The Australian Turf Club (ATC) allocated slot in next month’s The Everest 2017 field is now filled with Japanese import Brave Smash set to line-up in the inaugural event on October 14.
Brave Smash is the seventh confirmed 2017 The Everest horse ahead of the $10 million feature at Randwick on October 14. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
Darren Weir’s Tosen Phanton entire was over the weekend confirmed to represent the ATC in the Restricted $10 million The Everest (1200m) sprint at Royal Randwick in a boost for connections at Australian Bloodstock.
“We have selected Brave Smash for several reasons and think he is an excellent fit for the ATC,” the club’s executive general manger-racing James Heddo told The Daily Telegraph.
“We have great confidence in Darren Weir’s judgment that the best of Brave Smash is yet to come, and the stable can now focus solely on one race and aim to peak on October 14 in The Everest.
“The ATC is committed to building the international profile of our carnivals and our racing, and to attract more overseas competitors to our racecourses, and Brave Smash offers a point of difference to The Everest with his international background and pedigree.
“Australian Bloodstock through its syndication of horses continually brings new owners and customers to racing, which is another important focus of the ATC.
“Australian Bloodstock has already tasted success in the Melbourne Cup and we hope that now continues in Australia’s richest race, the $10 million The Everest at Royal Randwick.”
The five-year-old is a progressive type according to Melbourne Cup winning trainer Weir, for whom the horse has had two starts with to date.
On debut Brave Smash immediately caught the eye running a close second to Lindsay Park’s subsequent Memsie Stakes winner Vega Magic, who is still in the hunt for a spot in The Everest race, at Caulfield in the Listed Regal Roller Stakes (1200m) on August 19.
The Everest talk surrounding Brave Smash’s inclusion picked up on September 9 when the horse broke his maiden status down under, winning the Listed Chandler Macleod Stakes (1200m) over stablemate El Divino.
Brave Smash, the seventh horse to secure a spot in the 12-starter The Everest field, has firmed into $11 for the win in futures markets for the country’s richest race at Ladbrokes.com.au.
“In Brave Smash, we believe we have the X-Factor in what is already shaping as the biggest sprint race in the world, and one that we feel privileged to be part of,” Australian Bloodstock director Jamie Lovett said.
“We are also very excited as are the ATC to be represented by a Japanese sprinter that will bring unprecedented international attention to The Everest.”
The other confirmed The Everest horses are: triple TJ Smith Stakes winner Chautauqua, smart Queensland-trained filly Houtzen, Golden Slipper Stakes winner She Will Reign, Fell Swoop, English and the weekend’s impressive The Shorts winner Redzel.
Check out the latest The Everest 2017 racing odds online today and back your tips for the lucrative weight-for-age feature through Ladbrokes.com.au at the right price this spring.
