Winners For 2018 The Everest Day

The Everest meeting will be held at Royal Randwick this Saturday. The course proper was rated a Heavy 8 on Thursday and with light showers forecast for Sydney over the next couple of days, Randwick will stay in the Heavy range on raceday.

Godolphin-owned filly Cristobal is the class horse in the Reginald Allen Quality and she’s the one to beat on Saturday (Sydney Race 3, 1400m). The Exceed And Excel 3YO was outsprinted in the Furious Stakes when 1st up on the 1st September. And she was beaten less than a length by Gem Song 3 weeks ago over 1300m. Stepping up to 1400m 3rd up looks perfect. Cristobal won her only start on Soft track so the anticipated Soft condition should not be a problem. Blinkers will go on the filly on Saturday so I expect Hugh Bowman to settle a bit closer in transit from barrier 2. Cristobal is primed to peak in the Reginald Allen.

Champion country jockey Robert Thompson can combine with Rod Northam on After All That to take out the inaugural ‘The Kosciuszko (Sydney Race 5, 1200m). This Scone Country Cup winner has come back in good order with a slashing 4th when resuming in Group 2 The Shorts, beaten only one length by Ball Of Muscle. Northam has given the 7YO a soft trial a fortnight ago to keep his fitness up to the mark. After All That has great record over 1200m having won 3 times from 4 attempts at the trip and he has won on wet ground before. And the gelding isn’t harshly treated having been allotted 57.5kg. Thompson will settle somewhere mid-field from barrier 7 and After All That will finish strongly and run over the top of this field.

‘The Everest’ 2017 runner-up Vega Magic is primed to go one better in this year’s renewal (Sydney Race 7, 1200m). The gelding didn’t fire in the Autumn but has come back well this preparation having won the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) when 2nd up. The 4YO could only finish 4th last start in the Memsie Stakes (1400m) but dropping back to 1200m on Saturday will suit. Winkers will be off and blinkers will go back on to sharpen Vega Magic up. Wet track should present no problem to Vega Magic as he has won twice in the condition. From barrier 7, Oliver is likely to go forward and sit just behind Redzel and U S Navy Flag and Vega Magic will be hard to catch.

By Owens Wong, Editor

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