By Ray Hickson
Tye Angland has won Group 1 races on a favourite and an outsider in the last month so what price his TAB Everest mount starts doesn’t faze him.
Just last week he guided Ace High to a popular Spring Champion Stakes win, two weeks earlier he wasn’t so popular as he claimed the Golden Rose on 40/1 chance Trapeze Artist.
“It’s just a number. For me, it doesn’t matter what price they are. I go out and give them the best opportunity to win the race,’’ Angland said.
“If it’s twos-on or 100/1. That’s probably why you see I get a few longshots home.
“I go out there with the same frame of mind, to do a job for the owners and that’s to get the best out of the horse.’’
As it happens Angland is riding $61 outsider Fell Swoop in the $10m TAB Everest (1200m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday but is quick to point out the gelding has the right credentials to be competitive despite his somewhat below par recent form.
Fell Swoop has, of course, placed behind Chautauqua in the last two runnings of the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes over the Everest course.
“There’s probably five lengths between all of them and then it comes down to who is going to have the best run and the most luck,’’ he said.
“Matty (Dale) is obviously training him to peak third-up. His first-up run was full of merit, his second-up run he was a little dour, a little spring out of his legs, but I’m sure fitness will kick in and I’m sure we’ll see him at his best.
“Probably his two best career runs were in the TJ and he was wide and deep on one of those occasions so I wouldn’t take that as an excuse for his second-up run.’’
Fell Swoop, who races in the slot owned by Inglis, was beaten two lengths by Redzel in The Shorts first-up then just over three lengths by In Her Time in the Premiere.
Both his TJ Smith placings were third-up from a spell.
Angland isn’t underestimating the horse that beat Fell Swoop in both those TJs – Chautauqua – but pointed to She Will Reign, English and Clearly Innocent as the horses to beat for him.
“It’s going to be a high pressure race, very competitive but very exciting at the same time,’’ he said.
Check out the fields, form and replays for the Everest at Royal Randwick