Super Sydney trainer Chris Waller has confirmed Deploy will fill his slot in The Everest 2017 field at Royal Randwick on October 14 when the $10 million feature runs for the first time.
Deploy is the eighth horse to secure a slot in the $10 million The Everest 2017 field representing Chris Waller Racing. Photo: Steve Hart.
The Gerald Ryan-trained Deploy will represent the rival horseman in the Restricted weight-for-age sprint, taking place over 1200m on the same date Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas Day runs in Melbourne.
The world’s richest race run on turf, The Everest field features a dozen spots and Deploy, raced by former AJC Chairman John Cornish, is the eighth confirmed horse to tackle the race next month.
“We feel that Deploy is the perfect horse to link up with for the race given his rapid rise through the sprinting ranks in the last 12 months,” Waller said in a statement this week.
“Being the winner of seven of his past nine starts, including breaking two long-standing track records, with one being at Randwick over the 1200m Everest distance, it sees him well qualified to be very well-credentialed for a race of this magnitude.
“Given that he is also trained out of our primary training base at Rosehill, we have been fortunate to watch his progression closely.”
A five-year-old son of Fastnet Rock, Deploy has won three of his past four starts going back to the winter in Brisbane.
First-up this season he took out the Group 3 Show County Quality (1200m) at Randwick on August 19 before a last start victory at Rosehill on September 9 defeating Waller’s dual Oaks winner Egg Tart in the Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) by a runaway four lengths.
Both victories saw the flying sprinter set new track records at Sydney’s premier two courses.
Egg Tart is the current $5 second favourite behind Happy Clapper to win Saturday week’s Group 1 $1 million Epsom Handicap (1600m), a race Deploy is also nominated for but now very unlikely to target.
The other confirmed The Everest horses are: Darren Weir’s Japanese import Brave Smash, the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Redzel, triple TJ Smith Stakes winner at the track / distance Chautauqua, Gary Portelli’s Golden Slipper winning filly She Will Reign, fellow three-year-old filly Houtzen, the Matthew Dale-trained Fell Swoop and the Gai Waterhouse-trained mare English.
All-in The Everest odds online at Ladbrokes.com.au have the Hawkes Racing-trained seven-year-old Chautauqua as the narrow $5 favourite, who made up late ground for the firs-tup seventh to Redzel in the Group 2 The Shorts (1100m).
Unconfirmed hopeful Vega Magic, winner of the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) this time in at Caulfield, is the $5.50 second favourite while Redzel ($6), this weekend’s Golden Rose favourite Menari ($7) and Redkirk Warrior ($7) are the other best fancied in futures The Everest betting.
First prize for The Everest winner is a massive $5.8 million plus a winner’s trophy valued at $320,000.
Check out the latest The Everest 2017 racing odds online and back your early favourites for the $10 million feature now through Ladbrokes.com.au.
