Trekking plods on into Everest
STRADBROKE winner Trekking joins two-time defending champ Redzel and speed demon Nature Strip in trying to keep an unblemished Everest record for the Queensland carnival tomorrow.
Redzel campaigned in Brisbane before each of his two Everest wins and was here again for a one-off cameo this year.
Nature Strip was fancied in the Doomben 10,000 but lost his chances with a slow getaway.
Trekking was second in the Kingsford Smith Cup before dominating the Stradbroke.
It will be the fewest Queensland carnival runners in the three-year history of The Everest.
In its inaugural runners competed year, five or campaigned in Queensland during the winter.
Last year was even more impressive.
Four of the first seven across the line were Queensland carnival contenders and when you added in Graff and Osborne Bulls (who both spent time here), it was six of the first seven.
Redzel leads the charge again in his bid for a third win in the race, but Godolphin insiders are confident Trekking will also race well.
Last year’s Stradbroke winner Santa Ana Lane went on to be the No.1-ranked sprinter in the country and while trainer James Cummings is not making those type of lofty suggestions for Trekking, he has been taken by his improvement.
“He has come a long way that horse,” Cummings said.
“Of all the horses in the race, he’s been on the fastest trajectory over the last 12 months, outside the threeyear-old (Yes Yes Yes) and Arcadia Queen.
“I like the way we plodded away to get him into The Everest and pulled it off at what had to be the very last minute.
“Particularly (at 1100m) against Ball Of Muscle, who was in the zone there last Saturday. They ran a fast time in achieving it.
“It bodes really well.” Trekking is a $26 chance and Cummings stopped short of saying he had been overlooked.
“He is in an Everest at WFA. We can’t be expecting him to turn up and be a favoured runner,” he said.
“He’s come a long way to be considered potentially within a couple of lengths of these horses.
“It will be interesting to see what price he starts.”
Cummings said he had not been so much surprised by the colossus The Everest has become, but fascinated by its evolution.
“It’s tested out a bit of character in people and for a sporting event, that’s an excellent sign,” he said.