Growing Empire won for the fourth time in five starts on Saturday

There is a big step up to be made with each Group race level. The difference between winning a Listed race and The Everest is a huge one but it is not insurmountable when you have a horse with the natural talent that Growing Empire possesses. 

Just two of the 12 Everest slots have been filled so far. I Wish I Win is in the Trackside Media slot and Bustling has the slot owned by Max Whitby, Col Madden and Neil Werret. Yulong Investments has one of the 12 and an awful lot of firepower at their fingertips.  
 
They might just have found their runner on Saturday afternoon in the shape of Growing Empire. He should be more of a challenger for them that Alcohol Free was in the 2023 renewal where she failed to beat a runner home.  

Listed Poseidon win makes it four from five 

With the huge volume of investment that Yulong has put into horse racing over the last few years, there could not be a more aptly named runner for them than Growing Empire. He was turned over on his debut at Kensington back in February but has won all four of his starts since. 
 
He won a Group 3 at Morphettville in April and would salute again at that level in August in the McNeil at Caulfield. A Listed contest on Saturday afternoon then was simply a case of connections trying to find a race that fit in with his schedule rather than anything else. 
 
There was a length and a quarter in it at the finish with the runner-up also a Yulong-owned runner, First Settler. That colt was unbeaten coming in and did his own reputation no harm at all chasing home Growing Empire.  

Already a pair of three-year-old winners 

First run in 2017, there have been two winners in the seven renewals of The Everest who were three-year-olds. They were Yes Yes Yes in 2019 for Chris Waller and Giga Kick for Clayton Douglas in 2022. 
 
That shows that if they are good enough, the three-year-old generation is more than capable of mixing it with their older rivals on this stage. The barrier draw is arguably of more importance than the age of the horse. Five of the seven winners have been drawn in the inner half of the barriers. 
 
There are the weights to think about as well. Older horses have 58.5kg while a three-year-old colt only has to carry 53kg. The lack of experience and maturity certainly gives them a huge advantage when it comes to how little is on their backs.  

Everest, Coolmore or both? 

This is the big question that trainer Ciaron Maher is going to have to ask himself. Ask the owners Yulong Investments too. Do they wait for the Coolmore Stakes on November 2 for their three-year-old colt or do they fire him into The Everest? 
 
They could, if they feel brave, do both! There are two weeks between the races and there has been previous. Home Affairs was no match for the 2021 Everest field but he came out to win the Coolmore the same prep.  
 
It is going to be an interesting time for connections and there is still the strong likelihood of another start between now and Randwick. Early indications would suggest that it will be at The Valley in the Manikato Stakes. It would be his first Group 1 test and a better indication of what Growing Empire can do. 

Without knowing the runners, there is not a lot of activity on the betting sites just yet for The Everest. With just five weeks until the race, however, things are about to heat up in a big way. Growing Empire added some fuel to that fire on Saturday.