36 SPORTS MODE Come on, admit it, there must have been a fleeting moment at some stage in your life when you’ve dreamt of – or even contemplated – achieving the greatest physical challenge on the planet: conquering Mount Everest. The world’s highest peak, which measures 8,848m (29,029 feet) above sea level, has attracted the brave, the stupid and the many in-between since it was first conquered by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in May 1953. The challenge is enormous and deadly. There are close to 300 frozen bodies remaining on the mountain. Just making it to base camp at 6,000m above sea level is hard enough. The tradition-steeped sport of horse racing now has its own unique challenge in Australia: a 1,200m sprint that is aptly named The Everest. Like the mountain, it has become the ultimate adventure, but of a different kind. BASECAMP The equine Everest is not for the faint-hearted. A sense of adventure, along with deep pockets, is needed to climb into the unknown and conquer this mountain of a race. The inaugural event, on 14 October 2017, was worth a staggering $10 million, but there was no guarantee of recouping an investment, and no guarantee that it would even work. That’s the gamble, that’s the adventure, and that’s the fun, for some. There are twelve “slots” (positions) in the race, each sold for $600,000 without a specified horse. For the first event, slot holders had to buy the slot for three years, an initial outlay of $1.8 million. The slot holders have the right to race, lease, contract or share a horse, or sell their place in the event. Horse trading between slot holders and connections (owners) in 2017 proved fascinating. While deals for the inaugural event where never made public, it’s believed a typical deal was a 50/50 split. In effect, the slot was provided on an agreement to split any prizemoney down the middle. THE CLIMB The Everest, brainchild of NSW Racing CEO, Peter V’Landys, was staged on the second Saturday in October at Randwick, and quickly became the talking point of the Sydney Spring Carnival. In fact, it was even much bigger. Everyone in Australian racing was talking about The Everest, and it was gaining attention from overseas interests looking to get involved. It also captured the imagination of the general public. A record 33,512 people crammed Randwick racecourse, the biggest crowd this century. And it was a different crowd. While hardened racegoers and regulars were there, a much younger demographic was present that represented a significant breakthrough not only for the staging of a new event but for the sport itself. THE SUMMIT Racing is known as “the sport of kings” but The Everest proved just the opposite. Sure, there were some of the world’s richest organisations involved, but it was a bunch of battlers who stole the show. A syndicated horse named Redzel was cheered on by his owners, which included a bricklayer, concreter, police officer, school teacher, doctor, taxi driver, security guard and someone battling leukaemia and kidney disease, who for this particular moment had never felt better. And the story gets better: Redzel was no “blueblood” purchased from a yearling sale for millions. Instead, he was picked up for the bargain basement price of $120,000 by Triple Crown Syndications with The Everest first prize purse of $6 million taking his career prizemoney close to $8 million. This is no elite sport, it’s a “four-legged lottery”. DESCENT After conquering the real Everest, many say the descent is the deadliest part of the trek. But there’s no coming down from the initial success. It’s about finding the next highest peak, if there is one. Like a proud father, the mastermind Peter V’Landy’s has declared The Everest will be bigger and better this year. And true to his word, instead of $10 million, the 2018 Everest on 13 October is now worth a staggering $13 million. The adventure continues. Giddy Up! CLIMBING THE EVEREST MERCEDES-BENZ PARRAMATTA The world’s richest race on turf, The Everest, is aptly named, writes Terry Kennedy.