“If the King comes on Saturday, it will be a great honor not only for me but also for the competitors at Royal Randwick,” Waller said. “(The late) Queen Elizabeth II visited, so it would be fitting that Prince Charles and Queen Camilla come this year. “A royal touch to Everest Day will be very special.”Trainer Annabel Neasham also has top contenders in the $20m Everest and King Charles and Amelia’s Jewel in King Charles and My Oberon. Neasham worked at the Royal Stud in Sandringham and said the Royals were “all very good”. “It was probably nine or 10 years ago (when I met them), the year before I moved to Australia,” he said. “She (Queen Elizabeth) came to see them (the horses) while she was there… I could tell it was there. He was at her house.
The Australian horse racing world is abuzz with rumors that Charles III will attend Royal Randwick on Saturday. King Charles lands in Sydney this evening (Friday) just in time for the $5 million Group 1 King Charles III Stakes (1600m) on Saturday afternoon (5.35pm AEDT). Although this has yet to be confirmed, the King and Queen Camilla are expected to take to the track to present trophies to the winners of the royal race. Jenny’s Pride is heavy favorite to win this race, but Star Trainer Chris Waller’s Fangirl (second in the market) won last year and is expected to win again. Waller is looking for his 10th win in the race (formerly known as the George Maine Stakes).
“It’s an open race and I think it’s fun with the three-year-olds,” Bott said in assessing Storm Boy’s Everest hopes. “I think he (Storm Boy) is as good as any three-year-old. “He certainly deserves his place there “He’ll be able to make his presence felt and if the three-year-olds can beat the big horses at this stage and he’s proven himself in this race, he’ll come in your place. “We need a few things to help him. I think clean, good rest and good weather even under the sun are relatively important.Two 3-year-olds have won the Everest in the last seven editions, including the stallion Yes Yes Yes in 2019 and the horse Giga Kick two years ago.
This year’s Golden Slipper winner Lady Of Camelot is 3rd in the Mt Everest trial for the first time since the inaugural race in 2017 when three foals reigned – Tulip, Houtzen and Ol – there will be three mares. Lady Camelot is an outsider to the betting market, but Bott doesn’t deny it. “We’re performing better than the market suggests,” Bott said. “For his age, his first weight loss was great. Because he did well at Muir. “It took him a while to get there and now he looks better than ever.”Storm Boy, ridden by Brenton Avdulla, has five fences and Rachel King rides Lady Camelot in the second wide fence. “Stormboy has tactical speed,” Bott said.
“I know he had a few doubts about his wicket but I think he showed a lot of improvement there. “Lady Camelot is a bit more versatile, but at the same time, she might need to use some speed to compensate or she might be in trouble. “So maybe it will continue.”Sixth in English (2017) and Hawaii Five Oh (2023) are the Waterhouse-Bott stable’s best results among the first four Everest runners.
