The world’s now richest turf race The Everest 2017 could be on the cards this October for Wesley Ward’s American-trained colt Bound For Nowhere.
Ward confirmed late last week that the rising four-year-old was being considered for a trip to Australia over the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival continuing his truly international career.
The up-and-coming young sprinter has had just the two career starts to date, but is already showing Ward enough to suggest he is worthy of a slot in the $10 million The Everest (1200m) race at Royal Randwick (1200m) on Saturday, October 14.
The Globetrotting speedster debuted at Keeneland at Kentucky in the States for a first-up win over 1005m in April.
His latest start saw him travel to England during the Royal Ascot carnival where he stepped up to six furlongs finishing a brave fourth behind Aidan O’Brien’s Caravaggio in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup.
“[Jockey] David Flores, who replaced Frankie [Dettori] when Frankie got injured, told me that he should have been closer in the race,” Ward said of the Commonwealth Cup run of Bound For Nowhere.
“He told me he broke sharp and could have been in front but my instructions were to follow the speed which he did, but he really had to anchor him back said that when he went to make his move Caravaggio hindered him. He had to check and wait and when he finally got out he was coming.”
“That being only his third start in his life and his only start outside of Kentucky really gave me high hopes for him.”
The Irish-trained Caravaggio has been confirmed as a The Everest starter filling the slot in the lucrative Restrictive feature for Coolmore.
Now Bound For Nowhere has also entered calculations for the inaugural running of the weight-for-age sprint with Ward telling Sky Sports Radio the galloper could line-up in The Everest field in place of his King’s Stand Stakes winning filly Lady Aurelia, who would likely be saved for the 2018 edition of the feature.
“[Bound For Nowhere] is a horse that I own myself. He is a beautiful horse – a different type of horse than she [Lady Aurelia] is. A bigger, more imposing horse,” Ward said.
“She is a smaller filly but very compact. He is going to keep improving and has been her work mate for the past two months. He is very talented.
“I think he’s got a big, big future. I plan on going back to France for a Group One [on August 6] and if he has a good showing there, I’d love to go [to The Everest].”
Futures The Everest betting at Ladbrokes.com.au has triple TJ Smith Stakes winning grey Chautauqua as the $4.80 all-in favourite.
Caravaggio occupies the second line of pre-nomination markets at $5.50, while Lady Aurelia remains Ward’s best hope at $17 compared to the $26 on offer for Bound For Nowhere despite her trainer suggesting she would bypass the race.
“I think she is most effective at [1000m],” he explained.
“She is a great horse and certainly she can go six furlongs [1200m] but I just think this year we just centre around what she does best and then hopefully we can get through the year with a couple more wins and next year we can go over and try [The Everest].
“She is such a young filly and has been a lot of different places already. If we give her the time off again, as a four-year-old she’ll be bigger and stronger and hopefully faster and we can go down there and do that.
“Ultimately that decision goes with the owners but this filly is just three. It’s certainly something I’d love to do but next year as a four-year-old is what I would like.”
The next two races on the agenda for Lady Aurelia are the Coolmore Nunthrope Stakes (1000m) at York on August 25 followed by the Breeders’ Cup Sprint over the same distance at Del Mar in November.
Check out the latest Group 1 spring racing markets and offers including the 2017 The Everest race odds now at Ladbrokes.com.au.