Key questions as Ten Sovereigns bids to topple Redzel in The Everest

6.15 Randwick
The Everest (Conditions) | 6f | 2yo+ | SKY

Can Ten Sovereigns bounce back?

Darley July Cup hero Ten Sovereigns bids to seize the Everest crown from the hat-trick seeking Redzel in the third running of the showcase A$14m (£7.39m/€8.55m) sprint at Randwick on Saturday.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained three-year-old contests his first race outside of Britain and Ireland on the back of a below-par sixth behind Battaash when favourite for the Coolmore-sponsored Nunthorpe at York in August.

Ryan Moore’s mount, drawn in stall 11, struck at the top level for the second time when running out a ready winner of the July Cup at Newmarket and is a 14-1 chance with William Hill to win the Everest, in which just two of the 12 runners have yet to win a Group 1.

O’Brien, who saddled his first runner in the race last year when US Navy Flag finished ninth, said: "All the reports I am getting home are very positive. Andrew [Murphy] , Alan [Crowe] and Christopher [Geoghegan] are down there with him and all three are very happy.

"He is drawn a bit wide but the ground is going to nice, that is crucial to him. We have always thought he was a very fast horse."

Will Redzel make it three in a row?

Triple Crown Syndicates are once again relishing the challenge of taking on titan owners Godolphin and Coolmore with Redzel “going as well as ever” for his hat-trick bid.

Successful in each of the two runnings of the race, Redzel returned this season to defeat the reopposing Pierata in the Concorde Stakes before finishing third behind the same rival in a Group 2 event at the same track.

Redzel, a Group 1 winner at Doomben and Flemington, is berthed in stall seven and ridden by regular jockey Kerrin McEvoy.

Redzel: hat-trick bid for the star sprinterCredit: Mark Evans

Michael Ward, director of Triple Crown Syndicates, said: “He’s been going as well as ever in the lead up. There’s no doubt it’s an excellent field and any horse has the quality to win.

“Redzel has been racing at the top level for a number of years and his racing style keeps him out of trouble so he makes his own luck.

“There’s 17 people involved in him and it’s great a syndicate like ours can go up against the big guns.”

Can Santa Ana Lane justify favouritism?

Jockey Mark Zahra feels Santa Ana Lane is the one to beat and the market agrees on the back of a promising second on his return in the Gilgai Stakes at Flemington.

The Anthony Freedman-trained seven-year-old is a five-time Group 1 winner and finished sixth behind Redzel last year and fourth in the Chairman’s Sprint at Sha Tin in April.

Read Kerrin McEvoy's thoughts on Redzel's chance

Zahra said of the 4-1 favourite: “He’s the one to beat and a decent pace will play to his strengths. He went as good as he could have without winning last time and there should be improvement to come.”

What the rest say

Chris Waller, trainer of Arcadia Queen, Yes Yes Yes and Nature Strip
Arcadia Queen has been kept nice and sharp for this and she's talented. Yes Yes Yes gets a pretty good weight allowance as a three-year-old and wears blinkers to try and give him a little more tactical speed. Nature Strip is one of the fastest horses in Australia, if not the world, and has the right credentials.

James Cummings, trainer of Alizee and Trekking
Alizee is beaming with good health. Everything I envisaged for her from the program that we set has fallen into place. It’s already a great achievement for Trekking to come as far as he has. He’s two-from-two over this trip at Randwick and has his place on merit.

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