The placegetters in the Premiers Stakes have put their hands up that they are ready to peak in The Everest, although whether they can get past Nature Strip will prove another task.
Last year Masked Crusader went within a head of beating Nature Strip in The Everest and he produced his best run for ages when he flew home to finish third behind Lost And Running and Mazu in the Premier Stakes (1200m) at Randwick last Saturday.
Masked Crusader was also unlucky he had to shift to the inside of Prime Candidate with 150 metres to go.
His jockey Willie Pike said with a bit of luck he could take beating in The Everest.
Lost And Running finished fourth in last year’s The Everest and his trainer John O’Shea predicted improvement from that winning run on Saturday.
“He’s going to come on so much from that. He was probably on empty with 100m to go but he got the job done and we can go to the big race in a couple of weeks with our tail in the air and hopefully get another win,” O’Shea said.
His rider Hugh Bowman also believes Lost And Running is a better horse than last year.
“He’s really on track and he’s got the benefit of having been through the series last year and improved every race and ultimately ran fourth in the main event,” Bowman said.
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“But this year things are going a lot better for him and he’s a more mature individual. He’s certainly on track.”
Lost And Running is at $8 and Masked Crusader is at $11 for The Everest which will be run at Randwick on October 15.
On a day full of highlights, the wins in the opening two races by the two-year-olds in the colt Empire Of Japan ((trained by Peter and Paul Snowden) in the Breeders’ Plate and then Platinum Jubilee (trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott) in the Gimcrack Stakes were breath-taking performances with both producing powerful finishing bursts.
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It’s no surprise that both youngsters will be aimed at the Golden Slipper Stakes.
Both James McDonald and Hugh Bowman put in superlative riding displays with winning trebles.
HORSES TO FOLLOW
CASCADIAN
He will head to the Craven Plate for his next start. He’s never raced in better form and he has the Sydney weight-for-age horses covered. Wonder whether James Cummings will back him up in the Cox Plate?
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MASKED CRUSADER
Team Hawkes have timed his run to perfection for The Everest. If Nature Strip has an off day he’s going to be the horse to beat.
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HINGED
A model of consistency and didn’t have a lot of luck over the closing stages of the Epsom. On track for the Golden Eagle.
REMARQUE
The decision to geld this well bred galloper is paying dividends and there’s bigger ones to come judging by his second win this campaign in the final event at Randwick.
