Climbing the highest peak
The art of training is to get the best performance on the biggest day and Peter and Paul Snowden proved the masters as Redzel won The Everest at Randwick yesterday.
This was a day that Sydney racing has never seen the likes of before and it was a performance that Redzel had never been able to produce before.
‘‘He has always had a turn of foot but it was like he took off at the 200m mark,’’ jockey Kerrin McEvoy said.
‘‘He was trained to the minute but you don’t expect them to do something that was superior to what they did before.
‘‘When I let him go, he found a couple of lengths and the race was ours.
‘‘I knew he was getting better but that was a great training performance to freshen him up and have him peak on the biggest day of his life.’’
This was the best of Australian racing. Sheer speed and exhilaration in front of 33,512 punters.
A Triple Crown syndicated horse by champion stallion Snitzel in the slot of rising bloodstock star James Harron.
It set off wild celebration sfrom a group that had invested in an orphan foal, which has not stopped improving.
But it was the trainer who took centre stage among the wild celebrations. Paul Snowden shed a tear.
‘‘We’ve got a very special bond, me and Dad, I don’t think anyone has what we’ve got. Very happy,’’ Paul Snowden said.
Peter Snowden came to the winner’s circle saying: ‘‘I can’t speak, he just keeps getting better and better.
‘‘We always knew we had a good horse from when he arrived but by the time they are five, they usually have peaked,’’ Snowden said.
‘‘He is an easy horse to train and I have a pretty good handle [on him] and I was thinking he was ready for a career best and he was. ‘‘This is just unbelievable.’’ Harron spoke of his ‘‘wonderful experience’’.
‘‘When you have to find a horse to fill the slot, I couldn’t have found a better group to join,’’ Harron said. ‘‘It is a feeling of satisfaction, we have won some big races, like the Golden Slipper, but this right up there.
‘‘Look at these people, they’re going crazy and it is a race everyone will want to win now.’’
The roar when The Everest left the barriers was more than matched by the celebrations as Redzel crossed the line 68 seconds later. He sat outside the leader from the time the Sydney crowd gave a Melbourne Cup roar when the gates opened.
Redzel travelled up the rise and waited for the signal from McEvoy to kick and when he did the race was over.
Vega Magic, which went back from wide, charged home from back in the field but only got within three-quarters of a length with Brave Smash a short neck back in third.
Triple Crown’s Michael Ward didn’t dare to believe at the 200m mark when Redzel put a gap on his rivals. ‘‘It was like slow motion. I just wanted the post to come but it was like he is not going to get beat,’’ Ward said.