Hall of Fame Profile: Everest

Original article written by Dan Kauffman posted 8 years 0 weeks ago

At a first glance, it's possible to miss Ara Davies' chestnut globe-trotting star Everest when compiling a list of the SIM's greatest turf routers. After all, he's not on the list of winners of either the Steward's Cup Turf or the Arc de Triomphe.

A closer look tells the whole story -- one that makes it obvious why Everest is a Hall of Famer. He had amazing longevity, finishing his six-year racing career with 15 stakes wins (including 11 Grade 1 victories) spanning the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Japan. His 937 turf points ranks second among turf routers all-time, trailing only Something Wild (1,029), and he is 13th all-time among turf routers in race earnings (more than $4.6 million). Indeed, Everest lived up to his name as a mountain of a racehorse.

Everest was sired by Three of Crowns, a Steward's Cup Turf champion, Australian Horse of the Year and Australian Champion Three Year Old Colt. He won eight of 10 starts, including two other million-dollar outings -- the AJC Australian Derby and the Jockey Club of Argentina Stakes. He sired 12 millionaires, including Hall of Famers A Crown Awaits and Twilight (and Three of a Kind deserves a serious look as well).

Everest's dam is an even more legendary SIM figure: Hall of Famer Banner, an Arc de Triomphe and Hong Kong Vase champion who won nine of 11 starts for earnings just shy of $4 million. Of Banner's 11 foals, nine of them became millionaires themselves, including SIM all-time earnings leader and Hall of Famer Atlas.

Everest took to the track for the first time in Year 17 Week 5 for a turf sprint maiden special weight race restricted to Kentucky-bred colts and geldings at Florence Park. He stumbled out of the gate, but found an inside lane and pulled away to win the 6 1/2-furlong test by three lengths over Threeten Doitagain -- who himself had a pretty nice turf route career with nine stakes wins, including a Derby Italiano title, and more than $1.4 million in earnings.

Five weeks later, Everest got his first taste of stakes competition at Futurity Park in Florida in the Grade 3 Star Studded Stakes. Everest once again stumbled out of the gate, but this time he couldn't quite catch the winner as Bound for Heaven won the mile-long outing by 1 1/2 lengths. Bound for Heaven went on to win eight stakes races, including the Doncaster Handicap in Australia, and earn more than $1.5 million.

It would be another six weeks before Everest closed his juvenile season in the Grade 1, 1 1/16-mile Racing Post Trophy at London Gallops. His first trip to Europe proved to be a smashing success, as he broke clean for the first time, settled in the pack and surged to the front down the stretch for a 2 1/2-length victory over Fame Awaits. That win alone was enough to earn European Champion Two Year Old Colt honors.

Everest would remain in Europe for the bulk of his 3-year-old season in Year 18 and blossomed into a full-fledged star, winning four straight outings -- including three Grade 1 races -- and rolling to European Horse of the Year and European Champion Three Year Old Colt awards.

His first start as a 3-year-old came in the 1 1/8-mile Preis der Hotellerie Baden-Baden (seriously, who comes up with these names?), a listed stakes race at Munich Park in Germany. Everest's problems with the gate resurfaced with another stumble, but he easily shook that off and dispatched three opponents with ease, beating One For The Money by 3 1/2 lengths.

Everest's next test came three weeks later in one of the most storied turf mile races in the world: The Grade 1 2000 Guineas Stakes in London. It was arguably his most impressive performance yet, as he showed some early speed for the first time, then easily took the lead and got to the wire 1 1/2 lengths in front of Montstroked -- a talented turf mile specialist who finished his career with nine stakes wins, including the Grande Premio Presidente de Republi, and earnings of more than $1.4 million.

Everest returned to the now-familiar London track in Week 9 for an even bigger race both in distance and purse -- the Grade 1, 1 1/2-mile, $750,000 Epsom Derby. He had no issues with the distance or his four challengers, running smoothly along the rail before swinging wide and gliding to the front to beat Stolen Moment -- who would win the Irish Derby two weeks later and pass $1 million in earnings in his career -- by two lengths.

With two of the biggest London stakes trophies secured, Everest next took aim at a third in Week 13 -- the Grade 1, 1 3/4-mile, $1 million St Leger Stakes. An additional two furlongs did nothing to slow him down, as he dispatched Threeten Doitagain by 3 1/2 lengths with his usual strong late surge.

Having won three of London's most prestigious Grade 1 races, all at vastly different distances, it was time for Everest to face his biggest challenge yet: The Steward's Cup Turf, held in Year 18 over 1 1/2 miles at Metropolitan Park in Illinois. It was easily the toughest field Everest had ever been up against, including:

* Acapulco, a 4-year-old future Hall of Famer who won the Desert Duty Free 10 weeks earlier and the Epsom and Irish Derbies the previous year. He earned more than $3.2 million.

* Stop and Stare, a 4-year-old coming off a victory in the Grade 1 Chicago Million, who had finished third in the SC Turf a year ago and would end his career with almost $3 million in earnings.

* Rado, the 4-year-old Arc de Triomphe champion who had won the Chicago Million and Colonial Turf Cup the previous year and would finish his career with almost $4 million in earnings.

* What, a 5-year-old former South African Horse of the Year winner who would finish his career with more than $3 million in earnings.

* Super Light, a 4-year old and another former South African Horse of the Year winner who had won the J&B Met Stakes earlier in the season and would cap his career with more than $2 million in earnings.

* First Blood, winner of four straight graded stakes in the states.

It would not end well for Everest, who got a wide trip and finished fifth behind What (a bit of a surprise winner), Stop and Stare, Acapulco and First Blood. It would be the only time in his career he finished out of the money.

Everest returned to Europe for his 4-year-old season in Year 19, beginning in Week 4 with the Grade 2, 1 1/4-mile Premio Eclipse in Milan, Italy. Awaiting him was Stop and Stare -- the runner-up in the SC Turf -- and the two put on a magnificent battle up front for the entire 10 furlongs. At the wire, Everest prevailed by a nose in a very fast 1:59.50.

Four weeks later, Everest made the short trip back to London for the Grade 1, 1 1/2-mile Coronation Cup, where once again Stop and Stare was waiting. The budding rivalry took center stage again, with Everest moving inside and Stop and Stare hooking outside for a stretch run that brought the fans to their feet. This time, Stop and Stare got the better of Everest by a quarter-length. They were eight lengths clear of third place.

Everest remained in London for the Grade 1, 1 1/4-mile King George VI and Queen Elizabeth stakes. He entered as a prohibitive favorite and didn't disappoint, crushing five challengers and scoring a five-length victory over Voltaic, clocking 1:59.41.

Three weeks later, Everest and Stop and Stare continued their rivalry in Paris and the legendary Arc de Triomphe. Three-year-old Irish Derby winner Feelin Okay had hopes of pulling an upset, but in the end it came down to the two favorites. Everest made a strong stretch run, but Stop and Stare was even better, exploding up a seam near the rail to score the victory by a length and secure the European Champion Older Horse award before heading into retirement.

It was the second straight year that Everest's season ended in disappointment. As a 5-year-old, he would head to new places and take on new challenges before getting another crack at the SC Turf.

Everest would begin Year 19 in Week 3 at Desert Oasis Park in the United Arab Emirates for the Magic Carpet Stakes, a listed stakes race of 2 miles that would be Everest's longest test to date, and a prep for the Desert Turf Classic three weeks later. His primary competition was stablemate Colorado -- the Year 18 Long Island Classic champion who tried turf for the first time the previous year and finished second in both the Chicago Million and the Steward's Cup Turf. Everest found an extra gear over the final four furlongs to beat Colorado by 2 1/2 lengths and get the year off on a good note.

Awaiting Everest in the 1 1/2-mile Desert Turf Classic were future Hall of Famer Lucrezia Borgia -- the European Horse of the Year and Champion Three Year Old who won the Steward's Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in Year 18 -- and Night Shade, the Year 18 SC Juvenile Turf champion. But neither of them were a match for Everest on this day, as he took charge relatively early and easily beat Lucrezia Borgia by three lengths, with the other six challengers all at least seven more lengths behind.

With his Middle East mission accomplished, Everest made his first trip to the states and Metropolitan Park since the Year 18 SC Turf. He would enter the 1 1/4-mile Chicago Million in Week 12. Two significant challengers stood in his way:

* The Wilding, who was in the middle of his South African Horse of the Year and Champion Older Horse campaign after major victories in Australia (The Cox Plate) and Europe (International Stakes) in previous years.

* Is Wanting Enough, a future Hall of Famer and another Cox Plate winner who entered 13-for-13 lifetime. She would add the SC Filly and Mare Turf title to her list of accomplishments four weeks later.

Fresh from a six-week break, and showing arguably the best form of his career, Everest once again showed a brilliant closing kick that neither The Wilding nor Is Wanting Enough could answer. Everest won his second straight million-dollar championship by almost two lengths, and was looking like a serious threat with the SC Turf four weeks away.

Everest traveled to the site of the Year 20 Steward's Cup races -- Long Island Park -- for the Grade 1, 1 1/2-mile Joe Hirsch Stakes as a prep in Week 14. Facing four challengers, including Grade 1 stakes winner Lone Road, who would retire with more than $1 million in earnings, Everest found running room near the rail and once again put away the field in the final stretch, turning back Lone Road by almost two lengths.

On a roll with a 4-for-4 record in Year 20, Everest entered the SC Turf as one of the betting favorites. Other challengers included:

* The Star Man, the South Pacific Champion Three Year Old Colt in Year 19 after winning the Melbourne Cup in Australia. He entered on a three-race winning streak.

* Legend, the European Champion Two Year Old Colt who was unbeaten in eight starts, including four straight Grade 1 wins in Europe (German Derby, London Derby, Irish Derby, English St Leger) entering the SC Turf.

* Pentagon, an eight-time Grade 1 winner, including the St Leger Stakes and the AJC Australian Derby in Year 19.

Everest once again showcased his late speed, blowing past all other challengers down the stretch -- except one. The Star Man ran a huge race with a huge finish, closing out Everest by more than three lengths in a breathtaking performance. While Everest had to settle for second this time, it had a different feel from the bitter disappointment of two years before. Sometimes, you run well and get beat -- and the North American Champion Turf Horse honor was a pretty nice consolation prize.

By this point, most of Everest's rivals had retired, and many expected Everest to follow suit and stand at stud. But Davies had no such intentions at this point: As long as Everest was running well, she would keep him on the track, even at age 6 and beyond. And Year 21 would bring about yet another new challenge for the chestnut champion: The Asian circuit.

His trek through the Far East began in Week 4 with the Grade 1 Japanese Spring Marathon, a 2-mile race in Tokyo that garnered only two other entrants. However, one of them was Midnight Flight, who entered the race on a five-race winning streak, including the Japan Trophy to close Year 20. The future Arc and Melbourne Trophy winner was too much for Everest, winning by 2 1/2 lengths. His winning streak would ultimately stretch to 12, and he ended his career with South Pacific, Asian and European Horse of the Year honors and more than $3 million in earnings.

(The third-place horse, Morning Awaits, finished 25 lengths behind Everest. His running line: "Broke well, dueled, bid between horses, no chance." Sounds about right!)

Five weeks later, Everest traveled to Osaka for his longest race yet, the 2 1/2-mile, Grade 3 Black Condor Stakes. While six challengers signed up for this one, Everest was by far the class of the field and demonstrated it by coming wide out of the final turn and blowing past the field to win by five lengths.

It was on to Hong Kong two weeks later for the Grade 1, 1 1/2-mile Hong Kong Champions Route. Once again, Everest was by far the class of the field, and once again it showed as he took the lead in the final turn and pulled away to a 4 1/2-length victory.

Everest returned to Tokyo for his third race in a four-week stretch with the Grade 1, 1 1/4-mile Japanese Fall Marathon in Week 13. It was another dominating performance against another overmatched field, as Everest used his trademark style -- settle in mid-pack and wait for the final 4-5 furlongs to make the move -- and blasted his way to a four-length win, his third straight.

Everest rolled into Week 16 in top form and sought to cap his year with a victory in the Grade 1, 1 1/2-mile Japan Trophy. The top challenger in the five-horse field was Eliza's Rockstar, a winner of 12 of 15 starts and more than $1.1 million who was coming off his biggest victory ever, in the Ireland's Champion Stakes three weeks before. Everest tucked in at the rail and had the lead coming out of the final turn, while Eliza's Rockstar shook off a sluggish start and mounted a charge that brought the crowd to its feet. The two battled all the way to the wire, but once again Everest came up short in a major Week 16 race as Eliza's Rockstar beat him by a head.

Once again, Davies chose to keep Everest on the track for Year 22, and the 7-year-old remained competitive (and hugely profitable) even at his advanced age -- although it started catching up to him as he lost a step or two in his final season. He was well-beaten by Midnight Flight in the Grade 2 Australian Cup in Week 4, and again in the Grade 1 Brisbane Trophy three weeks later. In Week 11, Everest returned to Hong Kong to defend his Hong Kong Champions Route title, but this time he finished third, almost five lengths behind winner Black Messiah, the Year 21 Asian Champion Three Year Old Colt.

Everest had one last hurrah left in his old legs. In Week 13, he successfully defended his Japanese Fall Marathon title, as his vintage late charge knocked off Dusk Til Dawn by 1 1/2 lengths in a driving downpour for the last of his 11 Grade 1 triumphs.

For his final race, Davies threw Everest a curveball, flying him to Artificial Arena in Illinois for the Grade 3, 1 1/2-mile All Weather Marathon. It turned into a two-horse battle between the long-time turf star and defending champion Always With Me -- a former nondescript dirt router who transitioned to all-weather at the end of Year 20 and became a star on the surface with nine dominating wins and a razor-close second in 10 starts. Everest gave him a worthy challenge, but in the end Always With Me prevailed by a length.

It was time, finally, for Everest to head to the breeding shed. His progeny earned more than $30 million despite his late start as a stud, and he produced seven millionaires:

* Imposing, 12-for-20 lifetime, more than $4 million, European Horse of the Year, Steward's Cup Turf champion, European Champion Older Male, South Pacific Champion Three Year Old Male.

* Acme, 12-for-20 lifetime, almost $3.2 million, two-time Melbourne Trophy champion, two-time South Pacific Horse of the Year, South Pacific Champion Older Male, South Pacific Champion Three Year Old Male.

* Monster, 11-for-19 lifetime, more than $3.1 million, swept Australia's biggest races (Caulfield Trophy, Sydney Trophy, Cox Trophy, Melbourne Trophy) in Year 33, South Pacific Horse of the Year, South Pacific Champion Older Male, South Pacific Champion Three Year Old Male.

* Northern Hero, 10-for-20, almost $1.6 million, South African Cup champion, African Champion Older Male, Asian Champion Two Year Old Male.

* Scream in the Wind, 12-for-25 lifetime, more than $1.3 million, English St Leger champion.

* The Demon, 10-for-23 lifetime, more than $1.3 million, Hong Kong Turf Cup champion.

* Peaked, 8-for-18 lifetime, more than $1.1 million, Brisbane Trophy champion.

---

Back to Hall of Fame articles