New Zealand Presence in The Everest

New Zealand will have a major presence in one of the world’s richest and best-known races, The Everest, after TAB’s broadcasting flagship Trackside Media secured a slot in this year’s race.

Supercharged by its recent strategic partnering agreement with Entain Australia & New Zealand, Trackside Media has been able to secure use of the Inglis slot in this year’s race, which will be staged on Saturday, October 14 at Royal Randwick in Sydney.

Racing NSW recently announced an increase of stakes on the race to A$20m, making it the world’s richest sprint race, which will be the focal point of a A$30m+ race day.

In an enormous coup for New Zealand, the Waikato Stud son of Savabeel and leading Everest Contender, I Wish I Win, has agreed to terms to race in the Trackside slot.

I Wish I Win, was bred in New Zealand by Waikato Stud, is majority-owned by New Zealand connections and is currently a $4.50 second favourite for The Everest.

Trackside has been a prominent part of the New Zealand racing landscape since first appearing on Kiwi TV screens in November 1992 and broadcasts around 10,000 hours of live television a year.

Entain New Zealand’s Managing Director, Cameron Rodger, said securing a slot in The Everest on behalf of Trackside was a significant moment and was an opportunity to celebrate the New Zealand thoroughbred racing and breeding industries.

“We have obviously watched the growth of The Everest in Australia for a number of years, however wagering performance and engagement on the race in New Zealand has remained under-indexed” Rodger said.

“In what we hope will be the first year of many being involved in The Everest, we look forward to working closely with Racing NSW to get all Kiwis engaged in The Everest to cheer on one of our very own in I Wish I Win.”

“To have the chance to not only be part of it, but to go across with a New Zealand bred superstar in I Wish I Win and with a legitimate chance to win is an absolute thrill for all the team at Entain Australia & New Zealand.

“New Zealand has a very proud racing heritage, but for a number of years the industry has been underfunded and losing ground. As we have seen with the recent increases in stakes money, as a result of the new strategic agreement with Entain, we are ready to kick back in a big way.”