EVEREST DIARIES EDITORS NOTE the World's Best Sprinter and His Potential Everest Contenders
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
INSIDE Y O U R G U I D E T O I S S U E N O . 0 1 06 TAB: Creating Memories With The Everest Tabcorp's Adam Rytenskild speaks to ED about Nature Strip, the chosen contender for their Everest slot. 09 19 Rod Lyons: Don’t Mess With A Force Of Nature Legendary Or Real - Gytrash Is Co-owner of the first horse to be chosen Here To Stay The Course for the Everest field and the fastest Trainer Gordan Richards talks to ED sprinter in the world - Nature Strip, about potential Everest contender, the speaks to ED about their plans and mythically named-Gytrash and his aspirations plans 13 23 Matthew Dunn: When Life Gives Allan Endresz: Fly Like A Butterfly; YouLemons, You Make Lemonade Sting Like An ‘Alligator’ ED chats with leading Northern Rivers ED speaks to Alligator Blood's gregarious trainer Matthew Dunn about his co-owner about their Sinatra loving horse potential Everest contender Snitz and their Everest campaign. 25 Statistics: Top Owner, Trainer & Jockey o3 | EVEREST DIARIES EDITORS NOTE The World's Best Sprinter And His Potential Everest Contenders Nature Strip is currently the highest rated Co-owner Rod Lyons couldn’t be prouder sprinter in the most recent Worlds Best of his explosive front-runner. Racehorse rankings. He is also ranked co- third rated best horse in the world with “I’m confident the learnings from Nature Almond Eye and the first into the field for Strip competing in The Everest last year the A$15 million The Everest Cup. Can will go a long way in 2020,” said trainer things get any better for the amazing Chris Waller in any interview with The 5YO? ATC. His trainer now has the unenviable job of This first issue we feature both the finding another horse capable of beating Tabcorp’s Adam Rytenskild and co-owner the best sprinter in the world for his own Rod Lyons to hear both sides of the story. slot in the The Everest. We also speak to the connections of Nature Strip, the favourite to win Horse of three Everest prospects – Allen Endrez, the Year this season after three Group Aligator Blood’s co-owner, Snitz’s trainer One wins including his runaway TJ Smith Matt Dunn and Gytrash’s trainer Gordon Stakes success, ran fourth in last year’s Richard about their journeys to the The Everest behind stablemate Yes Yes Everest. Yes but is arguably a better sprinter now. Photo - Courtsey Torryburn Stud Once again Everest Diaries speaks to the Adam Rytenskild, the Managing Director - Wagering and Media at Tabcorp about their Everest slot. T A B : TAB is the first slot-holder that has confirmed their runner, to create engagement opportunities between their customers and their runner – Nature Strip, one of Australia’s top sprinters. Adam has been C R E A T I N G with Tabcorp for exactly two decades and has been involved with the Everest from the early days. M E M O R I E S Q: What would you say has been your favourite The Everest race and why? And similarly, who has been your favourite Everest contender and why? A: How can I go past last year when our TAB runner, W I T H T H E Santa Ana Lane, stormed home for a second? He didn’t have the best of luck and ran a mighty race to beat all except the winner, Yes Yes Yes. I’ve enjoyed all three Everest’s so far, including those back-to- E V E R E S T back wins of Redzel in the first two runnings. Q: How did this year’s partnership with Nature Strip come about?A: Having identified Nature Strip as an ideal fit, we approached the horse’s managing owner, Rod Lyons, informally back in early March and talks grew from there. We agreed to terms and announced the partnership on April 29. O6 | EVEREST DIARIES Q: Based on Tabcorp’s past A: In racing, and in wagering and Q: What is your favourite racing experience with The Everest, what media, we are used to change. memory? criteria did set for your 2020 From a TAB and Sky perspective, A: Watching Winx finish her Everest Contender that Nature we are successfully using digital amazing racing career with a win Strip satisfied? to engage our customers and that in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at A: We like to secure a horse for will continue. Some examples of Randwick would be difficult to our slot early so we can create this are our popular Sky Racing top. opportunities for our customers to Active app, which is bringing be engaged in the journey and be bespoke racing coverage to part of the whole race-day audiences when and how they experience. Our team views want it; TAB Venue Mode, which is Nature Strip as arguably the best about bringing exclusive offers Our team views sprinter in the world. He brilliantly and experiences to digital punters Nature Strip as won the big TJ Smith during The in TABs, pub TABs and Championships at Randwick in racecourses; and the experience arguably the best April and we feel he is still on the improvements and innovations way up. Having champion trainer that we are consistently adding to sprinter in the Chris Waller, who guided Winx the TAB app and website and in through her phenomenal career, the retail betting environment. world. He brilliantly is another big plus. Our team won the big TJ thinks James McDonald has Q: When you first heard of The developed a real affiliation with Everest, did you feel that it would Smith during The the horse, and that now shows in become so beloved? how the horse is settling in his A: It’s a race that oozes Championships at races. excitement, not just on the day itself but with all the build-up Randwick in April Q: This year COVID created some around which horses will get a and we feel he is still unusual circumstances which slot. People talk about the TAB may have paved the way for a Everest throughout the year, on the way up. bigger digital future for the racing speculating on which horses will industry. Firstly, what from your be snapped-up by slot holders. perspectives do you see changing The race is cleverly marketed to a ADAM RYTENSKILD/ TABCORP over the next ten years and new generation of racing fans, the secondly, how will the TAB is younger audience, which speaks a planning to embrace this digital lot to the race’s success to date. revolution? O7 | EVEREST DIARIES With owners like the All Blacks coach Steve Hansen, New Zealand businessman Patrick Harrison, Peter R O D L Y O N S : Kean, Greg Smith, Jack Van Durren and Rod Lyons, Nature Strip was used to being in celebrity circles even before he ran his first race. Australia's top sprinter was also the first out of the stable when he D O N ’ T M E S S was the first to be confirmed as the Everest Sprint contender for TAB Corp. W I T H A F O R C E The Everest Diaries speaks to co-owner Rod Lyons about Nature Strip's second punt at The Everest Cup, O F N A T U R E the story of their syndicate and much more: Q: Please tell us a bit more about his campaign towards The Everest? A: After a couple of trials and a track gallop, he will race in the Concorde Stakes followed by another 1200m race in two weeks (The Premier stakes) and then finally The Everest. Q: After The Everest, do you have any international races planned? A: Depending on how Nature Strip performs, we are all pretty keen to travel. We had invitations to Dubai and the Royal Ascot this year but things didn't work out. We love having a good time. As long as Waller O9 | EVEREST DIARIES agrees, anything is possible! He looks terrific, and he’s ready to race against the world's best sprinters in The Everest. He was always a big horse, and he has taken his own time to mature. But he’s had just 20- odd starts. We believe the best is ahead of him yet. / ROD LYONS/ 10 | EVEREST DIARIES Q: How is he doing these days? A: He looks terrific, and he’s ready to race Depending on how against the world's best sprinters in The Everest. He was always a big horse, and he has taken his own time to mature. But he’s Nature Strip performs, had just 20-odd starts. We believe the best is ahead of him yet. we are all pretty keen to Q: Please tell us about your other stable travel. We had stars? A: We have an unraced but rising 2YO by Under The Lourve who won the Gr.1 invitations to Dubai and Stradbroke Handicap in 2016. He is related to past Everest contender In Her Time. He is the Royal Ascot this very forward, intelligent and physically very good. year but things didn't Q: What do you think of this year’s Everest offering? work out. We love A: We believe this year will be even more exciting than last year. Already A$15m has having a good time. As been confirmed as prize money. Only about 5000 spectators are likely to be allowed on the racecourse, but we love the fact that long as Waller agrees, this year racing is the biggest sporting event on TV.