The Everest is only in its second year, yet it is has already run into more controversy than many other sporting events have in their entire lifetimes.
The controversy is not just around the issues that normally dog the racing industry, that of the evils of gambling and the treatment of racehorses. It is more the insistence of Racing NSW and the NSW government to turn it into an event that not only rivals the Melbourne Cup, but attempts to supplant it.
There are many problems with this. The major one is simple: the Everest is not the Melbourne Cup and never will be no matter how or where it is promoted.
The efforts of the NSW Racing authorities to try to promote it have led to public outrage.
The debate about whether an event such as The Everest should be promoted on the Opera House has been won by the NSW Government, but in doing so they have allied themselves with Alan Jones.
His bullying of the head of the Opera House Trust was wrong, shameful and disgusting but also unsurprising.
What was surprising was the lack of support she received, and the lack of real public condemnation of Alan Jones from anyone connected to the race.
The Everest (yeah, the one from the Opera House ads) (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
By putting the interests of the race above any kind of public decency, the Government and Racing NSW have put a stain onto The Everest itself, and made it a symbol for everything that is wrong in the Racing Industry – an industry that seems to consistently put money above morality, especially in NSW.
Sure, the Melbourne Cup and Racing Victoria get accused of the same thing, but never demonstrate it in such a public way. For example, when Winx was projected onto Flinders Street Station recently, no one batted an eyelid, because it was the celebration of a sporting achievement, not the promotion of an event.
It’s doubtful if anyone would have cared if the winner of The Everest was projected onto the Opera House either, but the racing authorities in NSW were determined to get the maximum possible coverage for the Race. And their hunger for publicity has now come back to bite them.
And now comes the news that the Racing NSW is lobbying members of the NSW Parliament, particularly the opposition, to declare ‘Everest Day’ a public holiday. This appears to be just another attempt to turn the Everest into the new Melbourne Cup. But surely the time for a horse race to be the reason for a public holiday has passed?
The specific reasons for the Melbourne Cup holiday are very much of the 19th century, and can’t be repeated now. The Melbourne Cup public holiday now has an identity separate to that of the race itself.
The Melbourne Cup. There’s nothing like it. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images for the VRC)
The Melbourne Cup can still maintain its illusion of being a race of the people, despite its prize money, and the number of recent winners owned by millionaires. The race is still a handicap, and as such, the illusion of equality is maintained – all horses are theoretically given the same chance of victory, and therefore the betting markets are more open.
This is one of the reasons why the Melbourne Cup, of all the Spring Carnival races, became the feature. The 2016 victory of Prince of Penzance has further solidified this reputation of a race which any horse can win.
The Everest has none of this. It is unashamedly a race for the rich and the upper echelons of society.
It costs $600,000 to buy a slot for the race, and you still need to find a horse on top of that (if you don’t have one already). Compared to that, the price of around $50,000 to secure a Melbourne Cup run seems like a bargain.
The ‘Weight for Age’ nature of The Everest might allow for a more ‘pure’ race, but that is at the expense of fairness. Proponents of The Everest would say that the high entry fee of the race encourages the entry only of horses that can win. That might be so, but it’s still not a fair system.
Entries into The Melbourne Cup must still be earned, and as such it still has ‘battlers’ associated with it, even if they rarely win (and even if they are not truly ‘battlers’ by any measure).
The ability to buy (and the price of) entry into The Everest means that only the super rich will ever have a chance to win it.
The Everest can never be the Melbourne Cup, and will always struggle for acceptance amongst the wider population.
The ill-timed and ill-advised fight to advertise the race on the Opera House, seemingly against the wishes of a large proportion of the population, has made the event seem like a race that caters only for the rich and the powerful.
Racing at Flemington. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Racing is already not accepted as a legitimate sport by a large minority of the population, and the actions of Alan Jones, the NSW Government, the Prime Minister and others in literally projecting a still not entirely accepted event onto a beloved icon has done little to change people’s minds on the issue.
The Melbourne Cup is accepted as part of the culture precisely because it’s more than a race, but the Everest, in promoting itself as the world’s richest race, is an event for the elite, and its place in the Australian sporting calendar will not be secure until it can shake this image.
peeeko
Roar Guru
congratulations. many vics go to the races. however in terms of qualityo f horses and racing the slipper and doncaster carnivals are equal to the melbourne spring
peeeko
Roar Guru
the writer shows a poor understanding abuot horse racing. doesnt understand how the slots work and how the WFA system is better.
Kangas
Roar Rookie
J t It’s all selective A lot of punters in nsw don’t care for Victorian racing I like the Cox Plate and guineas day But derby day and Cup day are anti climatic imo It’s all subjective, neither of us are right or wrong
J.T. Delacroix
Guest
Sydney has had over a century to build a racing carnival to match Melbourne’s Spring. Unable to come even close. This Everest hype smacks of desperation & oneupmanship. The Cox Plate, Caulfield Cup, VRC Derby, & Melb Cup days will continue to take Sydney racing to the cleaners for years to come. Never a safer bet.
Kangas
Roar Rookie
Astute comments Redzel is a syndicated horse with many owners . Snowden was a country boy originally before he worked for John Hawkes and made his fame and fortune Kris lees and Darren weir the country trainers done good , have as a good a chance as anyone of winning the Everest
Kangas
Roar Rookie
Spot on Nsw prize money is the envy of the vics I feel most of the negative vibe for the Everest is coming from Victoria. Not sure why they worried. The vics need to give Aussie’s the same ballot conditions they give the eurpoeans . In the end the Melb cup is just a handicap and only attracts the second stringers from Europe
Kangas
Roar Rookie
Kris Lees , Darren Weir and the Snowden’s were country people, they earned their way to the top I do like the Kosciuszko also
Kangas
Roar Rookie
I agree punter And the Melbourne Cup has lost its lustre and is unattainable to the Aussie battler because we don’t breed stayers and only the rich can buy them from Europe I would think the golden slipper and golden rose are the highlights for many Syndicated horses make the sprinting races the dream of many . Just last year the podiatrist from Cessnock owner the slipper winner .
Kangas
Roar Rookie
In weight for age races it’s considered a level playing field Because the allowance for mares and colts and fillies is because they are considered to be not as strong or fully mature as the older males . Winx gets a small allowance being a mare , but she would bulldoze the makes regardless
Larry1950
Guest
Just a case of Sydney trying to outdo Melbourne & it will never supplant the Melbourne cup no matter which gimmick they try. I'm a qlder so it's not parochial from me but the Everest just can't invent tradition, after all, the race is named after a mountain in Nepal FFS. At least with the Melbourne cup they can tweak the order of entry & stop subsidising travel costs for overseas stayers if there's a local backlash. Just from what I saw of last year's Everest crowd, it's made up of millenials who'll drift off to some new instant gratification event pretty quickly, after all, the idiots running the big bash thought it was a good idea to have spectators in a pool at the Gabba, oh for one of our famous lightning storms!
pakistanstar
Guest
The Melbourne Cup is a race for the battlers, that'll do me. Last year's Everest was won by Redzel who is owned in a syndicate that comprises of everyday Australians plus this year we have Viddora running who's ownership is almost 100% everyday Aussies. The last 2 Melbourne Cups have been won by horses owned by Lloyd Williams, who is an unashamed millionaire tall poppy who's only interested in buying horses from overseas to win large prizemoney. You're right in saying that The Everest can't or won't be the Melbourne Cup but that's point of the race, to be new and different. The sooner you and all other Victorians work that out the better.
buttery
Roar Rookie
The Melbourne Cup has become in my eyes a race for European horses to run off with our prize money, even if our punters buy an imported galloper & race him here pre race, the European breeders & buyers are still getting our money, & it seems to be easier for them to qualify, i will still have a bet on it but can't get the excitement I used to, now the Everest is a very exciting race, the lead in races have seen the favourites win & lose, injuries have changed the complexion of the race. I am intrigued by the negativity of people, what is wrong with asking for a public holiday for the race & advertising it as much as possible, what is wrong with the Govt getting behind it. It is interesting to see the trainers in Victoria complaining about Not matching NSW prize money.
Mick Jeffrey
Roar Rookie
If there's a race on the card that will be for everyday Australians it would be the Kosciuszko. More Australians identity with the bush battler rather than the tall poppies that own both the slots and the horses in the Everest.
Ashley
Guest
Completely agree The Everest is a fabrication - trying to be something is not. As a punter im interested (of course) but it has and never will be remotely like the Cup. The authorities involved are missing an opportunity by trying to place it in that mold - you created something (its a race about $$$) so dont try turn it into something else
gurudoright
Roar Rookie
I know this may sound dumb but I really don’t know and I would like too. I know the Melbourne Cup is a handicap race, I know there are weight for age races. Is there any “even pegging” races where every horse has to carry the same weight? We celebrate athletes like Usain Bolt for being the fastest man for his pure speed, why not horses?
Punter
Guest
I disagree with this article for a couple of reasons: 1. The Melbourne Cup is not the race is was 20 years ago. It is dominated by the wealthy people who either bring an international horse out to compete, or buy an imported horse. To further complicate its standing, the race itself is now a 'quality handicap' as opposed to a true handicap, which means you don't get the broad spread of weights like you used to. When you combine the fact we don't breed for the race locally, its no longer a race for Australian battlers and owners. 2. The Everest slot holder scenario means that you have more chance of a big win as a 'battler' owner, because slot holders enter into revenue share agreements. Our breeding industry is set up for sprinters and you are much more likely to buy a cheap sprinter who turns out to be a star as opposed to a cheap stayer who can win a Melbourne Cup. For example: Redzel was bought for 120k and syndicated. He filled James Harron's slot in the Everest, and there is a revenue share for Syndicated owners. The Everest and the Melbourne Cup are completely different events and the Melbourne Cup has the history. But the Everest is poised to be a race for everyday Australians more so than the Melbourne Cup is.