SYDNEY, Australia — Outsider Giga Kick, ridden by veteran
Craig Williams, stunned star sprinter and red-hot favorite Nature Strip to win the
world’s richest turf race, The Everest, in Sydney on Saturday.
اضافة اعلان
The Clayton Douglas-trained gelding surged past
Chris Waller’s wonder horse in the final 100 meters at Royal Randwick to
collect a whopping $6.2 million Australian dollars ($4.6 million) for barely a
one-minute dash.
Private Eye,
winner of the Epsom Handicap last year and with Brenton Avdulla in the saddle,
came second.
Nature Strip was
initially called third but Mazu took the placing in a photo finish, leaving the
shortest priced favorite in the race’s history fourth with Jacquinot fifth.
In a shock hours
before the race, second favorite Lost And Running — who finished fourth last
year — was scratched with a fetlock injury.
For Giga Kick’s
27-year-old trainer Clayton Douglas, it was a dream come true.
“I had a lot of
confidence in this fella, it’s a really good horse, a superstar,” he said of
the unbeaten three-year-old. “He’s such a professional, he’s electric, the new
kid on the block.”
Raced over 1,200m, it brought together 12 of the
world’s best sprinters under weight-for-age conditions.
Despite being
drawn in an outside barrier, Nature Strip was an overwhelming favorite.
After winning in
2021, he went to Britain this year and proved to be one of the world’s best
sprinters, romping to victory in the Group One King’s Stand Stakes at Royal
Ascot in June.
Eduardo — who
came in third last year — flew out of the blocks at Royal Randwick and led at
the half-way mark from Nature Strip, who then swept into the lead and looked
destined to win again as they entered the final straight.
But Giga Kick
had other ideas, and an electric surge of pace saw him storm to victory.
“I believed in
this horse,” said jockey Williams. “I’m just so lucky to be a part of the ride.
It’s such a thrill.”
Crowds last year
were capped at 10,000 — about a fifth of full capacity — due to COVID-19 in
2021, but it was business-as-usual on Saturday with the venue packed.
Innovative concept
While the Everest— the showcase event of the Sydney Spring Racing
Carnival — is the richest turf race in the world, with a total of $15 million dollars at stake, it lags behind the Saudi Cup dirt race
in the money stakes.
But it is still
a massive payday, with the established Melbourne Cup, Kentucky Derby, and Prix
de l’Arc de Triomphe paling in comparison.
Since its inception, it has progressively boosted
prize money from its initial $10 million dollars, with even the horse that came
last, Ingratiating, walking away with $450,000 dollars.
Under an
innovative concept, buyers purchase an $600,000 dollars slot in the race and commit for three years, then
do a deal with owners and jockeys to secure the top horses.
The idea was
modelled on the Pegasus World Cup in the US run over 1,800m.
But it has been
controversial, with Racing NSW and the Australian Turf Club scheduling it in
Sydney to clash with the Caulfield Cup in Melbourne, one of Australia’s oldest
and most-esteemed events.
The handicap over 2,400m
was won on Saturday by another Chris Waller-trained horse, Durston, ridden by
Michael Dee.
Read more Sports
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
