The total purchase price of all The Everest winners doesn’t even add up to $1m
This year's The Everest has no shortage of horses people paid big money for, one more another, dreaming of one day having a crack at the $20 million sprint.
The $10 million mare Alcohol Free, Shinzo – a son of $1.8m Chairman's Sale purchase Samaready – and $900,000 yearling In Secret all made their owners dig deep and are racing in their owners' slot in the $7m-to-the-winner contest at Randwick.
But if there is the one thing the previous six editions of The Everest has taught us, it is that the horse with the sexiest 'page' doesn't necessary win the world's richest turf race.
In fact, the combined worth of the five horses who have won the 1200-metre event does not even add up to $1 million.
Classique Legend is the most expensive The Everest winner at $400,000, but he is double that of the next most expensive – Yes Yes Yes – while Redzel was $120,000.
Nature Strip passed in after only getting to $90,000, while Giga Kick was entered for sale but withdrawn before the sale commenced.
This year's edition has no shortage of horses who would blend in nicely with previous victors if they were able to win on Saturday.
BUENOS NOCHES: A son of Supido who cost his trainer Matthew Smith just $40,000 at the 2021 Inglis Classic Sale.
PRIVATE EYE: An Adelaide Magic Millions graduate, the son of Al Maher cost Proven Thoroughbreds just $62,500.
THINK ABOUT IT: Another astute purchase by Jamie Walter from Proven Thoroughbreds, this son of So You Think cost just $70,000 at the 2020 Inglis Premier Sale.
OVERPASS: The 2020 Inglis Easter Sale, which was severely impact by covid, was the most unique in the history of the famed sales company and Darby Racing was happy with its purchase of the son of Vancouver, who cost them just $75,000.
MAZU: Triple Crown Syndications has already won a couple of editions of The Everest with a relatively cheap purchase, Redzel, and it is back for another crack with a sub-$200,000 buy, Mazu, a son of Maurice who cost $180,000 at the 2020 Inglis Classic Sale.
ESPIONA: Bought for just $10,000 more than Mazu, Espiona – a daughter of Extreme Choice – was bought by Star Thoroughbreds out of the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
There is also a great story around a horse who was not offered for sale.
Blueblood males Shinzo, Cylinder and Hawaii Five Oh would have all made big money had they been offered as yearlings, but they were bred to race and one day hopefully become a stallion, which is what Waikato Stud also hoped would have been the case with I Wish I Win.
But that son of Savabeel had a front leg so bad he wouldn't have been accepted into a sale had Waikato Stud even wanted to offload him, meaning he had to be retained.
He has already won six of 17 starts and $7.8 million in stakes and is pressing for favouritism in the world's richest turf race.