Everest runner bypasses trial

Carmel Size, who manages the racing interests of Hong Kong-based owner Boniface Ho, tweeted on Sunday morning that the gelded son of Not a Single Doubt would remain ‘at home’ tomorrow rather than gallop over 900 metres against the likes of Sunlight, Tenley and Prince Fawaz.

For the Classique Legend fans, just to let you know he will not be trialling on Monday. He had a slight nasal discharge this morning -nothing serious but we are erring on the side of caution and will keep him at home. Horse is coming up a treat. https://twitter.com/hashtag/HorseComesFirst?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="nofollow - #HorseComesFirst https://twitter.com/hashtag/Legend?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="nofollow - #Legend https://t.co/bqnyUdxEI3" rel="nofollow - pic.twitter.com/bqnyUdxEI3

— Carmel...size (@carmelsize) https://twitter.com/carmelsize/status/1160360155403317248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="nofollow - August 11, 2019

The Les Bridge-trained Classique Legend has raced four times for three wins with prizemoney of $773,500. He claimed the G2 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint (1200m) at his most recent start on April 13 at Randwick.

Connections of Classique Legend purchased GPI Racing’s vacated Everest slot in May, ensuring their star sprinter would be prepared for the $14m 1200-metre contest at Randwick on October 19.

Mark Twain’s 1897 observations may well be lost on NSW Racing rottweiler Peter V’landys, a man who seems sadly incapable of appreciating that prestige and class is not acquired in a Weeties packet, or by throwing as much cash as is required.

He boasts the richest sprint race in the world, the 70-second stampede known as The Everest. It’s worth $6 million more than our Cup but a water-sport equivalent would be a bunch of bogans on jet skis taking on the Sydney-to-Hobart maxis.

The English Derby aside, no flat race in the world can compare with the history of the Melbourne Cup.

How V’landys must cringe when he constantly hears it referred to as “the race that stops a nation”, when tools are downed and once-a-year punters cheer home their selections from the office sweep."

An excerpt from an article written by Jon Anderson in this morning's press

I see Tony McEvoy has come out and suggested“The Melbourne Cup has lost its Australian-ness,” This is our big race now. This is Australia’s race. The internationals are going to come for this, too, but over the years we’ve been too good for them at this distance (1200m). We can’t compete with them at the staying distance (3200m) of a Melbourne Cup. You look at all the results of all the staying races in the country and the winners are all imports, sadly.”

McEvoy adds: “It’s what we’ve created. We did this ourselves. We went to the yearling sales and started to buy speed. The breeders thought they had to breed to the market. We’ve created this situation ourselves increasing the loss of connection with punters and the public. “I don’t spend any time looking at the Melbourne Cup because you don’t know any of the horses,” McEvoy says. “You don’t get the great old storylines you used to get. I do find it a little sad. I remember being out in the schoolyard and listening to it on the amplifier. These days I’ve heard of schools not even watching or listening to the race. I really do think that’s sad. The Prince of Penzance story was a great one, but that’s a rarity.

Tony makes a few valid points but also glosses over a few.

A. McEvoy is not a noted trainer of two mile stayers. I might be corrected, but he once did train the winner of the Adelaide Cup.

B. Etienne De Mestre, George Hanlon and Bart Cummings would be turning in their graves to think that an Australian trainer would regard winning a 1200 metre sprint as more challenging and satisfying than preparing a horse and winning the Cup.

C. For Heavens sake The Everest is named after a mountain peak in the Himalayas , which has little to no connection to Australia. Surely they could have found a more appropriate name for "Australia's" now "big race."

D. McEvoy laments that punters cannot relate to the form of the imported horses and have lost connection to the race.As far as I can remember the Cup has always attracted the once- a -year punters. who like those next month , had no idea of the form of the runners, jockeys or trainers and will place bets on omens, lucky numbers, saddle cloth colours etc. Until the next year they will probably never place a bet on a horse race or enter an office sweep. 

BTW does anyone believe they will be an office sweep on The Everest at any office in Rockhampton, SwanHill or Hobart ? Thought so.

The war of words between Victoria and NSW over the timing of The Everest blew up today with Victoria’s top officials saying “try hard” Sydneysiders had a “profound inferiority complex”.

Victorian treasurer Tim Pallas fired up at comparisons between brash newcomer The Everest, the world’s richest race on turf, and the 150-year-old Melbourne Cup.

“I suppose you could compare a sprint down a straight line against a race that stops a nation if you were, I dunno, parochial and Sydney based,” he said.

“But I can’t see there are too many reasons why anybody would see that there is merit in trying to compete with something that is very much part and parcel of the tradition of this nation.”

And then he fired: “Ultimately the try-hards in Sydney can do what they want, they can throw as much money at it as they want, it really just does show that they are suffering from a profound inferiority complex.”

The Victorians have fired up after Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’landys had the temerity to suggest they move the date of the Melbourne Cup.

NSW Racing chairman Russell Balding this week called out the Victorians for blocking The Everest receiving Group One status because they wanted it to be staged on a different date.

The Everest this Saturday is on the same day as The Caulfield Cup in Victoria and its bumper crowd is expected to at least be double the numbers attending the meeting south of the border.

That clearly hurts those sensitive southern egos.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews was asked what he thought about people who say The Everest is better than the Melbourne Cup and sneered: “I don’t think much about those people.

“I don’t think that’s really a very logical argument at all. I don’t think the Everest stops the nations does it?

“There are many people around the country who are very jealous of Victoria’s major events calendar — The Melbourne Cup is the biggest horse race in our nation. It stops the nation. It will have record crowds there this year and be a fantastic event as it is every year.”

Earlier NSW Racing Minister Kevin Anderson defended the choice of date for The Everest. “People enjoy coming to Sydney for their events so it’s only natural that the richest turf race in the world is held here and on a date that works for Sydney,” he said.

“With the winner taking home $14 million, ( this bloke does not know what he is talking about the winner gets $6,050.000 ) the Everest is the first class thoroughbred race NSW was crying out for and it has delivered.”

And he backed calls for it to be given racing’s top ranking, which was blocked by Racing Victoria.

“Group one status recognises the highest thoroughbred stakes in the country, right now the Everest meets that description so all eyes are on us to see what happens next,” he said.

What Pete might have conveniently forgotten is that back in the early 2000’s RNSW was crying into its prawn chowder that Victoria was encroaching on its Autumn Carnival.

Talk about the kettle calling the pot black.