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By Ray Hickson

It’s fitting that The Kosciuszko, the premier race for country trained horses, is conducted on the TAB Everest stage.

Ask Paul Duryea, managing owner of dual winner Front Page, what it means to win the $2 million race and he’ll tell you, simply, “it’s our Everest”.

Country racing’s elevation, not only in prizemoney levels available but prestige, in the past decade has come on the back of initiatives like the TAB Highway series, the Country Championships, and the pinnacle of The Kosciuszko.

“It’s our Everest and it gives a country trainer a chance to put their name up in lights,’’ Duryea said.

“It’s saying - just because I prefer to live and train in the country doesn’t mean I can’t find a good horse.

Paul Duryea holds the 2023 Kosciuzko trophy aloft with Lion's David Smith looking on (Pic: Bradley Photos).

“I shouldn’t say never but you’re never going to have a Max Whitby, or Chris Waller, or TAB ring a country trainer and say ‘I want your horse to run in The Everest’ unless you’re a Takeover Target or one right out of the box.

“But since the Country Championships, restricted to your own area and if you finish one two you make the finals in Sydney, and The Kosciuszko it makes you feel like a part of racing in NSW.

“It doesn’t matter if you have one horse or you’re a bigger country trainer.”

Of course Duryea can speak both as an owner and as someone closely linked to a trainer as Front Page was trained by his father Geoff Duryea for his 2022 Kosciuszko win. When Geoff retired in mid-2023 the horse was handed to Goulburn trainer Matthew Dale.

Duryea served as foreman for his father and has strapped Front Page in a number of interstate Group 1 races but he says the highlight was the build up to that first Kosciuszko win.

“Everyone gets involved, I’ve been going to the races all my life and it’s the best race day I’ve ever been to,’’ he said.

“Especially two years ago when dad trained Front Page and I strapped him.

“There’s people yelling out your horse’s name when you’re leading them around and I haven’t experienced that anywhere else. It felt a lot more personal.”

What stands The Kosciuszko out from other rich races is its ingenious concept.

That anyone on the street can buy a $5 ticket, or get together with a group and buy a swag of $5 tickets, and be one of 14 to win the right to select a horse to run in the race and share in whatever that horse wins.

It’s a good deal for the slot holder too, as there’s a stipulation that a slot winner gets at least 40 per cent of the prizemoney.

Duryea said his experience with The Kosciuszko has highlighted how important it is to make the slot winners really feel like an owner of the horse they select. Even though that ownership extends to just that race.

“I know there are people who weren’t interested in ownership but have bought a ticket and got a slot and now they own a share in a horse with that particular trainer,’’ he said.

“We were in contact with the slot owners from the time they won the slot and put our horse in, whatever the owner’s update was dad would ring the slot holder and tell them how he’s going.

“The first year he won among the slot owners were a truck driver, one drove taxis, another was a builder’s labourer.

“Talking to Matt Dale throughout everything last year it was the same.

“I think it’s been an unbelievable concept and to be a part of it is unreal, to have a horse good enough to be in it and experience it.”

Plans are in place for Front Page to return to Royal Randwick in October and attempt a threepeat, Duryea said they’d be mad not to have a shot given how dominant he has been in the race.
The Group 3 Sydney Stakes, run on the same day, is there as a back-up plan.

Matthew Dale was involved in the inaugural running of the TAB Everest with his top sprinter Fell Swoop and has been represented in four of the six editions of The Kosciuszko.

Obviously he won the race a year ago with Front Page, he’s had Cavalier Charles run fourth in both the past two years, Man Of Peace finished third in 2020, while Notation ran tenth a year earlier.

2023 Kosciuszko slot winner Garry Dyson and his wife Marilyn at Randwick. (Pic: Bradley Photos).

He says the slot aspect of the race is as important as it is special and believes it has captured the imagination of not only hardened racing people but those on the fringe curious about getting involved.

“It’s the unique concept that you can buy a raffle ticket effectively and it’s one anyone can buy,’’ Dale said.

“The Everest is a great concept but you have to buy your slot with big dollars.

“When I had Man Of Peace run third the people that won the slot only bought five tickets. So for $25 they had a dream, got a ticket, and got a horse.

“They ran third and had the time of their life. It was like we’d won because he wasn’t expected to be in the finish.

“Bigger groups are now buying tickets, and punters’ clubs, but within those syndicates there’s still a lot of knockabout blokes dreaming of winning a ticket and selecting a horse and being involved.

“It’s ingenious in that through its own marketing and ticket sales it pays for itself and provides such a big thrill.”

Garry Dyson, a Goulburn local, was last year’s winning Kosciuszko slot owner – he followed John Hurley and his syndicate of 10 (Front Page in 2022), Brenda Gent (Art Cadeau), Bob Dailey (It’s Me), the Shellharbour TAB punters’ club (Handle The Truth), and inaugural winners Thad King, Richie Butterworth and Nathan Lavers who selected longshot Belflyer.

Dale was set the task of preparing Front Page for his Kosciuszko defence last year about three months out from the race so there was little room for error.

He said since his first experience in the race five years ago he’s watched its stature grow and was immensely proud of his team’s work to not only get Front Page home first but for Cavalier Charles to give his slot owners a thrill and run fourth.

“It was very satisfying because we set a plan and had to follow it day by day,’’ he said.

“The last couple of weeks didn’t go exactly to plan because he had a bit of bruising in a foot. He didn’t just win, he was dominant.

“It’s funny you can run in a $2 million race two weeks later and it’s like you’re just going to another race. But the build up to The Kosciuszko is something else.”

The trainer doesn’t just need to make sure their horse is on target to run to their best on race day they have to be media savvy.

Dale said horses like Front Page and last year’s runner-up Opal Ridge have a big public profile and it’s accepted they’ll naturally be selected but if he thinks he has a horse capable of being competitive he’ll pitch up strongly to get them into the race for their owners.

“Man Of Peace was one of the last couple in, and so was Cavalier Charles,’’ he said.

“It can be tricky because you’re trying to sell them, so to speak, or back your judgment and say ‘this will run well’.

“The ones I’ve pushed forward have always done that. You’ve got to be on it, you’ve got to have your reasons why and an idea of the deals to be done.

Matthew Dale with Kosciuszko champion Front Page (Pic: Bradley Photos).

“There’s a lot of pressure on the trainers. You need to be proactive and know where you stand otherwise you can lose a slot holder.”

Aside from Front Page, Dale said he’d hope Cavalier Charles earns a third shot at The Kosciuszko given how competitive he’s been while he feels he could have a dark horse in lightly raced grey Martini Mumma.

The rising four-year-old won a maiden at Wagga in March then progressed later that month to win a Benchmark 58 before running away with a TAB Highway at Rosehill in late April.

She went to the paddock after running fourth behind Commemorative in the Listed Denise’s Joy (1100m) at Scone during their May carnival and Dale said she could be an exception to what he feels is the Kosciuszko rule.

“Historically the horses that run top three, even top five, are your tough older horses,’’ Dale said.

“They’re Saturday grade to Listed to Group 3 grade in Sydney. Just winning a Highway by a neck hasn’t stood up, or even winning a country 58 by five lengths looking good.

“Over the years that hasn’t stacked up.

“Sometimes you’ll get one out of the box like an It’s Me (who won in 2020) charging through the grades. To me that’s a little bit like the Martini Mumma angle, I think she’s a definite candidate.

“I don’t usually put my lighter raced horses up in Kosciuszko lights but she has got that raw ‘charging through the grades’ ability.”

The seventh running of the $2 million The Kosciuszko (1200m) will be run on TAB Everest Day at Royal Randwick on October 19. The $5 tickets are on sale from July 1.

Buy your $5 Kosciuszko Tickets via this link