2022 The Everest Field Takes Shape: Overpass, Jacquinot, Joyful Fortune Secure Slots

There’s a little over two weeks to go until the latest running of the world’s richest turf race and slots are filling fast in The Everest 2022 field as a further three horses lock in their positions in the Randwick showdown on October 15.

Jacquinot | Photo: Steve Hart | Races.com.au

Golden Rose winner Jacquinot has secured a slot in the $15 million The Everest this spring. Photo: Steve Hart.

Overpass, Jacquinot and Joyful Fortune have added their names to the list of sprinters set to chase a piece of the $15 million in prize money on offer in the 1200m showdown this spring.

After purchasing his slot from GPI Racing, James Kennedy of luxury watch fame named the maturing Bjorn Baker-trained four-year-old Overpass as his 2022 The Everest contender.

The gun young galloper was excellent fresh fighting right to the line for his second behind the world’s best sprinter, Nature Strip, in the Group 2 The Shorts.

“Overpass’ trainer Bjorn Baker has done a great job preparing the horse and he along with Darby Racing are very positive that the horse has matured and developed professionally from his last preparation,” Kennedy said.

“His recent trials were very pleasing and displayed that the horse is ready to take the next step up, which he certainly did in The Shorts.”

Overpass will get his chance to turn the tables on the defending The Everest champion next month, but will first have a next-up run at Randwick on Saturday in the Group 2 $1 million Premiere Stakes (1200m).

Back in 2019, Coolmore won The Everest with the event’s sole three-year-old champion to date, Yes Yes Yes.

This season they return with another gun young star having named the Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr-trained Golden Rose champion Jacquinot as their 2022 representative.

Yes Yes Yes improved on a second in the 2019 Golden Rose before beating home his older rivals in that year’s The Everest results.

Rubick colt Jacquinot was enormous late charging out wide to run down the favourite In Secret and secure this year’s Golden Rose in a performance that won him a slot in The Everest.

“What he did in the Golden Rose, it gave you goosebumps,” Coolmore boss Tom Magnier said.

“Obviously Nature Strip is going to be exceptionally hard to beat but we picked Yes Yes Yes before and that worked.

“So, I suppose we’re going back to the well that we know.

“He looks like he could improve a lot, and not many horses come from the back at Rosehill and he did that. He’s the right type of horse for the Everest and hopefully he’s another Yes Yes Yes.”

Co-trainer Mick Price said the stable were confident dropping back to the six furlongs instead of testing Jaquinot up over a mile in something like the Group 1 $3 million Caulfield Guineas (1600m) was actually ideal.

“We thought about it long and hard, we’re just happy to be in The Everest – it’s always an exciting race and we’ll see what he can do,” he said.

“I think physically speaking it’s an easy exercise for the horse to come back to 1200m and stay in Sydney.”

Adding another level of interest to this year’s The Everest race is then the Mark Newnham-trained Hong Kong expat Joyful Fortune who will represent Aquis.

The Nicconi six-year-old made his down under debut earlier in the month and was enormous handling a Heavy (10) Flemington track to cart 60.5kg over 1100m by over four lengths.

“He does bring a different form line and different flavour to the race and that’s what keeps racing interesting. If it was all about one or two horses every race it’d be pretty boring,” Newnham said.

Aquis have had five previous The Everest runners with a second in 2018 by Trapeze Artist their best result.

“We spoke to Mark and he was very positive about the horse and felt the horse was definitely up to this level,” Director of Sales for Aquis, Jonathan Davies, said of Joyful Fortune.

“He was going into the race at Flemington first-up with a lot of improvement in him, and he was very impressive, and we like that he handles all conditions which is a big plus with the unknown weather.

“It’s looking outside the square I suppose. Mark has great confidence in the horse and that’s given us some confidence as well.”

There are now only three remaining spots in The Everest field with slot holders Godolphin, James Harron Bloodstock and Bon Ho yet to name their contenders.

Chris Waller’s defending champion and reigning Australian Racehorse of the Year, Nature Strip, is the firm $2.20 favourite in futures The Everest odds online at Ladbrokes.com.au.

A full rundown on the confirmed The Everest 2022 contenders can be found by clicking here.

Click here for the latest all-in 2022 The Everest betting markets courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.