Vega Magic to conquer Everest in $10m sprint
RACING: Vega Magic can overcome a wide draw and hold off Chautauqua and English in a thrilling finish to the inaugural $10 million The TAB Everest (1200m) at Royal Randwick today.
This is the prediction of form guru Gary Crispe who believes there will be less than two lengths separating the first eight over the line in the big race.
Crispe said the world’s richest turf race had attracted the best sprinters in training and it would take a Timeform rating of between 125-127 to win.
He believes it will be Vega Magic, one of three runners for Lindsay Park trainers David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig.
Vega Magic, a former Perth galloper, has been unbeaten since joining the HayesDabernig stable and Crispe said the sprinter “put the writing on the wall” when he won the Group 1 Memsie Stakes last start, returning a Timeform rating of 126.
“At his first run for the Lindsay Park, Vega Magic won the Group 1 Goodwood returning a Timeform rating of 118, but this preparation he has seems to have gone to a new level,” Crispe said.
“His Memsie Stakes effort when he rated 126 was a serious shot fired this early in the season; the mark having only been matched or bettered by Weekend Hussler (126) and So You Think (128) in the recent history of that race.
“Further highlighting the significance of the mark – there are only two horses currently in training with a higher rating to their name – Winx (134) and Chautauqua (127).”
Vega Magic hasn’t raced for more than a month and has to drop back to 1200m for The Everest, but Crispe said this would not trouble the talented chestnut.
“The wide draw may appear a hindrance but I think he can settle just off the speed and surge late,” he said.
“The only box Vega Magic has not ticked is the right handed way of going, but if he is able to replicate what he produced in the Memsie he is sure to be the horse to beat.”
Chautauqua has been unplaced in two runs this spring with suggestions the champ is struggling to find form – a theory Crispe has dismissed.
Crispe said that Chautauqua’s efforts in The Shorts and the Premiere Stakes were very good with his undoing brought about by a “less than ferocious” early tempo in both races.
It will be a different story today with The Everest likely to be a high-pressure race, run at a fast tempo from the start, giving the backmarkers their opportunity.
“The prospect of some rain will also assist his chances,” he said.
Crispe said English showed with narrow loss to In Her Time in the Premiere Stakes last start she was right on track for The Everest.
“English returned a faster last 600m (32.37sec) than Chautauqua and appeared to just peak on her run late, but still managed to record the second fastest last 200m of the race,” Crispe said.
Crispe felt Clearly Innocent was one of the few horses in the race with scope to give more.