The tenth running of The Everest delivered a stunning upset, with Tempted seizing victory in the world’s richest turf race before a record crowd of 52,110, denying Ka Ying Rising a repeat triumph.
This victory marks Ciaron Maher’s second success in The Everest, following Bella Nipotina’s win in 2024. For David Hayes, the trainer of Ka Ying Rising, his super sprinter’s remarkable 21-race winning streak came to a heart-stopping end.
Both trainers have expressed their keenness to return for a third clash between Tempted and Ka Ying Rising in The Everest next year.
Tempted, guided by a superb Chad Schofield ride, squared the ledger with the Hong Kong star, fulfilling Maher’s year-long revenge mission.
“This mare hasn’t been beaten since The Everest last year and she has rectified it this year,” Maher stated. “I always had an air of confidence she would run her best race today and you could see the way she was building through it. Chad knew what he had under him and I felt barrier one was ideal. She had to be at her absolute best and she was. She went forward, made her own luck, and ‘God’, this is amazing. This mare was there to be beaten but she did it!”
Tempted ($6.50) held off the late challenge of Ka Ying Rising ($1.35 favourite), with Joliestar ($19) a close third.
Headwall produced an outstanding run to finish fourth, less than a length behind the winner, while Ninja ran a blinder for fifth.
Blue Door and Savvy Hallie raced on speed but weakened in the run to the line, finishing at the rear.
Schofield’s tactical masterclass on Tempted proved the undoing of the world’s best sprinter, Ka Ying Rising.
“This is the first time I’ve really ridden her and asked her from the start. I normally just ride her to relax and trust her to be far too good late,” Schofield commented. “But it was a different race today. We had the world’s best sprinter, the world’s best horse. I had eyes for him, and I knew he wasn’t up there and I held my spot, kept him deep and I’m pretty sure that made Zac (Purton, Ka Ying Rising’s jockey) have to come back. From there, I had the perfect trip. I came off from behind the two leaders, and I hit the front very early, a long way out. But she’s such a good horse, she’s so brave and so game.”
Schofield revealed that an aggressive start was not the original plan.
“It wasn’t our plan, Ciaron just said, let her be. If she wants to be there, let her be there,” Maher said. “He felt in this race last year she was a pair further back than she needed to be. I jumped, I gave her a squeeze, and like always, she was there for me and she delivered. She’s getting better, that’s all I’ll say. I rode her as a three-year-old and she came back so much stronger. She was amazing first-up, she was even better second-up. I reckon she went to a new level there today. She’s had three runs this prep and got better each time, why won’t she keep improving now as a four-year-old.”
Tempted improved her outstanding record to 10 wins (and four placings) from 15 starts, boosting her career earnings beyond the $14 million mark, and Maher is adamant she is not finished yet.
“Earlier today, we were talking that we don’t really know how good she is,” Maher said. “I’m thrilled for Godolphin. A lot of horses don’t reach their full potential but Godolphin has been very patient with Tempted. We could have taken her to Melbourne last spring but we didn’t. We put her away for autumn and gave her a light autumn with a few of reaching her full potential. But this is really great, on an amazing day, I’m absolutely thrilled and Tempted is something special.”
Godolphin Australia supremo Andy Makiv praised Tempted’s versatility in fending off Ka Ying Rising’s late surge.
“She got a great ride and hit the front a long way from home,” Makiv said. “She is used to hunting something down so she got left there a long way out but she was so brave. It is a long straight and people around me were saying she’s home but I was saying ‘hold on, hold on’. This is a fantastic moment, a great day for Godolphin, a great day for our colours and a great day for Dubai.”
Hayes believed the barrier draw was the deciding factor, with Ka Ying Rising drawn wide from 11 and Tempted from the rails.
The race’s initial surprise was Ka Ying Rising’s inability to cross from wide out, forcing Purton to ease him back to settle fifth or sixth and wide without cover.
“We didn’t expect him to be there, but it was the barrier. Sometimes 11 can be a bonus, but he got caught wide,” Hayes said. “He settled a bit further back than we thought he would, and if we have to take a positive out of it, he was in front one stride after the post. He was so very brave. The first and third horse cut the corner and really had dream runs, and we had a horror (run) being six-wide, no cover. But he was brave, and I love the way he finished, but I hate the result. I’ve had a chat with Zac (Purton) and he just thinks the barrier, getting caught so wide, and the winner had such a beautiful run. Well done to the winner, she’s had a big spring.”
Purton felt Ka Ying Rising got a “little bit lost” coming into the straight.
“It felt like he was really struggling but when the horse on the outside came to him, that’s when he flicked into gear and started to give me something,” Purton said. “He was good to the line – he was all heart. He prefers it dry, but he got through it okay. Every horse that went forward, finished out the back so it didn’t work out for them, either.”
Joliestar, competing in her third Everest, ran one of her best races to finish a close third.
“I’ve never been more proud of her,” jockey James McDonald said. “She has run the race of her life and has never felt better than she did today.”
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