Gold Coast trainer Toby Edmonds is confident his gun filly Houtzen won’t let him or connections down when she takes on the world’s best sprinters this spring in the 2017 The Everest race.
Smart filly Houtzen will resume in Melbourne before heading to Sydney to run in the 2017 The Everest race field this October. Photo: Steve Hart.
The $10 million The Everest (1200m) is a new weight-for-age feature running on October 14 at Royal Randwick, the Restricted feature introduced as a bid to lure some of the season’s top horses away from Melbourne over the carnival.
Slot holders can purchase a spot in The Everest field at a cost of $600,000 and currently there are five confirmed runners for the inaugural edition including Houtzen who represents Aquis Farm.
To date the daughter of I Am Invincible has had five starts winning four of her juvenile assignments.
The rising three-year-old is best known for her $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) victory at her home Gold Coast track in mid-January where she defied her outside barrier 16 of 16 draw.
Houtzen went on to set a new weight-carrying record for a filly taking on a field of fellow two-year-olds at Eagle Farm on March 4 where she made light work of her 63kg allocation winning the 1000m sprint by four lengths.
Edmonds then saddled-up his stable ace in the world’s richest race for two-year-olds, Houtzen taking her spot in the $3.5 million Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) as a $4 fancy at Rosehill Gardens on March 18.
Another wide alley (13 of 16) hampered her chances as did the Heavy (10) track and she only managed to finish fifth behind the Gary Portelli-trained Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign.
She Will Reign has also secured a spot in The Everest field for Yu Long Investments and sits as the $8 third favourite in futures betting at Ladbrokes.com.au.
All-in The Everest racing odds have three-time TJ Smith Stakes champion Chautauqua as the one to beat at $4.80, followed by possible international contender Caravaggio ($5.50) who could line-up for Irish racing and breeding powerhouse Coolmore.
Houtzen meanwhile can be found further down The Everest betting markets at $15 and Edmonds knows it will be no easy feat for the $1.45 million earner, who was a $105,000 purchase from the 2016 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sales.
“There are some outstanding horses being aimed at it but my filly will have 50kg and they will have to run her down,” he told the Gold Coast Bulletin this week.
“It will be no easy task but she won’t let us down.”
Houtzen was sent out for a spell after her Golden Slipper run and is looking good ahead of her highly anticipated return according to Edmonds who will kick her off in Melbourne before heading north.
“She is going along nicely and should be ready to head to Melbourne in late August or early September,” he said.
“We will pick some lead-up races for her and then head to The Everest in Sydney.”
Check out the latest The Everest 2017 odds on offer ahead of the confirmed field online now at Ladbrokes.com.au and back your early picks at the best spring pricing.
