The tenth edition of The Everest witnessed a dramatic climax, with the same top two contenders from the previous year battling it out. However, this time, Tempted emerged victorious in the world’s richest turf race, captivating a record-breaking crowd of 52,110 spectators.
This marks Ciaron Maher’s second triumph in The Everest, following Bella Nipotina’s win in 2024. For David Hayes, the trainer of Ka Ying Rising, his sprinter’s impressive 21-race winning streak was narrowly broken.
Both trainers have indicated their intentions to return next year for a third installment of the rivalry between Tempted and Ka Ying Rising in The Everest.
With a masterful ride from Chad Schofield, Tempted evened the score against the Hong Kong superstar, fulfilling Maher’s year-long plan for revenge.
“This mare hasn’t been beaten since The Everest last year and she has rectified it this year,” Maher stated. “I always had an air of confidence she would run her best race today and you could see the way she was building through it. Chad knew what he had under him and I felt barrier one was ideal. She had to be at her absolute best and she was. She went forward, made her own luck, and ‘God’, this is amazing. This mare was there to be beaten but she did it!”
Tempted, the $6.50 second favourite, narrowly held off Ka Ying Rising, who went off as the $1.35 favourite, with Joliestar ($19) securing third place.
Headwall delivered a commendable performance to finish fourth, less than a length behind the winner, while Ninja impressed with a fifth-place finish.
Blue Door and Savvy Hallie, who had raced prominently, faded in the closing stages to finish towards the rear of the field.
Schofield executed a tactical masterpiece aboard Tempted, outsmarting the highly-rated Ka Ying Rising.
“This is the first time I’ve really ridden her and asked her from the start. I normally just ride her to relax and trust her to be far too good late,” Schofield explained. “But it was a different race today. We had the world’s best sprinter, the world’s best horse. I had eyes for him, and I knew he wasn’t up there and I held my spot, kept him deep and I’m pretty sure that made Zac (Purton, Ka Ying Rising’s jockey) have to come back. From there, I had the perfect trip. I came off from behind the two leaders, and I hit the front very early, a long way out. But she’s such a good horse, she’s so brave and so game.”
Schofield also revealed that an aggressive start wasn’t the initial strategy.
“It wasn’t our plan, Ciaron just said, let her be. If she wants to be there, let her be there,” Maher added. “He felt in this race last year she was a pair further back than she needed to be. I jumped, I gave her a squeeze, and like always, she was there for me and she delivered. She’s getting better, that’s all I’ll say. I rode her as a three-year-old and she came back so much stronger. She was amazing first-up, she was even better second-up. I reckon she went to a new level there today. She’s had three runs this prep and got better each time, why won’t she keep improving now as a four-year-old.”
Tempted’s record now stands at 10 wins and four placings from 15 starts, with her career earnings surpassing the $14 million mark. Maher is confident her journey is far from over.
“Earlier today, we were talking that we don’t really know how good she is,” Maher commented. “I’m thrilled for Godolphin. A lot of horses don’t reach their full potential but Godolphin has been very patient with Tempted. We could have taken her to Melbourne last spring but we didn’t. We put her away for autumn and gave her a light autumn with a few of reaching her full potential. But this is really great, on an amazing day, I’m absolutely thrilled and Tempted is something special.”
Godolphin Australia’s Andy Makiv praised Tempted’s versatility in holding off Ka Ying Rising’s late challenge.
“She got a great ride and hit the front a long way from home,” Makiv said. “She is used to hunting something down so she got left there a long way out but she was so brave. It is a long straight and people around me were saying she’s home but I was saying ‘hold on, hold on’. This is a fantastic moment, a great day for Godolphin, a great day for our colours and a great day for Dubai.”
Hayes attributed the outcome to the barrier draw, with Ka Ying Rising starting from gate 11 compared to Tempted’s inside draw.
The race’s initial surprise came when Ka Ying Rising was unable to cross from his wide gate, forcing jockey Zac Purton to settle him midfield and without cover.
“We didn’t expect him to be there, but it was the barrier. Sometimes 11 can be a bonus, but he got caught wide,” Hayes explained. “He settled a bit further back than we thought he would, and if we have to take a positive out of it, he was in front one stride after the post. He was so very brave. The first and third horse cut the corner and really had dream runs, and we had a horror (run) being six-wide, no cover. But he was brave, and I love the way he finished, but I hate the result. I’ve had a chat with Zac (Purton) and he just thinks the barrier, getting caught so wide, and the winner had such a beautiful run. Well done to the winner, she’s had a big spring.”
Purton noted that Ka Ying Rising appeared to get somewhat disoriented entering the straight.
“It felt like he was really struggling but when the horse on the outside came to him, that’s when he flicked into gear and started to give me something,” Purton said. “He was good to the line – he was all heart. He prefers it dry, but he got through it okay. Every horse that went forward, finished out the back so it didn’t work out for them, either.”
Joliestar, competing in her third Everest, delivered one of her finest performances to finish a close third.
“I’ve never been more proud of her,” jockey James McDonald commented. “She has run the race of her life and has never felt better than she did today.”
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