From $8000 bargain to $20m Everest: Spicy Martini lands slot

Trainer Toby Edmonds confirmed a deal has been negotiated with slot-holder Inglis for Spicy Martini to take her place in the world’s richest turf race on October 17.

Spicy Martini will be the second Everest runner for Edmonds who was represented by brilliant filly Houtzen in the inaugural Everest 2017, finishing seventh to Redzel.

“When Houtzen ran in The Everest, I think a lot of people were sceptical about the race and whether it would last,” Edmonds said.

“But The Everest has become a worldwide phenomenon so it is great to be involved again.”

Spicy Martini is one of those racing “fairytale” stories after Edmonds purchased her from an Inglis Digital online platform as a yearling for just $8000.

The talented mare is now a five-year-old and from 13 career starts, she has won six races and earned $2.73 million prizemoney.

And Spicy Martini has now earned a start in The Everest, the world’s richest turf race.

“We were looking for a daughter of Justify and my partner, Holly (Penfold), noticed this filly online,” Edmonds said.

“I trained her half-sister, Strong Martini who had a lot of ability but had a few injury issues.

“We were expecting to go to $20,000 or $30,000 to get the filly so we were pleasantly surprised to get her for just $8000.”

Spicy Martini’s managing owner Holly Penfold described the mare as “incredibly brave and durable”.

“The day she won the Stradbroke back in June, we decided she was going to run at Randwick on October 17, it was just a matter of whether that was going to be in the Sydney Stakes or The Everest and here we are now with an Everest slot thanks to Inglis and we couldn’t be more excited,” Penfold said.

“We bought this horse on Inglis Digital for $8000, she’s already won us $2.7m from 13 starts and now she’s running in a $20m race.

“It’s legitimately unbelievable really, an absolute fairytale. I never dreamed we’d be running in a $20m race but here we are.

“The Inglis marketing team made a nice video of Spicy [Martini] after she won the Stradbroke and Sebastian sent it to me and I replied ‘there’s an even better video to be made after The Everest’ and we’ve just stayed in contact since then.

“Inglis wanted to see her return well to show she was back, which is completely valid, and her run in The Shorts certainly proved that. She ran extremely well first up despite having one shoe ripped off and two others shifting.

“We’re going into The Everest with confidence. We know she’ll be a big price but she always is, she’s always underestimated and she always overperforms and we wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The Stradbroke Handicap has been a good guide for The Everest with Think About It completing the double in 2023.

Trekking won the 2019 Stradbroke then later that year ran third to Yes Yes Yes in The Everest.

Edmonds said Spicy Martini showed ability very early in her career but needed time to develop and mature.

“We have taken our time with her and she keeps improving,” Edmonds said.

“I don’t think we have seen the best of her yet, either.”

Edmonds confirmed jockey Taylor Marshall will ride Spicy Martini in The Everest.

“Taylor gets on well with the mare, he won the Stradbroke on her,” Edmonds added.

Spicy Martini will remain at Edmonds’ Gold Coast stables until Everest week, when Edmonds will himself drive the mare to Sydney and stable her at Peter Snowden’s Randwick base.

Spicy Martini becomes the fifth confirmed The Everest starter after Ka Ying Rising (slot-holder Hong Kong Jockey Club), Ninja (Fairway Thoroughbreds), Headwall (Max Whitby, Neil Werrett, Col Madden, Steve McCann), and Blue Door (Newgate).