The Everest 2022 Preview: Field, Odds, Winner Trends & Tips
Nature Strip is the hot favourite to defend his crown when the country’s finest sprinters line up at Randwick for the $15 million Everest on Saturday.
The eight-time Group 1 winner produced a dominant performance to secure victory last year, but he has drawn the widest barrier this time around. That has not impacted his price, as the champion sprinter is the $1.90 favourite to go back-to-back.
However, he will face some very talented opponents in the world’s richest turf race this weekend. The field includes the likes of Lost And Running, Jacquinot and Masked Crusader, so Nature Strip will need to be at his brilliant best to repeat last year’s heroics.
Our guide to The Everest recaps the brief history of this high-profile race, rounds up the past winners and provides trends and tips for this year’s race.
The Everest Background and History
The Australian Turf Club and Racing NSW took inspiration from the Pegasus World Cup in Florida when they created The Everest. It follows a similar structure: connections must pay $600,000 for their horse to take part, and that contributes to the large prize purse. There are 12 starters and four reserves.
The Everest first took place in 2017, with $10 million up for grabs. That made it the richest race on turf in the world, and it surged past the Melbourne Cup to become Australia’s richest race. The idea was to help Sydney rival Melbourne’s prestigious racing scene. The race has created a great deal of interest around the world, and it has certainly succeeded in putting Sydney on the map.
Prize money has increased by 50% since the inaugural running, while the Pegasus World Cup has faded. The Everest is now the third richest race in the world, after the Saudi Cup and the Dubai World Cup.
The Everest Winners
There have been just four winners of The Everest since it was created in 2017:
- Redzel | The Peter and Paul Snowden-trained sprinter won the inaugural Everest in 2017 and then successfully defended his crown the following year. His career prize money is more than $16.4 million, leaving him among the top-10 highest earning horses of all time.
- Yes Yes Yes | Darren Weir bought this colt for $200,000 at the Magic Millions yearling sale, and he has amassed prize money of more than $7 million. Weir was banned for using taser-like devices on horses, so Yes Yes Yes was transferred to Chris Waller and he went on to win The Everest in 2019, finishing in a record time of 1:07.32.
- Classique Legend | The gelding won The Everest in 2020, giving jockey Kerrin McEvoy his third victory in the race. Trainer Les Bridge quipped that he could have won aboard Classique Legend, such was the quality of the horse.
- Nature Strip | The two-time Australian Racehorse of the Year and three-time champion sprinter finally won The Everest in 2021. He had finished fourth in 2019 and 2020.
The Everest 2021 Winner
Nature Strip had to dig deep to hold off fast-finishing rivals Masked Crusader and Eduardo when he clinched The Everest last year. He moved two lengths clear 200m out, but Masked Crusader and Eduardo threatened to reel him in as they charged towards the finishing line.
Lost And Running made a late burst, and Classique Legend was also going strong on the outside, but Nature Strip could not be caught. He held on for a narrow victory, landing the top prize for his owners.
The Everest 2022 Time & Date
The Everest 2022 will take place at 16:00 on Saturday at Randwick. It is run over 1200m on the right-handed turf track under weight for age conditions.
The Everest 2022 Field & Contenders
Nature Strip
Nature Strip is the red-hot favourite to follow in Redzel’s footsteps by securing back-to-back victories in the world’s richest turf race. Waller’s star gelding is now a veteran of this race, having finished fourth in consecutive years before finally getting the job done in 2021.
He now has his sights set on breaking Winx’s prize money record. The wondermare racked up $26.45 million in career earnings, which is more than any other horse worldwide in history. However, if Nature Strip wins on Saturday, he will move up to $25.26 million, leaving him within touching distance.
Nature Strip began his spring campaign by winning The Shorts, a Group 2 sprint held over 1100m at Randwick, last month. It was his third consecutive victory, having also landed the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick and the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in the UK, and he is widely regarded as the world’s greatest sprinter. He will have the opportunity to prove it on Saturday, but he has landed a tough Barrier 12, so Nature Strip will need to be on song.
Lost And Running
Lost And Running finished fourth in The Everest last year. He will now bid to emulate Nature Strip by winning the big race this time around. The John O’Shea-trained gelding bolstered his reputation by winning the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap and the Group 3 Southern Cross Stakes in the autumn.
He finished third in The Shorts upon resuming for the spring campaign, behind Nature Strip and Overpass, but he notably finished ahead of the talented Eduardo in that race. Lost And Running then won the Group 2 Premiere Stakes over 1200m at Randwick at the start of October, so he is in fine form ahead of this race. He has been drawn in Barrier 7, and he is seen as the main threat to Nature Strip’s chances of defending his 12.
Jacquinot
This promising three-year-old has enjoyed a superb start to the spring season, landing the Group 3 HDF McNeil Stakes and the Group 1 Golden Rose. Older horses have dominated this race since it was inaugurated, but Yes Yes Yes won it in a record time aged three in 2019, which bodes well for Jacquinot’s chances. He will spring from Barrier 2.
Masked Crusader
Masked Crusader finished just a head behind Nature Strip when he was runner-up at The Everest last year. He made up a lot of ground in the closing stages of the race, and he was unfortunate to fall just short.
However, he has been unplaced in five of six races since then. He has struggled to keep up with the likes of Nature Strip, Eduardo and Lost And Running in those outings, and he was most recently seen finishing third in the G2 Premiere Stakes, behind Lost And Running and Kementari.
Eduardo
The supremely consistent Eduardo has 11 wins and nine placings from 26 starts. He got the better of Nature Strip in The Shorts last year, only to finish narrowly behind him and masked Crusader when running third in The Everest. He went on to beat Lost And Running in the Classique Legend Stakes.
In the autumn, Eduardo was third in the G1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes, he got the better of Nature Strip when winning the G2 Challenge Stakes and he then finished second to Nature Strip in the G1 TJ Smith Stakes. He won the G3 Concorde Stakes last month, before finishing fourth in The Shorts.
The Everest Odds
| Horse | Fixed Win | Fixed Place |
| Nature Strip | $1.9 | $1.26 |
| Lost And Running | $7.5 | $2.35 |
| Jacquinot | $11 | $2.9 |
| Masked Crusader | $12 | $3.1 |
| Eduardo | $14 | $3.5 |
| Mazu | $15 | $3.6 |
| Private Eye | $15 | $3.6 |
| Giga Kick | $21 | $4.4 |
| Overpass | $34 | $6 |
| Ingratiating | $51 | $8 |
| Forbidden Love | $61 | $9.5 |
| Joyful Fortune | $61 | $9.5 |
| Kementari | $61 | $9.5 |
| In The Congo | $71 | $10 |
| Shades Of Rose | $81 | $11 |
| Apache Chase | $151 | $18 |
The Everest 2022 Prize Money
As previously mentioned, The Everest is the richest race of the year in Australia, with an entry fee of $600,000, so it is not for the faint of heart. The winning horse will earn $6.2 million, while the runner-up will earn $2.3 million. There is $1.4 million earmarked for the horse that finishes third, $1 million for fourth, $750,000 for fifth, $500,000 for sixth and then $450,000 apiece for the horses that finish seventh, eighth, ninth, 10th, 11th and 12th.
The Everest Winner Trends
- Australian horses have won The Everest each year since it was inaugurated, and each winner was male.
- Chris Waller and Peter & Paul Snowden are the most successful trainers, with two wins apiece.
- Kerrin McEvoy is the most successful jockey, having won it twice aboard Redzel and then a third time when riding Classique Legend.
- Two of the winners were aged five. The Everest has also been won by a three-year-old, a six-year-old and a seven-year-old.
- All five previous winners were in the top four in the betting, and none had a price greater than 8/1 ($9.00).
- All five winners had also previously won at Randwick, while they had also made two starts in the previous 90 days and made at least four starts over the 1200m trip.
The Everest 2022 Tips
The legendary Nature Strip deserves his status as the favourite for this race. However, odds of $3.50 on a fixed place for his old sparring partner, Eduardo, look very tempting. He is always there or thereabouts, having won or placed in 11 consecutive races before finishing fourth in The Shorts last month, and he looks well priced to deliver another strong display on Saturday.
**Odds quoted are accurate at the time of writing but are subject to change.
