Gytrash's Everest Progress Cause for Optimism

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, jockey Jason Collett had the chance to evaluate TAB Everest contender Gytrash (Lope de Vega) for just the second time since he arrived at his partner Clare Cunningham's Warwick Farm stable. The 6YO has shown himself to be on the right track for his spring mission, galloping 800m on his own and sprinted up over the last 600m: "He's heading in the right direction," Collett said. "He was fine, he's himself. He can be a bit lazy by himself but he had a trip away and a gallop and that's what we wanted." Great hopes for last year's TAB Everest third placegetter for the Inglis slot in the $15 million sprint at Randwick on October 16, will be a proof of redemption after the third in the Gr1 Goodwood (1200m) in Adelaide and an uncharacteristic twelfth in the Gr1 Kingsford-Smith Stakes (1300m) in Brisbane. Collett, who rode Gytrash in both races, said there were real excuses for the Eagle Farm failure where he raced wide and struck interference early in the straight. "He had a long layoff after an injury and he went well first-up then was just got chewed out of it (in Brisbane), it was disappointing not to see where he would have ended up but he was dealt a wide barrier so it made things difficult."