Gr1 The Everest Preview

Ka Ying Rising returns to Royal Randwick on Saturday carrying the burden reserved for exceptional horses: not simply the expectation of winning the Gr1 TAB Everest again, but of doing so as the world’s highest-rated racehorse against 11 elite Australian sprinters in the $20 million 1200m contest. David Hayes’ Hong Kong champion became the first overseas-trained winner of The Everest in 2025 and has since extended his winning sequence to 21 while lowering Sha Tin’s 1200m course record to a remarkable 1:06.11, performances that have pushed his international rating to 135 and his price for Saturday to around $1.35. racing.com reports that Hayes regards the gelding as operating in rare company and believes his rivals will require both an exceptional day of their own and some vulnerability from Ka Ying Rising to defeat him. That vulnerability, if it exists, may come through the weather, with rain forecast and Zac Purton acknowledging after Ka Ying Rising’s recent Randwick trial that the gelding was not as comfortable on the Soft 7 surface as he is on firm ground. Barrier 11 further ensures Purton must navigate rather than simply dictate. The Australian challenge is headed by Tempted from barrier one, with Ciaron Maher’s mare having returned this preparation in explosive fashion in the Gr2 Concorde Stakes and already owning the crucial form reference of finishing runner-up to Ka Ying Rising in last year’s Everest. Maher also saddles Jimmysstar from barrier eight, the Gr1 Manikato Stakes winner who finished third behind Ka Ying Rising and Tempted 12 months ago and now has Nash Rawiller aboard. Joliestar draws five after an excellent first-up performance and has twice won second-up, while 2022 Everest hero Giga Kick returns for a third attempt and would be significantly aided by genuinely rain-affected ground. Savvy Hallie also possesses strong wet-track credentials, while the deeper field ensures there will be little room for complacency. Yet the essential question remains remarkably simple: can one of Australia’s best sprinters force Ka Ying Rising into territory he has not recently occupied? Everything in his form says no. The Everest exists to discover otherwise.

Gr1 Caulfield Cup Preview

Few editions of the Gr1 Caulfield Cup have carried quite the ceremonial weight of Saturday’s 150th running, yet the $6 million 2400m handicap remains brutally practical once the gates open, with Turnbull Stakes winner Cosmic Crusader attempting to convert Flemington authority into Caulfield Cup history from barrier 17. The Andrea Leek-trained gelding has risen to the top of the market at around $5 after securing ballot exemption through his Gr1 Turnbull Stakes success, although his draw ensures William Pike will have decisions to make before the field reaches the first turn, while defending champion Half Yours has been afforded a considerably kinder passage from gate seven for Mark Zahra. racing.com reports that Ciaron Maher holds an extraordinary five-runner hand among the guaranteed starters, headed by Zahrann from barrier four and Saint George from two, with Royal Supremacy eight, Middle Earth 11 and lightweight Kings Valley 12 giving Australia’s most powerful stable several tactical options. Zahrann was below expectations in the Turnbull, but Maher’s team believes a searching gallop before that race may have taken some edge from both he and Saint George, leaving open the possibility of sharp improvement at the distance that matters. International interest comes through Roger Varian’s Enfjaar, who secured his place by winning the Gr3 Glorious Stakes at Goodwood and has drawn perfectly in barrier one for Ray Dawson, while Harry Charlton’s Wine Dark Sea arrives after taking the Gr3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes over 2671m at Newbury and will be partnered by Damian Lane despite drawing 19. Chris Waller saddles Asterix, Soul Of Spain and dual Oaks winner Ohope Wins, with the latter especially interesting at just 51.5kg after proving herself at 2400m in both New Zealand and Australia. Treasurethe Moment has barrier five, while 2024 Melbourne Cup winner Knight’s Choice confronts the extreme outside gate and Kingswood has drawn 20. The equation therefore brings together established staying class, European form, emerging lightweights and the inevitable tactical compression of Caulfield, where position can become as important as raw stamina. Cosmic Crusader has earned favouritism, but the Caulfield Cup rarely surrenders without demanding another level again.

Gr1 King Charles III Preview

A field of only six hardly diminishes Saturday’s Gr1 King Charles III Stakes at Royal Randwick when three of them are Autumn Glow, Pride Of Jenni and dual defending champion Ceolwulf, setting up a fascinating 1609m weight-for-age contest in which tempo may prove every bit as important as class. Autumn Glow arrives as the headline act having won 13 of her 14 career starts and is chasing a fifth elite-level success for Chris Waller and James McDonald, her latest appearance producing another controlled victory in the Gr2 Seven Sunrise Stakes over 1600m. racingnsw.com.au reports that Waller has deliberately increased her stamina work leading into Saturday because the presence of Pride Of Jenni virtually guarantees a vastly different race shape from Autumn Glow’s most recent outing, when she was able to control proceedings herself. Pride Of Jenni, drawn barrier five with Declan Bates, comes north after securing a third consecutive Gr2 Feehan Stakes victory and remains one of Australian racing’s most uncompromising front-runners, capable of stretching fields into unfamiliar shapes long before the home turn. Her unforgettable six-length Gr1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes demolition at Randwick in 2024 remains proof of what can happen when rivals concede too much territory. Autumn Glow has barrier four and 57kg, while Ceolwulf receives no such concession at 59kg but draws ideally in one for Chad Schofield. Joe Pride’s gelding has won the past two editions of the King Charles III and comes off a second placing in the Gr1 Epsom Handicap, with a strong tempo and any rain-affected ground expected to enhance his late-closing style. Waller is acutely aware of the danger, describing Ceolwulf as the horse likely to be stalking Autumn Glow while she concentrates on Pride Of Jenni. The remaining trio — God’s Window, Just Folk and Militarize — are hardly making up numbers, although all face a substantial ratings task against the principals. What makes the race compelling is that each of the three leading chances wants something different: Pride Of Jenni wants to break the race open, Autumn Glow wants to remain within striking distance without being dragged into a premature chase, and Ceolwulf wants both of them to make the contest sufficiently demanding for his closing strength to matter. Six runners, but no shortage of consequence.

Gr1 Thousand Guineas Preview

Barrier history has also introduced an immediate layer of complexity to Saturday’s Gr1 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield, with leading contenders Regal Ambition and the unbeaten Over The Bridge both drawing beyond the positions that have traditionally produced winners of the 1600m fillies’ classic. Regal Ambition, unbeaten this preparation and installed around $3.80 favourite after an emphatic Listed Jim Moloney Stakes victory over 1440m, will begin from barrier 11, while Over The Bridge has drawn the extreme outside in 13 after maintaining her perfect record with a last-stride Gr3 Scarborough Stakes success. racing.com notes that only Amphitrite in 2018 has won the Thousand Guineas from a double-figure barrier during the past decade, with seven of the past 10 winners starting from gate five or closer, a statistical wrinkle that enhances the prospects of those drawn more economically. Ciaron Maher supplies four of the 13 runners, with Saintly Dancer particularly compelling from barrier four after demolishing her rivals by six lengths in the Gr2 Edward Manifold Stakes, while Icelady draws 10, Platinum Pearl 12 and Over The Bridge 13. Maher describes Over The Bridge as untapped and says the filly has progressed from her latest victory, but the mile and outside draw now ask considerably more of her. Chris Waller counters with three runners, headed by Flight Stakes runner-up De Armas from barrier seven after connections paid a late-entry fee, while Sing Your Song has gate two and Katoto eight. Waller believes De Armas should be ready to peak after making the unusual leap from 1200m into the Gr1 Flight Stakes and finishing a strong second, placing her firmly among the principal chances at around $7. Pretty Baby, drawn five, remains another serious contender after chasing home Regal Ambition in the Jim Moloney, while New Zealand Gr1 winner Lara Antipova brings proven elite-level credentials and Craig Williams aboard from barrier nine. The market therefore identifies Regal Ambition, Over The Bridge and Saintly Dancer as the obvious trio, but the combination of a genuine mile, three-year-old fillies and contrasting barrier fortunes gives this Thousand Guineas considerably more depth than the prices alone suggest.

Gr2 Henley Homes Sprint Preview

Speed is rarely in short supply over 1000m at Caulfield and Saturday’s Gr2 Henley Homes Sprint looks certain to be run accordingly, with Cavalry Girl bringing the most compelling recent profile into a field of 11. The Tom Dabernig-trained mare has been a model of consistency this preparation and draws ideally in barrier five for Craig Williams, a combination that gives her the chance to settle just behind the strongest early pressure before producing her acceleration when it matters. racing.com identifies her as one of the key hopes in a race loaded with pace, while the market has reacted by installing her around $2.50, clear of Bev’s Nine, Gallant Son and Pallaton. The weights add another layer to the contest, with Cavalry Girl carrying 57.5kg, just half a kilogram below topweight Sweynesday, who returns from barrier 10 for Annabel and Rob Archibald with Daniel Stackhouse aboard. Gallant Son has drawn four for Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman, while Oak Hill faces a more awkward assignment from gate nine and Bev’s Nine begins from seven with Blake Shinn. justhorseracing.com.au notes that Bev’s Nine sits prominently on the second line of betting, while Pallaton, drawn six for Grahame Begg and Jordan Childs, also attracts respect after returning to winning form. The lightweight division may prove important if the early tempo becomes as demanding as expected. Hidden Motive has barrier one and just 53kg, Always Enuff draws two with the same impost, while Don’t Hope Do has three and could secure a soft run behind the leaders. I’m Foxing, unbeaten through his past four starts, carries 53kg but must negotiate the outside gate in 11, a position that may force an early tactical commitment from apprentice Luke Cartwright. The shape of the race therefore favours those able to absorb pressure without over-racing, and Cavalry Girl’s combination of form, draw and proven short-course speed makes her the obvious benchmark. The challenge is that Caulfield’s 1000m races can punish even minor inefficiencies, and with several runners capable of applying pressure from the outset, this looks less like a dash and more like an examination of who can still accelerate after the speed has already been tested.

Gr2 Tristarc Stakes Preview

A rapidly emerging mare meets a deeper level of opposition in Saturday’s Gr2 Tristarc Stakes, where Concord Connie attempts to convert a lightly raced profile into genuine spring-carnival authority over 1400m at Caulfield. The Charlotte Littlefield-trained four-year-old has won three of her past four starts and returns from a narrow first-up defeat with the market still strongly in her corner, sitting around $2.50 against a field that includes seasoned Group performers and several mares being aimed towards the Gr1 Empire Rose Stakes at Flemington. racing.com highlights the Tristarc as a traditional spring stepping stone for elite mares, while justhorseracing.com.au lists Concord Connie as clear favourite ahead of Shadhavar, Gold Medallist and Oh Too Good. Concord Connie carries 55kg and draws barrier 10 for Jett Stanley, placing some responsibility on the rider to find cover without conceding too much ground, particularly with a number of her principal rivals drawn more favourably. Shadhavar begins from eight for Craig Williams and Tom Dabernig after a sequence of 1-1-4-2 that reflects both consistency and versatility, while Gold Medallist draws seven for Luke Nolen and the Moody-Coleman stable and arrives off a second placing that suggests she is nearing peak form. Oh Too Good carries 57kg from barrier 11 with Damian Lane and owns the established class to make her presence felt if the race develops into a sustained pressure contest rather than a sprint home. Terilee, drawn five for William Pike, returned with a third and has upside second-up, while Guerite has a soft draw in three and Betwitchery has the inside gate. Ferivia faces the widest draw among the main field from 13 after a first-up third, while the experienced Wrote To Arataki begins from nine. The intrigue is whether Concord Connie can control her own position sufficiently to use her acceleration late, because this is the first occasion on which she meets a field with this depth of black-type experience. Her profile says she belongs, but the Tristarc has a habit of separating promising mares from those ready to take the next step toward Group 1 company. Saturday will tell us whether Concord Connie is merely progressing through the grades or whether she is already prepared to join the latter group.

Gr2 Sydney Stakes Preview

2026 Kosciuszko Preview

Country racing takes centre stage at Royal Randwick on Saturday when 14 runners contest the $2 million The Kosciuszko over 1200m, the world’s richest race restricted to country-trained horses and one of the defining features of TAB Everest Day. The race has attracted a typically deep field rather than a dominant standout, with Chidiac bringing the highest official rating and strong fresh credentials into the contest for Brett and Georgie Cavanough. The mare resumes from barrier 10 with James McDonald aboard and carries 58kg, with racingnsw.com.au listing her on a benchmark of 109 after a preparation that produced three consecutive wins before she was spelled. Matthew Dunn has a particularly strong hand through topweight Band Of Brothers and Considered. Band Of Brothers carries 59kg from the outside barrier in 14 with Nash Rawiller, while Considered has drawn perfectly in barrier one for Zac Purton and receives 3.5kg from his stablemate at 55.5kg. Considered’s lightly raced profile and tactical draw make him one of the more interesting runners despite his most recent form figures of fifth and ninth, while Band Of Brothers has the class to overcome an awkward draw if Rawiller can secure a position without working excessively. So You Pence is another major contender after drawing barrier 13 for Tim Clark, the Matthew Dale-trained mare arriving first-up with a strong record and 55kg, while Lisztomania has the benefit of barrier four and Kerrin McEvoy after returning to winning form at his latest start. Gallant Star draws three for Brett Robb and Sam Clipperton and remains one of the proven country performers, while Lord Remlap has won four of his six starts and carries just 55.5kg despite stepping sharply in grade. The emerging CruizingtheStars may be the most intriguing lightweight, having won four of five starts and drawing barrier two with Jason Collett at 53.5kg, while Rose Aye, Chains Of Love and Graceful Ellen add further depth among the mares. Racing NSW has already confirmed the withdrawals of Scripted, Torque To Be Sure and Inazuma Boy in the lead-up, leaving a field where the balance between established country class and lightly raced upside is particularly pronounced. With Randwick currently rated in the heavy range and further weather still a factor, adaptability may prove decisive, but Chidiac’s class, Considered’s draw and So You Pence’s profile ensure this is one of the most open editions in recent memory.