Record-breaking prize on offer for New Zealand punters in The Everest
The stakes are soaring for New Zealand horse racing enthusiasts as Australasia’s richest horse race, The Everest, which takes place in Sydney this Saturday, offers an unprecedented $10 million prize pool for those who can accurately predict the outcome.
New Zealand’s TAB have unveiled the competition, which could result in its most substantial payout ever if someone manages to correctly foresee the exact finishing order of the entire 12-horse field in The Everest at Royal Randwick Racecourse.
The 1200m sprint boasts a remarkable prize pool of A$20 million, with a winning stake of A$7 million up for grabs. Among the contenders, New Zealand-owned, Australian-trained I Wish I Win stands as one of the leading prospects.
The Everest Mega Millions competition is open to all with a NZ TAB account and is free to enter. In the event that more than one entry correctly predicts the finishing order of all 12 horses, the life-changing prize will be shared among the successful punters.
Responsible for organising the competition and financing the $10 million prize pool, Entain Australia and New Zealand (TAB) are making this extraordinary opportunity come to life.
Cameron Rodger, Managing Director of Entain New Zealand (TAB), shared some insights into the excitement surrounding the event.
“The Everest has grown massively in Australia since its inception in 2017, but engagement on the race in New Zealand still has the potential for significant growth,” Rodger explained.
“We know Kiwis love supporting our own, and so with I Wish I Win flying the New Zealand flag, we are expecting huge interest in the race this year.”
The horses participating in The Everest are nominated by slot owners who have invested A$600,000 to secure a starting position in the race. Slot owners have the privilege to nominate their own horse, sell their slot, or negotiate with the owner of another horse to share the prizemoney.
The TAB holds the slot for I Wish I Win, owned by Mark Chittick and Waikato Stud. The five-year-old black Gelding made its first nine starts in New Zealand before joining the stable of trainer Peter Moody in Melbourne, racking up an impressive record of six victories in 17 starts, including a victory in the Group One TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick in April. I Wish I Win has collected A$7.8 million in prizemoney for its connections.
Hear from trainer @moodyracingpgm about I Wish I Win heading into Saturday’s #Everest and what he made of drawing gate 1. pic.twitter.com/mB1yTcxdjj
— Nick Quinn (@Quinny_1) October 11, 2023
As of Wednesday, I Wish I Win was the second favourite with odds of $4.80 according to TAB, right behind Sydney-trained Think About It at $4.50, who is aiming for an 11th victory in its 12th start.
The competition deadline is set for 5.30pm on Saturday, with the race scheduled to commence at 6.15pm (NZT).
Entain, which also owns Australian bookmakers Ladbrokes and Neds, signed a 25-year strategic partnership with New Zealand TAB in 2022, which entailed $900 million investment commitment to the racing industry over the next five years.
