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The Toby Edmonds-trained filly Houtzen has arrived in Sydney with little expectation on her shoulders in what is an absolutely stacked field for the inaugural Everest at Randwick.
Now a 15-horse field, thanks to the scratching of Trapeze Artist, Houtzen sits a fairly non-descript 10th in the bookies market to take the richest turf race on the planet.
Despite this, the three-year-old has proven form in the past and should be far from thrown to the side as a nothing contender.
Coming off a last-start win at Moonee Valley in the Scarborough Stakes two weeks ago, she looks to be returning to the form that took her to four consecutive wins from as many starts in her debut season last year.
Edmonds says he’s happy with how she’s shaping up, pointing out the advantages of coming into a weight-for-age race like this.
“She has arrived in great order… She’s bouncing off the walls at the moment and she is really good,” said Edmonds.
Her work was super at Caulfield on Tuesday working the Sydney way and we’re really happy with where she’s at.
“She carries 51 kilograms and the older horses are carrying eight more basically so she gets her chance.”
While most runners will be carrying 58.5kg on the day, there are a few on par with Houtzen, most notably second-priced favourite She Will Reign.
She Will Reign has drawn barrier two for the big dance, right next to Houtzen who takes the closest line to the fence from barrier one.
(AAP Image/David Moir)
“We’ve drawn awkward for most of our life” Edmonds said of the draw earlier in the week.
“It’s good to get that barrier in The Everest, it’s very important to get the fence for a young horse like that against the older horses.
“It is very hard to be confident in a race like this but we’re there and we’ve drawn a good barrier and we’ll be in the race for a long way”
Vega Magic is coming in short-priced favourite despite pulling a wider barrier draw out at ten, but it’s an extremely tight line up for the big day with the aforementioned She Will Reign and the ‘Grey Flash’ Chautauqua not far behind on the odds.
The new race holds a whopping $10 million purse, the richest turf race in the world.
The Everest is only bettered by two races around the globe and both are on dirt.
The Dubai World Cup, the baby of Godolphin head honcho and rule of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is worth $13.2 million to the Australian dollar, but it falls short of the big one.
The Pegasus World Cup held in Florida has a prize purse of $15.87 million.
Nine of the 15 runners so far are sitting under $20 with the bookies, with five of those being in single figures, such is the sensational line up we have for Saturday.
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