3 minute read
The eyes of the Coolmore team in Australia will be focused on the York meeting in the UK on Friday night watching possible Everest contenders Ten Sovereigns and Fairyland contest the G1 Nunthorpe Stakes.
The pair are trained in Ireland by Aidan O'Brien with either in line to take the Coolmore Stud slot in the $14 million Everest at Randwick in October.
Ten Sovereigns has been top of the list of possibles to represent Coolmore in the Everest (1200m) on October 19 since he won the G1 July Cup at Newmarket last month.
Ten Sovereigns and Fairyland will clash with the brilliant Battaash in the Nunthorpe Stakes (1000m) with their performances clarifying whether O'Brien will be sending one or both his sprinters to Sydney.
O'Brien had his first Everest starter last year when July Cup winner US Navy Flag was sent to Sydney to run in the Coolmore slot.
His chances were dashed by a wet track, a scenario Coolmore and O'Brien can safeguard against this year if they elect to send both Ten Sovereigns and Fairyland to Sydney.
Ten Sovereigns, a winner of four of his six starts, is at his best on firm tracks while soft and heavy conditions favour Fairyland.
Coolmore also have the high class three-year-old Yes Yes Yes, trained in Sydney by Chris Waller, among the local horses they could nominate as their Everest runner.