In a brilliant return to racing, the Chris Waller-trained mare Joliestar won The Shorts at Randwick on Saturday, defeating fellow Everest contender Briasa and putting a smile on her trainer’s face.

2025 The Shorts winner Joliestar has firmed in The Everest betting ahead of the $20 million showdown on October 18. Photo: Bradley Photos.

The Group 2 $1 million The Shorts (1100m) was a key lead-up to the $20 million The Everest, and Joliestar proved she is a top-tier sprinter with a dominant performance, beating her rival by over a length.

The field for The Shorts featured three confirmed Everest slot holders, including the hot favorite Private Harry, who was a major disappointment, finishing over 4.5 lengths back in fifth.

“It was obviously disappointing,” Private Harry’s jockey Ashley Morgan admitted.

“He was a little fresh in the gates. Copped a squeeze off Briasa. Felt like we controlled the race well after that. Was disappointing on straightening.”

The star of the show was Joliestar, who made a delayed return to racing after being withdrawn from the Sheraco Stakes.

The five-year-old mare, a three-time Group 1 winner, was a class above her rivals, winning for the first time since her Kingsford-Smith Cup triumph in the winter.

Jockey James McDonald was full of praise for the mare, saying, “I only had one objective. It was just to get her in a smooth rhythm. I didn’t want a stop-start affair. She slid around, albeit deep, but what I was thinking was that Briasa was the one to beat and he was just inside me.”

He added, “She was game as anything. She’s a solid horse that runs seven furlongs, so she can do that. That was thrilling because she deserves a spot in The Everest. I think she’ll make her presence felt.”

Trainer Waller was beaming after the win, confirming that the mare would now head towards The Everest.

“I’ve got a big smile for so many reasons,” he said.

“It’s a good starting point; it’s a great race. This race is getting bigger and bigger every year. It’ll be a Group 1 in no time once the ratings go up.”

Waller was also impressed with the mare’s maturity.

“I’ve seen the horse trial well, and I’ve just got an all-around more confident horse, so we were confident. But we knew from the draw was going to be tricky, so our plan was just to come back, find some cover. We didn’t get the cover, but we didn’t need it.”

Adding value to The Shorts trifecta was the fellow Waller-trained Generosity, who ran out of her skin to finish a further length off the top two in third.

“She ran out of her skin. Very pleased with her,” Generosity’s jockey Tim Clark said.

When asked if Joliestar could beat Hong Kong hero Ka Ying Rising in The Everest, Waller was cheeky in his reply.

“Just check Sunday’s paper after The Everest,” he said.

“We’ve got a great horse, it’s a great race, it’s got the world talking.

“That’s mainly why she didn’t run last week. If we were going five weeks, I would have thought, yeah, she probably needs another run. But today, four weeks, a trial and she’ll be ready to go.”

Joliestar has firmed in from $13 to $7 in the latest The Everest odds at Ladbrokes with Ka Ying Rising the short $1.80 top elect.

2025 The Shorts Results

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