Godolphin pair ready to scale new heights in The Everest

Alizee and Trekking go into The Everest at Randwick on Saturday, fit, ready and able to claim a major share of the $14 million on offer in the world’s richest turf race.

And the Godolphin pair also takes an uncannily similar record into an event that in its third year is already established as a major feature of the Australian calendar.

The appearance of Alizee (Hugh Bowman) and Trekking (Josh Parr) in The Everest is the culmination of a carefully executed plan that trainer James Cummings expects to produce supreme performances.

“Alizee is beaming with good health,” Cummings said.

“She’s strong, she’s fit and everything I envisaged for her from the program that we set her has fallen into place.”

The approach with Alizee has been to keep her fresh to be at her best for the 1,200m test.

As a result, the mare hasn’t raced since Aug. 31, when third to Scales Of Justice and So Si Bon in the G1 Memsie Stakes over 1,600m at Caulfield.

More significant, though, is her win at her previous start over The Everest distance in the G2 Missile Stakes at Rosehill at her first run in four months, the fourth occasion in five preparations that she has won first-up.

While three-time G1 winner Alizee shows her best form when fresh, Trekking arrives at Saturday’s race only seven days after winning the G2 Schillaci Stakes at Caulfield, a victory that gave him the final “slot” in the 12-horse Everest field. Since then he’s had a 900km float trip to Sydney and, as Cummings said, “he’s been to the gym every day.”

According to the trainer though, there is nothing rushed about Trekking’s preparation.

“He’s here at the end of a carefully plotted path,” he said.

“We selected the Schillaci as the means of getting into the Everest and it couldn’t have worked out better.”

Trekking, a G1 winner at 1,400m last time in work, will be having the third start of his latest preparation on Saturday, and Cummings is satisfied the son of Street Cry will be in the right shape for his biggest assignment.

“He barged out of his box last Sunday morning after his win in the Schillaci as though he was ready to go on with it,” Cummings said.

“When he arrived back in Sydney on Monday morning he marched off the float, had a pick of grass and a good look around and was back to work.”

Cummings, who starts the meeting having trained 99 Stakes winners since becoming Godolphin’s head Australian trainer in July 2017, acknowledges the importance of The Everest for himself, his team and the organisation.

In a race where the rights to have a runner were purchased in advance at A$1.8m for three years, Godolphin acquired the place to be occupied by Alizee when one of the original purchasers sold his “slot” after the 2018 race.

Trekking’s “slot” is owned by the Melbourne Racing Club who awarded it to the Schillaci winner under an arrangement in which resultant prizemoney is split.

“In a way, we’re backing ourselves like never before,” Cummings said.

“When was the last time we ran in a race that cost half-a-million dollars to enter?

“There’s no escaping the pressure, but we have the horses.”

Not surprisingly, Cummings declines to split the two Godolphin runners, suggesting a dead-heat would be an appropriate result considering their identical racing records.

Both Alizee and Trekking are five-year-olds, each has had 22 starts and each has scored nine wins, two seconds and three thirds.   

A flash of form at his latest outing has boosted hopes that former English sprinter Home Of The Brave can add to his record in Saturday’s $500,000 G3 Sydney Stakes.

An accomplished performer throughout his career, Home Of The Brave (Glyn Schofield) is a G2 winner in Australia in the Theo Marks Stakes last spring where he had the multiple G1 winner Trapeze Artist behind him.