Sydney traffic, Ryan Moore and a neutral Switzerland: Inside story of the last Everest decision

According to its bio, the Land Rover Defender is the type of SUV that can go from zero to 100km/h in as quick as 4.2 seconds – but not when you are gridlocked in the middle of James Ruse Drive, as a frustrated Coolmore Australia boss Tom Magnier was on Monday morning.

Magnier, one of the most respected and wealthiest men in the racing industry, is stuck in Sydney traffic as he and his right-hand man, Sean Keogh, travel to have one last look at two star thoroughbreds before choosing which one will race in Coolmore’s slot in The Everest on Saturday. Which horse? Storm Boy or Switzerland? Which trainer? Gai Waterhouse or Chris Waller?

To help him decide, Magnier is determined to have a look at Switzerland one last time in the flesh at Waller’s Rosehill base. Then, he will tackle the traffic again and drive to Randwick for Waterhouse and Adrian Bott’s stable tour to see Storm Boy.

Finally he settles on Storm Boy.

Of all the ways for the last horse to be chosen for this year’s The Everest, the last painstaking deal to be done after months of spinning and setbacks and backstabbing, surely there had to be a better way than being stuck in this city’s traffic trying to get between the stables of Sydney’s two highest-profile trainers?

But Magnier had wanted to see both prospective runners one last time up close and personal. Despite all the information available to him – the form, the charts, the weather forecasts, the race maps – perhaps the most significant factor for Magnier was what horse breeders always trust most: the eye test.

Storm Boy leaves his rivals in his wake in the San Domenico Stakes in August.Credit: Getty Images

Which sprinter looked like they were ready to run the race of their lives in The Everest? Which one would catch his eye?

“Both horses looked magnificent,” he shrugged later.

Nash Rawiller pushes Switzerland out to the post in the Roman Consul Stakes.Credit: Getty Images

Sitting in the traffic, Magnier and Keogh hit the phones to canvas opinions. They speak to Storm Boy’s regular track-work rider, Adam Hyeronimus. “He’s come on since his last run,” Hyeronimus tells them.

The thoughts of jockey Nash Rawiller from Saturday after Switzerland won the Roman Consul Stakes started swirling in the heads of Magnier and Keogh, who’d seen both horses on the farm a few months ago. He was the best barometer for the eye test. They picked up the phone to arguably the world’s best jockey, Ryan Moore, on the other side of the planet. What did he think?

But the most feverish phone calls were reserved for the respective trainers, Bott and Waller, once they’d wiggled free from the roads.

It would be natural to think any trainer would be desperate for their horse to take up one of 12 spots in The Everest. Switzerland’s boss Waller was, fittingly, neutral about it all. He could see the benefit, but there was also risk attached.

It’s not because he doesn’t want to win The Everest. But with the stallion-making Coolmore Stud Stakes on next month against horses his own age, the thought of backing him up against prized fighters with age and experience on their side, seven days after his last run, didn’t sit entirely comfortable with him.

“At some point in the afternoon, Switzerland was going to be running on Saturday,” Magnier said. “But Adrian was so confident in Storm Boy, we had to take that into account.”

It sounds almost as if they had been talking to Bott’s training partner, Waterhouse, who is never one to undersell her horses’ chances.

“He’s very confident in Storm Boy and that he’s ready to win on Saturday,” Magnier said. “When you have a trainer like Adrian telling you that, it gives you confidence to make the decision we did.

“But It’s probably the toughest decision I’ve had to make.”

Now for the real question: is it the right one?

Saturday will provide the answer but Magnier’s father certainly thinks so. Like any good son, Magnier sought the final approval from his father, Irish businessman John, who built Coolmore into a global breeding giant. Tom had to wait for him to be awake before phoning.

“I back the team in Australia,” John told him. “You’ve got the decision right 100 per cent.”

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