This weekend will mark the fifth running of The Everest, which has become arguably the hottest event on the Australian racing calendar outside of the Melbourne Cup.
On Saturday afternoon, 12 of the world's best sprinters will take to Royal Randwick racecourse, with $15 million worth of prizemoney up for grabs.
The race began back in 2017, with Redzel taking out the first two editions of the race for Paul Snowden, and the retired champion remains the only two-time winner of the event.
Yes Yes Yes claimed the 2019 Everest for Chris Waller, before the Les Bridge-trained Classique Legend put on a breathtaking performance in 2020.
In 2021, the six-year-old gelding will be looking to follow in Redzel's footsteps and go back-to-back, and while there is certainly some synergy between the pair, there are also plenty of differences.
THE JOCKEY
The major parallel between the two horses is the jockey.
Kerrin McEvoy is no stranger to The Everest, having won three out of the four previous editions of the race.
McEvoy was lucky enough to ride Redzel in both his wins, and steered Classique Legend home in 2020 in a beautiful display.
The 40-year-old is again booked to ride the Les Bridge-trained gelding in the 2021 edition, and will be looking to continue his stranglehold on The Everest with another victory.
THE FIRST EVEREST WIN
In the inaugural running of The Everest, Redzel jumped from barrier four and sat towards the lead alongside Houtzen for the majority of the race.
He grabbed the lead at around the 250m mark and flew home, winning by a length over Vega Magic and Brave Smash.
Watch the full Redzel 2017 Everest win below.
Compare that win to Classique Legend, and they are vastly different.
Jumping from barrier six, McEvoy settled in mid-field and took the back of Trekking for the majority of the run. Eduardo and Nature Strip dictated terms up front, as they are expected to do again this year.
Classique Legend would then explode at the 350m mark, flying past the leaders who fell out of the race in the final 100 metres, and won by two lengths to Bivouac.
Watch the full Classique Legend 2020 Everest win below.
THE PREPARATIONS FOR SECOND EVEREST
The preparations for their second tilt at Everest glory couldn't have been any different for these two horses.
Redzel was always an active horse, all the way up to the day it retired, and had seven starts between its 2017 and 2018 victories.
In those seven starts in between Everest wins, Redzel finished with three wins and two placings. This is a horse that loved racing and loved winning even more.
Classique Legend on the other hand is a far more lightly-raced galloper, having just one start since last year's Everest.
In its sole performance since last October's win, Classique Legend ran a disappointing 11th in the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin in December last year.
Since then, the six-year-old has had three trials in the lead-up to The Everest and won all of them.
If you compare the preparations of Classique Legend to not only Redzel in the past, but to the other runners in this year's race, it makes for a very interesting scenario.
Les Bridge hasn't put Classique Legend up against any of its Everest rivals in lead-up races like The Shorts, which saw Eduardo knock off Nature Strip.
THE SECOND TILT AT EVEREST GLORY
With the final field and barriers confirmed for the 2021 Everest, let's take a look at how Classique Legend will compare to Redzel in 2018.
Three years ago, Redzel started around $10 on a heavy track and drew the rails. As he did the previous year, Redzel flew out of the gates and took the lead alongside Le Romain.
The multi-time Group 1 winner held on and never looked in any real doubt, despite challenges from Trapeze Artist and a wide-running Osborne Bulls, holding on to win by a length.
Watch the full Redzel 2018 Everest win below.
This year, Classique Legend has drawn barrier five (just one in from last year's win) and will likely start favourite ahead of Nature Strip.
It will also have to do it on at least a soft track, with a heavy going more likely given the weather early in Everest week and forecast in the days leading up.
McEvoy will again look to come from the second-half of the field, with Nature Strip and Eduardo again expected to steam to the front and look to dictate the speed.
If Classique Legend is to win again, it will take a big effort, especially considering its lack of preparation compared to the other front-runners in the race.
This year's Everest promises to be a fantastic event, and many fans will be hoping to see Classique Legend go back-to-back and follow in the footsteps of the great Redzel.
THE EXPERT'S VERDICT
Speaking exclusively to Sporting News ahead of The Everest, leading caller Darren Flindell tipped Classique Legend to go back-to-back and win this year's race.
“Absolutely – he is going to be my top pick in the race, Classique Legend," he said.
"I know there’s a lot going against him, going to Hong Kong and suffering the bleeding attack over there. It has been a long process to get him home, he had to come back via New Zealand and Les (Bridge) has had a big job on his hands.
"He had a horse that was not fit and he has had to try and devise a way to get him there without knocking him about. He has chosen the path of having three barrier trials and there has been great progression from each of them.
"I think the last trial 10 days ago, he went to the line and Kerrin McEvoy had him strangled going over the line. He wasn’t making a noise, he wouldn’t blow a candle out so it would suggest that Les has got the preparation of him spot-on to go back-to-back.
"The pace is going to be strong, I think it has got a lot of similarities to last year – he can just sit back in the field for the first half, relax and then be ready for that one big sprint down the middle of the track late."
See below for Flindell's full Everest preview.
