Bella Nipotina will take her place in The Everest after being snapped up by TAB.
Leading trainer Ciaron Maher will saddle up his first Everest runner with outstanding mare Bella Nipotina announced as the representative for the the slot held by TAB.
The multiple Group 1 winner is now the $7 second favourite, behind $5 elect I Wish I Win, and likely to have her final lead-up run in the Premiere Stakes (1200m) on October 5.
Maher is thrilled the mare has secured her place in the elite field and is looking forward to being part of the $20 million The Everest (1200m) for the inaugural time.
"I'm rapt to get a guernsey," Maher told Sky Racing radio on Wednesday.
"It will be our first runner in The Everest so I'm happy to get that done and look forward to working with the TAB."
Establishing herself among the top echelon of sprinters over the past couple of seasons, Bella Nipotina captured a brace of majors during the Brisbane winter carnival and showed she had returned in great fettle with a strong second to stablemate I Am Me on a firm track first-up in the Concorde Stakes (1000m).
Given it was short of her best journey and that her form is superior on rain-affected ground, Maher says the effort augurs well for her campaign.
While she didn't get an Everest call-up 12 months ago, instead finishing third in the Sydney Stakes (1200m) on the Randwick program's undercard, he believes Bella Nipotina's subsequent form is proof that she has improved.
"She almost went to another level over the winter in Queensland off the back of what was a very busy year," Maher said.
"If you're talking about racehorses of the year, in terms of actual racing at the top level in the most states in the country, she has probably got to be a contender."
Maher is hoping Bella Nipotina isn't his only Everest runner with I Am Me, who will contest The Shorts (1100m) at Randwick on Saturday, and three-year-old Growing Empire both being discussed as possible slot candidates.
"I Am Me, she has raced Bella three times and beaten her three times. She is probably pretty deserved, and given her run the other day, the way she has come back, she can definitely be there," Maher said.
The Yulong-owned Growing Empire has won four of his five starts and was impressive in adding the Listed Poseiden Stakes (1100m) to his resume at Flemington on Saturday, with the Danehill and Manikato Stakes both being considered for his next start.
"I've still got to have a chat to (Yulong's general manager) Vin (Cox) and the Yulong team about his next start. He could possibly line up in even a Manikato," Maher said.
"Given the ease of the win and the way he came through, you could raise the bar a little bit with him depending on how it looked.
"At least we've got one in there, so you never know. Hopefully Bella's got some mates in there too."
