Sydney's Spring Carnival's newest addition 'The Everest' is back and in the centre of Australia's racing calender.
The success of the inaugural race in 2017 will be sure to have fans flocking to Royal Randwick for another thrilling edition.
Boasting a heavier purse than the Melbourne Cup, the Everest has become one of the biggest horse races in the world.
History will be made on Saturday, October 13 as twelve of the fastest horses in the world compete for $13 million of prizemoney.
In just a year The Everest has become the world's richest turf race.
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WHEN IS THE EVEREST?
The Everest is held on the second Saturday of October as the feature race of the Sydney Spring Carnival. The 2018 edition of the race will be held on Saturday 13 October, with the race to commence at 3.30pm AEST.
WHERE IS THE EVEREST HELD?
The Everest is held over a distance of 1,200 metres at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.
WHAT IS THE PRIZE MONEY FOR THE EVEREST?
With $13 million in total prize money, the Everest is not only the richest race in Australia but also the wealthiest turf race in the world. The winner pockets $6 million for less than 70 seconds of race time. This is a $200,000 increase from the prize money won by Redzel last year.
The second placegetter will earn $2.1 million, third receives $1.2 million, fourth $820,000, fifth $600,000 and sixth $350,000. Sprinters who finish seventh to twelve will earn $300, 000. This reduces the gap between the $600,000 that slot holders invest each year to hold a starting position.
WHICH HORSES ARE CONFIRMED FOR THE 2018 EVEREST?
| SLOT HOLDER | RUNNER | TRAINER |
| The Star | Shoals | Anthony Freedman |
| TAB | In Her Time | Benjamin Smith |
| Inglis | Santa Ana Lane | Anthony Freedman |
| Australian Turf Club | Osborne Bulls | James Cummins |
| Greg Ingham | Le Romain | Kris Lees |
| Aquis Farm | Trapeze Artist | Gerard Ryan |
| Yu Long Investments | Redzel | Peter and Paul Snowden |
| James Harron | Vega Magic | David and B Hayes and T Dabernig |
| Coolmore | US Navy Flag | Aidan O'Brien |
| Damion Flower (Jadeskye Racing) | Viddora | Lloyd Kennewell |
| Chris Waller Racing | Brave Smash | Darren Weir |
| Max Whitby (Everest Racing Pty Ltd) | Graff | Kris Lees |
WHAT ARE THE ODDS FOR THE 2018 EVEREST
Via Sportsbet, as at 11/10
| Redzel | $6.50 |
| Vega Magic | $7 |
| Trapeze Artist | $7.50 |
| Shoals | $7.50 |
| Us Navy Flag | $8.50 |
| Santa Ana Lane | $9.50 |
| In Her Time | $13 |
| Brave Smash | $15 |
| Graff | $17 |
| Vidoora | $18 |
| Osborne Bulls | $18 |
| Le Romain | $20 |
2018 EVEREST BARRIER DRAW
| Barrier | Runner |
| 1 | Redzel |
| 2 | Shoals |
| 3 | US Navy Flag |
| 4 | Brave Smash |
| 5 | Osborne Bulls |
| 6 | Trapeze Artist |
| 7 | Vega Magic |
| 8 | In Her Time |
| 9 | Santa Ana Lane |
| 10 | Graff |
| 11 | Le Romain |
| 12 | Viddora |
HOW TO WATCH THE EVEREST?
The Everest will be broadcast live nationally on Channel Seven.
HOW CAN I GET TICKETS TO THE EVEREST?
Witness the second running of the world's richest race by heading to Moshtix .
WHO WILL BE PERFORMING AT THE EVEREST?
Fans will be entertained by, or subjected to depending on your opinion, Liam Payne. You might know him from One Direction. You also might not.
Multi-platinum recording artist @LiamPayne will be performing live this Saturday @royalrandwick on @tabcomau #TheEverest day!
— Australian Turf Club (@atc_races) October 8, 2018
Tickets & info: https://t.co/84LwKx8M0a pic.twitter.com/aTZJX6xT1V
WHAT CONDITIONS IS IT RUN UNDER?
The Everest is an Australian Turf Club weight for age, thoroughbred horse race.
WILL THERE BE ANY MELBOURNE CUP WINNERS?
There will be no Melbourne Cup winners as the Everest is a shorter sprint of 1,200 metres.
The Melbourne Cup is run over a distance of 3,200 metres.
HOW DO HORSES APPLY FOR THE RACE?
The Everest is a slot race meaning that qualification is ‘bought’ by slot-holders. These investors pay $600,000 to hold a place before selecting a horse to fill it. Just 12 horses can take the Randwick track, meaning that only the best elite sprinters can participate. Last year, seven of the twelve sprinters were group one winners.
WHICH HORSE WON LAST YEAR?
The inaugural edition of The Everest was won by Redzel, who is set to compete once again this year. In 2017, slotholder James Harron struck a deal with the horse’s owners to use his spot to enter the race.
Redzel was followed by Vega Magic in second place, Brave Smash in third and Chautauqua in fourth.