Is racing relying on Think About It to save the 2023 Everest?

Think About it won his 8th start in a row and a 10th from 11 runs on Saturday at Randwick. The Group 2 Premiere Stakes was the race over the same 1200m that The Everest is run over on October 14. He is the favourite to land the world’s richest sprint race back at the same venue in a fortnight, where four of the 12 spots are still to be filled.

Retirement of the old brigade

No horse can go on forever, but racing to lose Nature Strip and Eduardo simultaneously after the Concorde Stakes was a double blow for the sprinting ranks. They had 11 Group 1 wins between them, with the former a four-time runner in this race.

His win in the 2021 Everest is one of the biggest peaks of Nature Strip’s career. It would have been quite something to have seen him in a 5th Everest, and while it is unlikely that he would have been a major contender, it would certainly have added a layer of extra prestige.

Eduardo ran in the race three times himself, though a third was the best he could manage in the aforementioned 2021 edition. Joseph Pride has been a master with sprinters in recent years and looks set for a pair of runners in 2023, even without this retired veteran.

Injuries plaguing the market’s former front-runners

The news hit hard this week with the defending champion Giga Kick and the progressive Sunshine In Paris declaring they would not run. Both are a blow to the field overall, with lesser lights now set to fill their vacant spots.

Third in the McEwan in his only start this season, a lot was said about that run from Giga Kick, which cost Craig Williams the ride. Some will believe that it is karma that the horse cannot run after that, but the public is denied the chance to see the four-year-old bid for a second win in the race, which is a massive blow to the race itself.

Having Sunshine In Paris on the sidelines until 2024 is a significant blow for the Annabel Neasham team. She had put herself right in the picture for this race courtesy of her Group 2 Sheraco Stakes success. She won that with loads in hand, and after only six career starts, the sky was the limit for her this spring. It still is, but we won’t be able to enjoy seeing just how good she is until the autumn.

Saturday’s Group 2 winner heads the betting

Winning in a strong field first up was a brilliant effort from Think About It. He has beaten a single time in his career when finding himself a long way back in the field. Connections have ridden him a little more forward since, and he made all the running in the Liverpool City Cup over 1300m at Randwick. Versatility will be a big plus for him regarding The Everest, depending on what barrier he draws.