Stradbroke Handicap winner Santa Ana Lane will fill Inglis’ slot and join stablemate Shoals in the $13m The Everest (1200m) at Randwick during the 2018 Sydney Spring Carnival.
Santa Ana Lane, above in blue colours with gold cap, will fill Inglis’ slot in the 2018 version of The Everest at Randwick. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
The Anthony Freedman trained Santa Ana Lane made it three Group 1 wins for the 2017 – 2018 racing season with his win in the Group 1 $1.5m Stradbroke Handicap (1350m) at Doomben on June 9 and will be a worthy opponent for his stablemate Shoals who will race in The Star’s slot.
Deputy chairman of the Inglis selling firm, Arthur Inglis, said Santa Ana Lane fully deserves his place in The Everest field.
“Inglis is proud and excited to be associated with the Santa Ana Lane team as they commence their assault on The Everest this year,’’ Inglis told The Daily Telegraph.
“Santa Ana Lane has proven himself to be one of Australia’s dominant sprinters having taken out the Goodwood then following up immediately after with a very impressive Stradbroke win.’’
Santa Anna Lane claimed his first Group 1 trophy during the 2017 Melbourne Spring Carnival with a win in the Group 1 $500,000 Keno Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.
Freedman then produced Santa Ana Lane in the Autumn to win the Group 1 $1m Darley Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville in May during the 2018 Adelaide Autumn Racing Carnival and then the five year old made it back to back Group 1 wins with his win in the Stradbroke Handicap.
Shoals was another three times Group 1 winner for the Freedman stable with wins in the Group 1 $500,000 Myer Classic (1600m) at Flemington during the 2017 Melbourne Spring Carnival, in the Group 1 $500,000 James Boag’s Premium Surround Stakes (1400m) at Randwick during the 2018 Sydney Autumn Carnival and then joined Santa Ana Lane in the Group 1 winner’s stall at Morphettville with her victory in the Group 1 $1m Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m).
Seven of the twelve slots for the 2018 version of The Everest have now been filled and Santa Ana Lane has been added to the confirmed list that includes Trapeze Artist (Aquis Farm, slot holder), In Her Time (TAB), Redzel (Yulong Investments), Brave Smash (Chris Waller Racing), Shoals (The Star Casino) and English (Damion Flower).
Santa Ana Lane is marked at $10 for The Everest at Ladbrokes.com.au while Shoals is listed at $14 in the market order that has the Gerald Ryan trained Trapeze Artist as the $4.50 favourite ahead of last year’s winner Redzel at $6.
Early betting for the 2018 The Everest at Ladbrokes.com.au: $4.50 Trapeze Artist, $6 Redzel, $10 In Her Time, Nature Strip, Santa Ana Lane, $14 Shoals, $16 Vega Magic, $17 Kementari, $18 English, Brave Smash, $26 Harry Angel, Menari, Redkirk Warrior, $31 Equilateral, Happy Clapper, $34 Alizee, Chautauqua, Estijaab, Le Romain, Viddora, $41 Winx, Hot King Prawn, Blue Point, Bound For Nowhere, $51 or better the rest.
