High profile Adelaide trainer Lloyd Kennewell is keen to secure a start for his Group 1 winning stable star Viddora in the 2018 $13m The Everest (1200m) at Randwick during the Spring Carnival.
Magic Millions Sprint winner Viddora, above, will be set for the 2018 The Everest at Randwick. Photo by Jenny Barnes.
The widely travelled Viddora has saluted at both sides of the country in recent months and Kennewell will now give her a break before preparing her for the Autumn Carnival and then to chase a slot in The Everest.
Viddora made light work of her opposition with a two and a quarter lengths win in the $1m Magic Millions Sprint (1200m) at the Gold Coast on January 13 which came on the back of her win in the Group 1 $1m Crown Perth-Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) at Ascot in Perth on December 2.
Following a luckless Melbourne Spring Carnival which saw Viddora finish a nose second in the Group 1 $500,000 Moir Stakes (1000m) followed by a fourth in the Group 1 $1m Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes (1200m) both at The Valley, the I Am Invincible mare gave Kennewell his first Group 1 with her initial win at the highest level.
“She’ll start venturing home tomorrow,’’ Kennewell told The Advertiser.
“She’ll float back and then head to the farm for a nice break. I really just want to get her home and work things out. As I said there are plenty of options for her, but the plan is to get her to The Everest.”
Kennewell thinks that Viddora has covered enough kilometres by the time she gets back to South Australia and will plan an Autumn Carnival program on her home track at Morphettville which will include the Group 1 $400,000 Robert Sangster Classic (1200m) for the fillies and mares and the Group 1 $1m The Goodwood (1200m).
“I think the less travel she has to do the better,’’ Kennewell said.
“There are options to go overseas, but prizemoney wise it would be no different to running in Adelaide (in May) and she doesn’t have to go anywhere.
“The main thing is putting the horse’s best interests first.’’
“She’s had a super campaign, she’s had a terrific 12 months.’’
“Her worst run was running fourth in the Manikato and she should probably have won the race.’’
Early betting for the 2018 The Everest at Ladbrokes.com.au has last year’s winner Redzel as the $8 favourite while Viddora is marked at the juicy odds of $21.
Early betting for the 2018 The Everest at Ladbrokes.com.au: $8 Redzel, $11 Vega Magic, $13 Chautauqua, Menari, Merchant Navy, Winx, $17 Nature Strip, $21 Brave Smash, Viddora, $26 English, Hot King Prawn, Impending, In Her Time, Invincible Star, Performer, She Will Reign, $34 or better the rest.