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By Ray Hickson

Second place doesn’t sit well with Max Whitby and when it comes to the TAB Everest, particularly, a win in the nation’s richest race isn’t about the windfall – it’s about the achievement.

To say you’ve climbed the highest mountain in sprint racing.

Who would have thought we’d be talking about a race that is about to have just its sixth running as one of biggest, if not already the biggest, prizes in racing.

Neil Werrett and Max Whitby (Pic: Inglis)

As a racehorse owner, a TAB Everest slot holder and general racing enthusiast it amazes Whitby how quickly things have changed in NSW – and how innovation in NSW has forced change around Australia – and not just for those who could afford to commit to a slot.

“It’s put the focus on Australia, on Sydney, and what good administration we have and how committed the industry leaders are,’’ Whitby said.

“I was watching a race in England recently and there were three runners in it, they were one-two-three all the way and that’s how they finished - and I thought that’s a poor reflection on a country embedded in racing history.

“You look at the quality of our training, there are good young, strong, people coming through, you’ve got your middle tier catered for in the Midways and the Highways have done great things for the country as well.

“Racing is 12 months a year now and from an owner’s perspective it’s got to be the best region in the world to race horses. Prizemoney is up, opportunities are up, everyone can have a go.”

Those opportunities, as an owner, will see Whitby involved in two more of the spring’s most anticipated races – he has Commando Hunt running in the $2 million The Kosciuszko also on Everest Day, while One Aye, trained by Barb Joseph and her sons, is eligible for the inaugural $2 million The Big Dance on November 1 after winning the Forbes Cup.

When Whitby, along with his partners Neil Werrett, Steve McCann and Colin Madden, outlaid $1.8 million back in 2017 for a three year slot in an innovation Australian racing had never seen he felt like it was a risk worth taking.

The concept didn’t really work in the United States but it was the three year commitment that told him, while others doubted, the Everest wouldn’t be just a flash in the pan.

It wasn’t until a post-Everest debrief that year with Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’landys, where the foundation slot holders were given first call on renewing their slot after the third year, that Whitby knew he’d backed a winner.

He said he’d value an Everest slot at around $2 million now and describes the initial investment as a “good punt”. At the time the race carried $10 million, it now sits at $15 million and it would surprise nobody if the prizemoney hasn’t reached its ceiling.

“I heard about it real early, when I saw the details I thought it had to be another great initiative,’’ he said.

“I was compelled to offer it to Neil, my racing partner, and he wanted to get a couple of his Black Caviar partners in.

“When it wasn’t embraced by a few big stables early it inspired me a bit and now everyone is clamouring to be involved. I knew about the Pegasus and its pitfalls over in the US but I liked the three year deal and I had a feeling the prizemoney would go up.

“It was pretty logical it would be well supported because of the quality of the race. As far as winning it goes the money would be great but it would be so prestigious to win the event.

“I’m not losing sleep over it but it would just be great. And it would be great for Neil too. Doing it with your mates is what it is all about.

“I do the same at Dubbo as I will on Everest Day. I’ll have a few bets, drink a few beers and have a few laughs. I like to keep it simple.”

So far in five years of the TAB Everest, Whitby and his partners have had to endure a couple of close calls with seconds in the inaugural running (Vega Magic) and in 2021 when Masked Crusader just failed to run Nature Strip down.

Between those seconds are what you’d call mixed results with Graff running fifth in 2018, Sunlight ran 10th in 2019 and Trekking finished fourth in 2020.

We’re talking high class, Group 1 level, racehorses, highlighting just how tough that mountain climb is.

Even considering the presence of a horse like Nature Strip, who despite his brilliance is not at Black Caviar levels of unbeatable evidenced by taking three attempts to conquer The Everest, Whitby said he has to be confident any horse his group selects is a winning chance.

Masked Crusader just fails to catch Nature Strip in the 2021 TAB Everest. (Pic: Bradley Photos)

It was on the back of Masked Crusader’s close call last year the syndicate decided there wasn’t a decision to be made about 2022 and locked the horse in again, making the six-year-old the first horse to secure a TAB Everest slot before Christmas.

“Every year I have a story, this year will be a repeat of last year with Masked Crusader,’’ he said.

“But it’s not easy. I thought Sunlight was the best horse we selected and she ran 10th.

“Masked Crusader is a good horse, well trained, we just said last year after being beaten by that margin we have to take him again. I’m not frightened by any of them.”

You’d be just as likely to find Whitby at a race meeting at Mudgee as you are at Royal Randwick and he says the advent of The Kosciuszko has been a real winner for country racing while he’s adamant The Big Dance will be embraced.

His familiar green colours are seen around the state and he’s excited at the prospect of Commando Hunt carrying them in the Kosciuszko and One Aye in The Big Dance.

Commando Hunt is trained at Scone by Cameron Crockett and found his way into The Kosciuszko with part-owner Des Kennedy gaining a slot in the ticket draw in early September.

One Aye became eligible for The Big Dance when she finished runner-up in the Mudgee Cup back in December, before the concept was announced, but her Forbes Cup win virtually ensures her a place in the race as winners of eligible Country Cups are given ballot preference.

“The Kosciuszko has helped the industry further as well, the prizemoney is great and I like the model,’’ he said.

“The Big Dance is the same, it puts the focus on Country Cups and it will smooth itself out after the first year. To have an opportunity at a race worth $1 million to the winner is pretty attractive.

“We’re very hopeful with Commando Hunt and One Aye has got to be in there swinging on her day, I think she will be a big show in the Big Dance.”

*This article originally appeared in the October 2022 edition of the Racing NSW magazine

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