-Star Mile becoming a slot race, with the next running to be staged at Flemington next March.

The Asian Pattern Committee members include Greg Carpenter, now a high-ranking executive at the Hong Kong Jockey Club after being one of the founding fathers of the All-Star Mile when he was a powerbroker at Racing Victoria.

Racing Queensland chief executive Jason Scott, a former wagering executive who was once top dog at Ladbrokes Australia, is also a member of the Asian Pattern Committee.

Originally published as The Everest and All-Star Mile on verge of Group 1 status