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Matthew Smith‘s talented sprinter Headwall is favourite to catch the eye of The Everest slot holders in the million-dollar The Shorts 2026 field in Sydney on Saturday, but does he head the Races.com.au team’s tips and best bets on the key Group 2?

The Group 2 $1 million The Shorts (1100m) serves as a key lead-up into the world’s richest turf race with a spot in the 12-horse $20 million The Everest field on October 11 looming for the best performers in this short-distance clash.

Current The Shorts odds online at Ladbrokes are firmly led by Headwall at $3.30 second-up off a luckless run fresh in the Group 2 Concorde Stakes (1000m).

The Dream Ahead gelding was having his first start in a year since claiming the Concorde in 2025 and he was very good late off the lengthy break flashing home after getting caught back in traffic early to cross under a half-length off the winner Tempted.

A multiple Group 1 placegetter will take huge benefit from that, relish the step-up to 1100m now and with a hot pace predicted he’ll get conditions to suit from barrier five with Zac Lloyd aboard.

It is an open top half of the market with a further two sprinters sitting at single figures in The Shorts betting with Chris Waller‘s class mare Joliestar ($4) and the already confirmed The Everest contender Ninja ($4.60) who the early money is coming for.

Joliestar is a six-year-old daughter of Zoustar who, on her day, is capable of a huge performance to kick off her spring.

From a dozen Randwick starts to date she boasts a 50% winning strike rate at the track, and she’s got six Group 1 trophies already in the cabinet.

The latest of her elite level triumphs was in the autumn’s TJ Smith Stakes when beating former The Everest hero Giga Kick during an undefeated campaign that also saw her take out the Group 2 Expressway and Group 1 Canterbury Stakes when in peak form.

Waller sent her to the UK off that and she was super tough running out of her skin at Royal Ascot for a third in the Queen’s Jubilee.

How she’s come back off her international bid is the question as her trial form has been only fair ahead of her return, but she remains a genuine danger having won last year’s The Shorts.

History is against her however with the last horse to go back-to-back in the event being Kings Favourite (1976 & 1977).

Ninja meanwhile is one of two runners already locked in for a 2026 The Everest bid along with the oh-so-dominant favourite and defending champ Ka Ying Rising.

Michael Freedman‘s consistent Farnan gelding carries the top weight second-up on Saturday off a winning return when he won his four-year-old debut in the Group 2 Missile Stakes (1200m).

While he has plenty of ability, his best looks to be at six to seven furlongs so the drop back in distance is a query where he could find them a bit sharp.

For value other notable contenders further down The Shorts betting markets this year include the Joe Pride-trained King’s Secret ($12) who was excellent at 30/1 when under two lengths fourth in the Concorde, the now Waller-trained 2025 The Quokka champ Jokers Grin ($13) running for his new stable for the first time, Peter Snowden‘s rails-drawn Mazu ($13) who is never far off them at this level and reigning The Galaxy winner Marhoona ($14) who is unbeaten at 1100m.

The Shorts 2026 is set to run as Randwick Race 9 at 4:35pm (AEST) as the penultimate event on the Sydney race card on Saturday.

2026 The Shorts Best Bets

Favourite: No. 3 Headwall

Each Way Danger: No. 2 Joliestar

Best Roughie: No. 5 Mazu