The awarding of the Longines World's Best Jockey title is based upon performances in the 100 highest-rated Group 1 and Grade 1 races as established for the year by the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings Committee. The scoring incorporates races from Dec. 1 of the previous year until Nov. 30 of the current year. Jockeys accrue 12 points for a win, 6 points for placing second, and 4 points for placing third.

McDonald, who finished third in the 2021 competition, won nine of the world's top 100 Group 1/Grade I races during the season, topped by the G1 Ladbrokes Cox Plate aboard Godolphin's Anamoe (Aus) (Street Boss) and the G1 T J Smith S. astride Nature Strip (Aus) (Nicconi {Aus}). McDonald also guided the latter to a thrilling victory in the G1 King's Stand S. at Royal Ascot. He is the second Australian-based rider to win the title, following Hugh Bowman in 2017.

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Brian Sheerin has been digesting the action for the week and is back once again to flesh out the major takeaways from Saturday's action.

Appleby Bidding To Snare The Eagle With Noble Truth

The Aussies spent the week frightening the daylights out of anyone with a top-class sprinter in their stable. Everyone bar Charlie Appleby that is.

Chris Waller's Nature Strip (Aus) (Nicconi {Aus}) made the opposition look ordinary when winning the G1 King's Stand S. on Tuesday and, prior to Home Affairs (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) disappointing in the G1 Platinum Jubilee S., Appleby revealed that he would like to run G3 Jersey S. winner Noble Truth in Australia later this year.

Appleby deservedly carries a reputation for being one of the best in the business at travelling horses across the globe and hinted at an audacious tilt at the A$10-million Golden Eagle for Noble Truth on Oct. 29.

“I've been trying to find a horse for the Golden Eagle in Australia and he might just be ticking a few boxes for that,” he said after the race.

We have become accustomed to Australian sprinters landing big-race riches in Europe but few trainers would entertain the idea of taking on monsters like Nature Strip in their own back garden.

Luckily for us, Appleby is not like most trainers. It will be some spectacle if he can get Noble Truth to the Golden Eagle.

O'Donoghue Does A Sterling Job With Pearling Path

Imagine being brave enough to bring a horse to Royal Ascot in your first season holding a trainer's licence and, despite the market underestimating your judgment by sending it off a rank outsider at odds of 80-1, he goes on to run a cracker to finish second.

It would be an achievement worthy of some acknowledgement, wouldn't you think? Well ITV Racing didn't feel any need to cast any spotlight towards John O'Donoghue, who achieved just that, when Pearling Path (Fr) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) ran a fine second in the Listed Chesham S.

O'Donoghue, who took up residency at John Oxx's legendary Currabeg Stables this year, has enjoyed a respectable start as a trainer, sending out a couple of winners domestically, of which, Pearling Path was one.

Pearling Path looked home for all money in the Chesham but possibly downed tools a little when he was left in front a little longer than ideal.

In many ways, Pearling Path snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and, while the defeat would have been painful for connections, O'Donoghue can hold his head high in defeat and is sure to be grabbing headlines before long.

Given the winner, Holloway Boy (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}), was winning the race on debut, it may go some way in explaining why O'Donoghue got no love in the press.

Interestingly, Holloway Boy's sister, Oppressive (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}) (lot 173), who failed to win in four starts last year, will be on offer at the July Sale at Tattersalls next month. Talk about a timely boost.

The Good, Bad And Ugly

Jockey form was one of the major talking points of the week and Ryan Moore confirmed himself the undisputed top dog in the weighroom by giving Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) a masterclass to win the G2 Hardwicke S. before delivering Rohaan (Ire) (Mayson {GB}) with a well-timed run to bag the Wokingham S. on Saturday.

Both rides were absolutely top drawer and a lot of people will argue that Moore made the difference aboard Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Gold Cup on Thursday as well.

His ride aboard Changingoftheguard (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), albeit there was an element of luck involved given the runner-up wandered across the track, was also sublime.

It is not the first big meeting this season where Moore has been flawless, either, given that he bossed Chester and was also excellent aboard Tuesday (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Oaks.

Frankie Dettori and Cieren Fallon endured contrasting fortunes this week, which generated just as much chatter as Moore's brilliance did, possibly driven by their respective trainers' reaction to the mishaps.

John Gosden criticised the legendary jockey for an “overcomplicated ride” on Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the Gold Cup and added that Dettori “should have won”.

Meanwhile, William Haggas defended Fallon for his ride aboard Maljoom (Ire) (Caravaggio) in the G1 St James's Palace S., saying, “we must not lambast him.”

Dettori is obviously one of the most experienced practitioners of his craft while Fallon has many years ahead of him but it was fascinating to see the contrasting reactions from Gosden and Haggas to the hands that they were dealt this week.

Ascot Eye-Catchers

There were a number of eye-catchers this week, none more so than Maljoom in the St. James's Palace S., and he will need to be respected in all of the top mile races going forward. An unlucky fourth on Tuesday, he could be an interesting horse with a view towards the G1 Sussex S. at Goodwood.

Twilight Calls (GB) (Twilight Son {GB}) may not have been able to land a glove on Nature Strip when chasing that rival home in the G1 King's Stand S., but he enhanced his reputation in defeat and will be interesting in some of the top sprints as well.

Burning Victory (Fr) (Nathaniel {Ire}) has been held back by her jumping in the National Hunt sphere but showed she has a pretty big engine when finishing fourth, beaten a little over a length, in the G1 Gold Cup.

That represented a major step forward on all known form and, given that Willie Mullins does exceptionally well with these dual-purpose horses, she could be interesting with a view towards the G1 Irish St Leger, a race he won with Wicklow Brave (GB) (Beat Hollow {GB}).

Saga (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) was an unlucky loser in the Britannia and remains an interesting horse while Sun King (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) looks extremely well-handicapped off 89 and ran well from a bad draw to finish third in the Golden Gates S.

Poor Prize-Money 

Few will have sympathy for anyone wealthy enough to own racehorses running at Royal Ascot but the fact that there was only £11,190 on offer for finishing third in the Chesham S. does not make sense.

Royal Ascot is meant to be the biggest stage and connections of Lakota Sioux (Ire) (Sioux Nation), who filled the third spot, deserved more for that effort than what they'd pick up for winning a nursery.

The prize-money in Ireland is not much better, and it couldn't be better illustrated through the former Ger Lyons-trained Masen (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who duly won the $250,000 GIII Poker S. at Belmont Park Stateside on Saturday afternoon.

Masen was a good horse for Lyons, and won a €125,000 premier handicap on Irish Champions Weekend at Leopardstown before picking up just €22,500 for landing the Listed Knockaire S. at that track on his final start in Ireland last term.

Compare that to the $137,500 Masen picked up when successful at Belmont on Saturday, it simply doesn't make sense to keep horses of his standard in training in Ireland where the opportunity to run for big money is elsewhere.

The lure of having runners at these meetings is obviously huge but, when owners are lucky enough to come across horses to run at meetings like Royal Ascot, the prize-money should at least be adequate.

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Trained by Chris Waller, Nature Strip slammed his King's Stand S. rivals by over four lengths and, despite pulling out of the race in rude health, will not bid to emulate the great Choisir (Aus), who was the last Australian-trained horse to complete the King's Stand and Platinum Jubilee double in 2003.

Nature Strip's managing owner Rod Lyons told Racing.com, “No [he won't run]. I think there was a fair bit of pressure on the boss to get him to run, but he said he's done his job, let's get him quarantined, get him home and get him ready for The Everest.”

Waller will be represented in the Platinum Jubilee instead by Home Affairs (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}), and the legendary trainer described himself as proud of Nature Strip on Wednesday.

He Tweeted, “Our king Nature Strip has pulled up a treat and we are so proud of him. He's certainly made us very proud. It was a memorable moment for everybody.”

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From bargain buy Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}) bolting up in the G2 Coventry S. to Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) disappointing in the G1 King's Stand S., there were a huge amount of talking points to emerge from day one. Brian Sheerin examined the big takeouts from a pulsating day's action.

Bradsell the Best Result Imaginable 

You would be doing well to buy a horse to win a races at any level in Britain or Ireland for just 12,000gns and, the fact that the brilliant Coventry S. scorer Bradsell once went through the ring for that paltry sum should offer an incentive to everyone who has ever flirted with the idea of getting involved in racehorse ownership.

Bradsell, bred by Deborah O'Brien who has developed the family for generations, was offered on her behalf by Bearstone Stud and sold to Highflyer Bloodstock for just 12,000gns at the Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale in September 2021.

By first-season sire Tasleet (GB), Bradsell was subsequently sold for £47,000–again a relatively small figure–by Mark Grant to Blandford Bloodstock at the Goffs Breeze-Up Sale in April.

Arguably one of the most impressive juvenile winners of the season when winning on debut at York, Bradsell confirmed the impression he left that day was completely correct by storming to Ascot glory, the win made all the more memorable for the fact that Hollie Doyle was in the saddle.

It shouldn't be forgotten that Bradsell's trainer Archie Watson, who lost the G1 Commonwealth Cup last year in the stewards' room after first-past-the-post Dragon Symbol (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}) was deemed to have inconvenienced Campanelle (Kodiac {GB}), was securing his second win at the royal meeting after sending out Parent's Prayer (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) to score in 2021.

It is one of the captivating aspects of racing that, no matter how much money you throw at the game, it doesn't equate to success and the victory of Bradsell, in a stallion-making race, shows that everyone has a chance.

Maljoom Another Top Miler in the Making

Tongues were sent wagging, and rightly so, after Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) sauntered to G1 Queen Anne S. glory while Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) got out of trouble in the G1 St James's Palace S., and it will be fascinating if both colts lock horns in the G1 Sussex S. later this summer.

However, Maljoom (Ire) (Caravaggio) should not be forgotten about with a view towards top honours over a mile this season, as he hardened his reputation in defeat behind Coroebus, enduring a luckless passage to fly home for fourth.

Another stride or two, and the case could be made that Maljoom would have won and, for all that his trainer William Haggas would have been hugely disappointed not to win the St James's Palace, he left Ascot in no doubt that he has another top miler in his stable.

Like his stablemate Baaeed, Maljoom didn't grace the track until his 3-year-old campaign, and the rate at which he has improved from each start to the next has been nothing short of phenomenal.

This is a horse who won the G2 German 2000 Guineas on just his third start and, if he can show the same improvement as he did from Cologne to Royal Ascot as he can between now and his next start, he will need to be respected wherever he lines out in the future.

It was also notable in the St James's Palace that New Energy (Ire) (New Bay {Ire}), trained by Sheila Lavery, ran a similar race to his second-place showing in the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas in that he travelled extremely well up to a point. He looks as though he'll be better back over seven furlongs and the G1 Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly next month looks the most obvious race for him.

Looking ahead, Charlie Appleby will not want similar tactics to unfold for Coroebus again and it could be the case that Godolphin run a pacemaker for him in the Sussex.

Bay Bridge Boost

Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay (GB) looked a potential top-notch older horse in the making when winning on his reappearance at Sandown and Dubai Future (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) provided believability to what Sir Michael Stoute's 4-year-old achieved in the G3 Brigadier Gerard S. by bolting up in the Listed Wolferton S.

Dubai Future was no match for Bay Bridge at Sandown, finishing 11 lengths off Stoute's hugely exciting colt back in fourth, but he paid a handsome compliment to that form in running out a convincing winner of the penultimate race on Tuesday for Saeed bin Suroor.

Bay Bridge is a short-priced favourite to provide Stoute with his fifth G1 Prince Of Wales's S. on Wednesday and it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see those odds contract further into a shade of odds-on given what Dubai Future achieved.

Callum Hutchinson Clinches Opportunity

It is one thing to be given an opportunity to showcase your talents on the biggest stage of them all and something altogether different in being able to take advantage of it. Nobody could accuse Callum Hutchinson of not doing just that.

One of just a handful of claiming riders to be in action on the opening day of the royal meeting, Hutchinson was exemplary aboard Coltrane (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) in the Ascot S. and even had time to celebrate a stride or two before the line.

The most impressive aspect of the ride was that Hutchinson had to fight for a gap two furlongs down when the door was almost closed in his face.

In doing that, and galvanising Coltrane to record a memorable success, Hutchinson rewarded the faith entrusted in him by Andrew Balding. He's certainly a rider going places.

Golden Pal Can Bounce Back 

What did we learn from Nature Strip (Aus) (Nicconi {Aus}) setting fire to the Ascot turf in the King's Stand S.? That the Australian-based sprinters are on a completely different planet.

Another major talking point of the race was the performance of Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), who gave himself no chance at the gates by breaking slowly, eventually trailing home last of the 16 runners.

There was a huge amount of confidence behind Golden Pal, possibly fuelled by his trainer Wesley Ward's comments in the build-up to the race, and it was fascinating to see him usurp Nature Strip as the clear favourite before the off.

Of course, it's not the first time that Golden Pal has failed to fire in Europe, having fluffed his lines in the G1 Nunthorpe S. last season.

The fact remains that this is one of the fastest horses in the world and, while he is clearly not best suited by the straight courses in Europe, he remains a potent force in his homeland and should not be underestimated for some of the major sprints in America later in the year. He can bounce back from this.

It should also be noted that fellow Chris Waller-trained sprinter Home Affairs (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) shortened up considerably for the G1 Platinum Jubilee S. on Saturday. Anyone on the double will be sitting pretty.

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Home Affairs is on course to run in the Platinum Jubilee S. while Nature Strip is a leading fancy for the King's Stand S. for Waller, who will forever be remembered for his handling of Australian legend Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) and, more recently, last year's Melbourne Cup winner Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}).

Nature Strip, one of the most decorated sprinters in the world with eight Group 1 wins to his name, and Home Affairs, twice successful at the highest level, were reported to have come through their breeze at Ascot racecourse with flying colours, according to the trainer. 

Waller said, “It was pretty much a perfect trip-they had two stopovers, one in Singapore and one in Dubai.

“Collectively they drank 120 litres of water on the flight and I think that's the key for anyone travelling, just making sure they're well hydrated.

“They put on a couple of kilos on the flight but now they're back to their normal weights, so they needed to do a little bit of work this morning.

“Today was their first piece of fast work for two weeks, they just needed a little bit of stimulation and I was pretty happy with what they did.”

A handful of international raiders have based themselves in Newmarket while American handler Wesley Ward has taken his team to Chelmsford racecourse in the build-up to next week's royal meeting.

Waller was full of praise for the facilities in Lambourn, a racing centre more celebrated for its jumps inhabitants, as well as his European training colleagues.

He said, “It's been great, a lovely relaxed environment. It's amazing, the facilities over here, it's awesome-the horses just enjoy themselves and are very relaxed.

“Like a lot of training centres around the world, we train in the city and everything is a rush. There's a lot of horses in a small area, but not here, it's all about the horse and it's no wonder the English, Irish and French turn up so many good winners.”

He added, “You train to your own environment, we know what works in Australia. I have the utmost respect for how hard it must be to train a horse here.

“In particular they've got to have their horses right for six months of the year, we have 12 months to get things right. If you miss a carnival, you've got another one two or three months later – but there's only one Royal Ascot.

“The way the English and Irish trainers, and the French as well, the way they prepare them for their races is quite unique. We have prep runs, we don't get them ready for a 2,000 metre race first time.”

While Winx never made the trip to Ascot that so many fans hoped for, Waller is not a total stranger to Royal Ascot having sent Brazen Beau (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) to race in 2015.

The son of I Am Invincible came close to victory in the then Diamond Jubilee S., finding only the Ward-trained Undrafted (Purim) half a length too good.

Asked what he learnt from his experience with Brazen Beau, Waller said, “That it would be achievable to win a race here one day.

“He ran very well and he was a good Australian sprinter, a young horse with a similar profile to Home Affairs. You've got to have a horse with a good temperament, they've got to be quick, they've got to be able to cope with good tracks or perhaps a bit of rain on the day as well.

“We almost pulled it off, so not much has changed really, we almost got it right and we'll try to get it right this time.”

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Romantic Proposal showed blistering speed in winning the G1 Flying Five S. at the Curragh last season and, despite treating the Listed Woodlands S. at Naas like a piece of work on her comeback, the star sprinter will not run again before the royal meeting and will be kept fresh by Lynam.

“We were delighted with her comeback and decided to leave it at that with her because we're trying to keep her fresh for Royal Ascot,” Lynam told TDN Europe on Tuesday. 

“She has entries in the King's Stand and the Platinum Jubilee and we're going to bring her over there fresh. We'll run her on the Tuesday, all going well, and then we'll see how she recovers. If we're happy with her, she will take her chance on the Saturday as well.”

Lynam added, “If you mind them when they are young, they can pay you back in spades when they get older, but that's easy for me to say as I have the owners who will let me do that. She was never going to be a 2-year-old and has developed from being a premier handicapper to making the big jump last year at five. 

“You could say that she has improved again judging by that Naas performance as, while it probably wasn't the strongest listed race ever run, she was very impressive.”

Romantic Proposal can be backed at 10-1 for the King's Stand while odds of 16-1 are available for the Platinum Jubilee. According to Lynam, the King's Stand is the preferred target for the mare, who will only back up if her main assignment goes to plan. 

He explained, “I'm not saying she can do the double but it's tempting. I was going to do it before with Sole Power (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}) but I didn't because he wasn't equally as good over six furlongs as he was over five. We won't back her up unless we're happy with her.”

Lynam added, “The King's Stand is the preferred target of the two and it's shaping up to be a real international race. Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) was very impressive in America recently so if he shows that sort of form we could be in trouble as he would be difficult to beat. 

“Nature Strip (Aus) (Nicconi {Aus}) also has to be respected, as does any Australian sprinter, given the history of Choisir, Starspangledbanner (Aus) and all the rest of them. The Queen looks like she has a good one [King's Lynn (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire})] and Ireland will be well-represented with A Case Of You (Ire) (Hot Streak {Ire}) so it looks a top race.”

Should Romantic Proposal shine on the biggest of stages, she would once again highlight the prowess of Lynam's daughter Amy, who pinhooked the Clipper Logistics-owned star as a foal. 

Amy was also responsible for sourcing Soffia (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}), who won a Group 2 for her father, and plans on capitalising on the recent run of success by making a go of it as a bloodstock agent.

She explained, “I'm over the moon with what Romantic Proposal has done. From her and Soffia before that, I am hoping to pick up some orders for the yearling sales. I always thought that being a bloodstock agent would be a great job but didn't know if I'd be any good at it. Thanks to the two of them, I might try and give it a go.”

Lynam added, “I bought a brother to Mums Tipple (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) at the November Foal Sale at Goffs last year and the plan is to pinhook him. He's very nice and is the only one I have at the moment but I'd like to try and fill a few orders if I can. I wanted to prove that I was good enough to do it first before I started spending people's money.”

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Zaaki was to have been ridden in the Cox Plate by James McDonald, who watched as another of his regular mounts, Verry Elleegant, finished strongly for third. History shows that “J-Mac” reunited with Verry Elleegant for the mare's triumph in Monday night's Melbourne Cup. The champion jockey is again scheduled to pilot Zaaki in Friday night's Mackinnon, at 1 1/4 miles. This past April, 29-year-old McDonald became the youngest jockey in Australia to record 50 G1 wins. He now chases a 21-year-old record for most wins (nine) during Flemington's four-day “Melbourne Cup Carnival,” which finishes this Friday night – a record held by Brett Prebble, whom McDonald idolized growing up and whom McDonald ironically relegated to runner-up status in the Melbourne Cup (Prebble rode the favorite, Incentivise).

Undoubtedly, the bulk of J-Mac's success has been borne of his association with Chris Waller. In a 17-day span, the all-conquering combination captured Australia's two richest races: The Everest with Nature Strip and Melbourne Cup with Verry Elleegant. For all of Waller's wonderful management of Winx throughout her 33 consecutive wins, the aforementioned double garners greater respect from his peers. Both Nature Strip and Verry Elleegant were notorious as younger horses for being head-strong and untractable. Nature Strip was an enigma, whose raw speed proved almost impossible to harness; Verry Elleegant had as many quirks as the spelling of her name. Each horse has undeniably benefitted from Waller's patient tutelage, as they proved the epitome of professionalism while capturing Australia's two richest prizes – at the polarized distances of six furlongs and two miles. Apart from Waller, the other common denominator is James McDonald.

Fittingly, Nature Strip will make an encore appearance this Friday night, as hot favorite for the G1 VRC Sprint Classic (Race 6). Despite a million-dollar purse, many potential opponents have been scared off by the world's top-ranked turf sprinter. Nature Strip (2-5 favorite) is expected to dominate his eight rivals down Flemington's “Straight Six”-furlongs course.

Just as Day One of the Breeders' Cup is promoted as “Future Stars Friday” with its emphasis on juvenile races, Sydney's Rosehill Racecourse offers an early-season gift for 2-year-olds on Friday night. The Golden Gift (Race 7) is the first million-dollar race for youngsters on the calendar – an extraordinary purse just three months into the new southern hemisphere season.

At first glance, favoritism is strangely placed with a horse who debuted out of the money at 25-1. However, the zig-zag closing rush of Shalatin was impossible to miss. The colt broke from Gate 12 in a field of 13 and came from 12^th position – all the while looking as green as a billiard table. In the Golden Gift, Shalatin (7-2) has drawn better in Gate 5 (and, by pure coincidence, will be program #5). His trainer, Joe Pride, has enjoyed tremendous recent success through the deeds of Eduardo and Private Eye (the latter takes on Zaaki in the Mackinnon Stakes).

The Flemington card will be broadcast on TVG this Friday night (First Post: 9:40 p.m. ET / 6:40 p.m. PT) alongside cards from Rosehill, Eagle Farm and Goulburn. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, DRF Bets and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com.

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The Setting: Randwick hosts a third straight Friday night of top-quality racing – the temporary rail was out 16 feet last week and moves into the “true” position (0') for The Everest. Rain is predicted across the week; race day could be windy, in which case it can be advantageous to be “covered up” in running. 

The Broadcast: Nick Hines will anchor TVG's coverage; Sky Racing's Jason Witham will be on-track at Randwick; yours truly will weigh in via Skype. First Post: 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT.

The Field: All runners carry 128 pounds, except the mare Libertini (124) and the 3-year-old Home Affairs (116). Post positions in parentheses.

#1 Nature Strip (10) 7-2. The world's highest ranked turf sprinter. 17 wins from 32 starts. Prodigiously gifted, Nature Strip was enigmatic earlier in his career. Under Chris Waller's patient tutelage, the horse is finally balancing his brilliance with tractability and professionalism. Has finished 4th and 7th in The Everest; this third time could deservedly be the charm.

#2 Classique Legend (5) 7-2. Went to Hong Kong (where his owner is based) after winning The Everest last year, but failed to acclimate. 83-year-old training legend Les Bridge got his “gray flash” home again in June, and is training him up to the race (used two prep races in 2020). Tries to emulate Redzel, who won the first two editions of this race; jockey Kerrin McEvoy is a common denominator, and shoots for a remarkable fourth win in five runnings of The Everest.  

#3 Eduardo (7) 5-1. The world's second-highest ranked turf sprinter; has twice out-gamed Nature Strip in photo finishes. He was a scintillating G1 winner in March when 2nd-up from a layoff, prompting a similarly timed attack on The Everest.

#4 Gytrash (1) 8-1. Pronounced GEE-trah. Finished 3rd in The Everest last year; desperately unlucky when 3rd last start behind Eduardo and Nature Strip. Career 25:10-6-7, with valid excuses for only two unplaced runs.

#5 Trekking (4) 30-1. Godolphin's aptly named representative is being given a third chance to reach the summit, after finishing 3rd and 4th the past two years. Veteran son of Street Cry needs the breaks, but is genuine and will be closing. 

#6 Masked Crusader (9) 8-1. Ran 2nd behind Nature Strip in an April G1 race; has produced exhilarating rushes from the rear to win two of three starts this campaign, in slightly easier company. 

#7 Wild Ruler (11) 50-1. Would have been an exotics chance on firm ground from a good gate, but has neither.

#8 The Inferno (12) 25-1. Star sprinter-miler in Singapore in 2019-20. Caught fire in Melbourne last month with a G2 win and close G1 2nd. Has never raced clockwise; hard task after being dealt the “visitor's draw.” 

#9 Embracer (3) 70-1. Late replacement for the slot-holder whose Rothfire was sidelined by injury. Outclassed and impossible to embrace.

#10 Lost And Running (2) 20-1. Was hot when running through the grades earlier this year; snapped up early by his slot-holder. Albeit with some excuses, has been more lost than running in both starts this campaign against top-level competition.   

#11 Libertini (8) 30-1. A dangerous weapon when fresh, this mare has deliberately been set for The Everest off a layoff. Has overcome a recent, minor setback. Knockout potential, but prefers firmer footing.

#12 Home Affairs (6) 10-1. Coolmore is replicating the formula that won them The Everest with Yes Yes Yes in 2019 – a (newly turned, on August 1st) 3-year-old colt trained by Chris Waller and ridden by Glen Boss. Home Affairs brilliantly won his seasonal debut, before holding his own in a workout versus Waller's Nature Strip. 

Selection: #4 Gytrash

Wagering Strategy: Gytrash win/place; 20c trifecta 2, 4 / 1, 2, 3, 4 / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10

The Final Word: Coolmore's Tom Magnier: “Full credit to Racing New South Wales. They planted the seed for The Everest and it grew into a tree from Day One.”

The Randwick card will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (First Post: 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT) alongside cards from Eagle Farm, Newcastle and Gold Coast. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, DRF Bets and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com. 

The post Australia’s The Everest: Horse-By-Horse Preview Of World’s Richest Turf Race appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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#1 Nature Strip (3-2 fav.) was Horse of the Year in the 2019/20 season and is currently the world's highest-ranked sprinter. In his 7-year-old debut two weeks ago, he blistered the last three furlongs in 32.62 seconds, winning a G3 five-furlong race.   

#2 Eduardo (7-1), #3 Gytrash (13-1), #4 Masked Crusader (7-2) and #5 Rothfire (9-2) are all Group One winners.

#7 Lost and Running (6-1) has raced only seven times and never at Group level, but created a huge impression while progressing through restricted grades earlier this year.         

Early Market Mover: Race 8 #5 Rothfire has been sidelined for a year since sustaining a potentially career-ending injury, when favorite and looking the likely winner mid-stretch of a Group One race. His morning works have been so electric that he was recently “bought” by a slot-holder for The Everest. As much as 7-1 was offered early this week for The Shorts, and Rothfire has been bet down to 9-2 to complete a fairytale comeback this Friday night.   

Feature Race: The George Main Stakes, Race 7 at Royal Randwick in Sydney. The George Main is a one-mile Group One race at weight-for-age. Winx set the stakes record of 1.33.65 in 2017, when winning her second of three George Mains. 

Star Performer: #7 Verry Elleegant (6-5 favorite). Australia's Horse of the Year for the 2020/21 season made her 6-year-old debut with an excellent 2nd-place finish in the G1 Winx Stakes, at seven furlongs, four weeks ago. 

Hold All Tickets: Verry Elleegant has followed the same path from the Winx Stakes the past two years, and failed to win the George Main both times (as favorite last year). In both campaigns, she peaked in the following race of the form cycle when stepping up to 1-1/4miles. 

Alternatives: 

#1 Kolding (7-1) owns two G1 wins at the Randwick Mile when making his 3rd start from a layoff – including last year's George Main at 9-1. However, he might have “lost a step.” Kolding and Verry Elleegant are both trained by Chris Waller, of Winx fame.

#2 Think It Over (5-1) arrived in the last breath to win a G2 at the Randwick Mile two weeks ago. He might be looking for more distance.

#3 Cascadian (7-1) started favorite when 4th behind Think It Over. Peaked 3rd-up last campaign to win a G1 at the Randwick Mile. 

Blowout: #6 Lion's Roar (40-1) did nothing off a layoff, but is 2-for-2 when 2nd-up. Both wins were at a mile – the latest in the G1 Randwick Guineas, at 20-1, when beating subsequent dual-G1 winner Mo'unga.

Selections: 3 Cascadian; 7 Verry Elleegant; 6 Lion's Roar 

The Randwick card will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (First Post: 9:40pm ET / 6:40pm PT) alongside cards from Kembla Grange, Gold Coast and Eagle Farm. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com. 

The post Australia: World’s Best Sprinter Nature Strip Returns At Randwick Friday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Just trailing in their wake on 121 are Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), Eduardo (Aus) (Host {Chi}) and Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}). Eduardo was third behind Nature Strip in the TJ Smith, while Addeybb defended his title in the G1 Queen Elizabeth S. on the second day of The Championships a week later. Last year's European champion 3-year-old Palace Pier issued an ominous signal to his opponents with an eight-length first-up score in the G2 bet365 Mile on Apr. 23.

The post Nature Strip Takes Over As World’s Highest Rated appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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