![Chad Schofield celebrates aboard Tempted after executing a perfectly judged ride to defeat Ka Ying Rising in the $20 million Everest at Randwick. [Bradley Photos]](https://betsy.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/2379134.jpg)
The world’s best horse might have tasted defeat on Saturday but left with his reputation enhanced, while Australia’s star shone brightest. The great rides and disappointments on Caulfield Cup-Everest day which is one of the great days on the Australian Turf. But with engaged crowds the Wi-fi needs an upgrade to service what people expect in the 21stCentury.
HITS
KA YING RISING
In Everest defeat, the Hong Kong superstar elevated himself to another level. After 21 starts of dominance, Ka Ying Rising was on the backfoot on Saturday, but from there he nearly produced a Steve Waugh backfoot punch through covers to win. In times of crisis, you learn more about someone. Ka Ying Rising showed his champion qualities. Not only does he have champion speed, but he has a champion heart.
CHAD SCHOFIELD
It is one thing to have a plan, it is another to execute it perfectly. Schofield went to Randwick thinking he would win The Everest on Tempted. He knew what he wanted to do and did it, owning The Everest. It was one thing to hold his position from the gates, to the surprise of rivals, but another to get the timing right when he took a trail behind the speed. Then his belief in Tempted saw him going for home at the top of the rise”and she did the rest to hold on.
AUTUMN GLOW
The old adage that things happen in threes obviously doesn’t apply to Autumn Glow. After Sheza Alibi and Ka Ying Rising left multi-punters with flesh wounds, getting beaten, Autumn Glow came out and won as expected. When James McDonald rides with the freedom he does on Autumn Glow it is a thing of beauty. She was never in danger of defeat in the King Charles III Stakes. The margins will give her a big rating because they reflected the dominance we expected.
TONY AND CALVIN McEVOY
The McEvoy stable handled an awful situation with Half Yours falling in the Caulfield Cup perfectly. It should be the blueprint for the industry going forward. They used social media to keep everyone informed, first about their shock, then about Half Yours’s condition, with videos.
View this post on Instagram
PRIME THROUGHBREDS
Tom Dabernig prepared a couple of Group 2 winners. The highlight of Caulfield Cup Day for the boutique syndicator. Cavalry Girl again showed her sustained speed over the short course, while Shadhaver was back to her best, leading all the way in the last. There are targets at the Flemington carnival for both mares. “There’s a couple of straight races, there’s one on Melbourne Cup Day and whether we consider the 1100 now, although she is a 1000m specialist, so we’ll try and get her there and then concentrate on the autumn I think,” Dabernig said of Cavalry Girl. He added Shadhaver could be seen over 1400m at Flemington.
MISSES
SYDNEY STAKES
Connections are choosing the $2 million consolation over The Everest because the rewards are better. Grafterburners was one of a number of sprinters to turn down an Everest deal. “We got offered a slot, to be honest, but we thought to run third or fourth – we thought the good horse [Ka Ying Rising] would win it,” Grafterburners trainer Kelly Schweida said. “Tempted had beaten us fair and square a couple of times, so we elected to go this way with the prizemoney and we didn’t have to share it with anyone.” The prizemoney needs to be halved to make running in the Everest the first option.
RACECOURSE WIFI
Spring racing draws a massive audience, but in the modern world, clubs and PRA need to serve on-course crowds much better. The business is betting, and poor Wi-Fi keeps customers from participating in the sport’s revenue side. If you have 50,000 engaged active participants, you need them to be able to get on their apps, not only to bet, but to share what a great time they are having at Randwick and Caulfield.
EAGLE EXPRESS
Matt Hill was not once, but twice, right when he said, “Eagle Express can’t get a run” in the Alinghi Stakes. Eagle Express had a lot to give but was blocked for a run at the 300m mark and then again inside the final 100m and Hill saw it and let punters know. Damien Lane couldn’t find clear running on Eagle Express, and she will be in many blackbooks for her next run this spring.
MIND GAMES
John O’Shea and Tom Charlton are considering backing up Mind Games in Saturday’s Spring Champion Stakes, but that won’t help those who took the odds-on at Newcastle on the weekend. Jockey Keegan Latham got in an awkward spot on the three-year-old in the straight and didn’t get clear until the race was over. He took to X after some commentary to own the ride. “Fence off, still a slaughter, sorry boys”, he wrote. Stewards wrote a small essay about the ride and concluded Latham’s steer “was not unreasonable in the circumstances.”
CAULFIELD TRACK
They can’t dig it up quick enough after spring, where its performance can only be described as poor. The track was at the end of its lifespan, and again on Saturday, provided a far from even surface. It was an advantage to be up and in, especially in shorter races. Generally, after rebuilds in Melbourne tracks bounce back and let’s hope next spring we aren’t talking about Caulfield’s woes.
