The Everest 2026: Jimmysstar, the Slot System and the A$20M Sprint

The Everest 2026: what happened this weekend

The Everest 2026 is a A$20 million, 1200-meter Group 1 sprint at Royal Randwick in Sydney on Saturday, October 17, and it's the richest turf race in the world. It doesn't take entries like other races. Instead, 12 "slot holders" buy a place in the field and then decide which horse runs in it.

That's why Sunday's result matters. On September 27 at Caulfield in Melbourne, Ciaron Maher's seven-year-old gelding Jimmysstar won the Group 1 A$2 million Manikato Stakes (1200m) under Ethan Brown. He beat Extragalactic by three-quarters of a length, with Charm Stone third, in 1:08.24.

It was a classic Jimmysstar run. He jumped slowly, dropped to the back in first-time blinkers, and then came down the middle of the straight past the whole field. It was his fourth Group 1, all with Brown riding, and it took his career earnings past A$10 million.

Afterward, Maher said the horse is "probably, certainly heading" to The Everest, where he finished third last year.

Why he's likely, not confirmed

A trainer's plan doesn't guarantee a spot in this race. Jimmysstar needs a slot holder to take him, and that deal hasn't been announced.

On September 23, SEN reported that a member of his ownership group thought an Everest run was more unlikely than likely unless he produced something special in the Manikato. He did produce it, which reopens the door. Until a slot holder confirms him, though, treat Jimmysstar as a probable runner.

What is The Everest horse race?

The Everest was first run in 2017. Racing NSW and the Australian Turf Club (ATC) created it as a sprint that could compete for the world's best fast horses. It's now a Group 1 race, the highest level in Thoroughbred racing (see our Group vs Grade explainer).

Here are the key facts from the official 2026 race conditions:

• Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026, at Royal Randwick, Sydney
• Distance: 1200 meters (about six furlongs)
• Who can run: horses aged three and up, carrying weight-for-age with no apprentice allowances
• Field: up to 12 starters, plus up to six emergencies
• Prize money: A$20 million, with A$7 million to the winner
• Recent winners: Giga Kick (2022), Think About It (2023), Bella Nipotina (2024) and Ka Ying Rising (2025)

On weight-for-age, a gelding of five or older like Jimmysstar carries 58.5 kg, or about 129 lb.

How The Everest slot system works

Most big races work like a tryout. Owners nominate their horse and pay fees, and the horses with the best ratings or earnings make the field. The Everest flips that around: the slot is sold first, and the horse is picked later.

Step by step

1. Buy the slot. For 2026, each slot licence cost A$700,000 plus GST. Slot holders paid it to Racing NSW in two non-refundable halves, one by February 1 and one by July 1.
2. Shop for a horse. A slot holder can run a horse it owns or make a deal with another owner. Trainers often mention "slot talks" through the spring.
3. Announce the deal. Pairings are announced one at a time, often right after a big prep race.
4. Declare the runner. Final declarations for 2026 close at 10 a.m. Sydney time on Tuesday, October 13, and the barrier draw follows that week.

The 2026 Everest slot holders are Inglis, Newgate and GPI Racing, Chris Waller Racing, Mulberry Racing, Coolmore, Fairway Thoroughbreds, James Harron, a group led by Max Whitby, TAB, the Hong Kong Jockey Club with the ATC, Yulong Investments and Godolphin.

As of September 27, only a few pairings were public. They include last year's winner Ka Ying Rising in the Hong Kong Jockey Club slot, Ninja for Fairway Thoroughbreds and Headwall for the Max Whitby group.

How is this different from normal Group 1 entry?

That last row is why Jimmysstar's win matters so much. Slot holders want the fastest horse available. A last-to-first Group 1 win over the same distance is the best sales pitch an owner can make.

Why is The Everest worth A$20 million?

The prize money is so high partly because slot holders pay into the pot. Twelve slots at A$700,000 each come to A$8.4 million before GST, and the organizers make up the rest.

The payout is spread through the whole field. Under the 2026 conditions:

• 1st: A$7,000,000 plus trophies
• 2nd: A$2,900,000
• 3rd: A$2,000,000
• 4th: A$1,500,000
• 5th: A$1,200,000
• 6th: A$950,000
• 7th to 12th: A$700,000 each

A$250,000 also goes to a welfare fund. Every finishing place pays at least as much as the price of a slot, although that money is then shared between the slot holder and the horse's connections.

How the money is split between slot holder and horse owner depends on their private deal. The official conditions give one guide: if an emergency horse wins, A$3.01 million of the A$7 million goes to the slot holder and A$2.8 million to the horse's owner. The trainer, jockey and stable staff share the rest.

How prep races like the Manikato feed The Everest

The Everest has no qualifying races. Still, the Australian spring sprints work like auditions, and slot holders watch them closely.

• The Manikato Stakes is the big Melbourne Group 1 sprint at 1200m about three weeks before The Everest. That's a good gap for a horse to recover and peak again.
• Form and fitness both count. In his start before the Manikato, Jimmysstar finished ninth in the Memsie Stakes on August 29. A slot holder has to decide which of those runs shows who he is right now.
• Track matters. Maher pointed to "the big track at Randwick," and its roomy layout is expected to suit a horse who finishes as late as Jimmysstar.
• The backup plan: Horses that don't get a slot can run the same day in the A$2 million Sydney Stakes, also over 1200m. The Everest's emergencies are chosen from that race.

So a horse can be one of Australia's best sprinters and still end up in the Sydney Stakes instead. The difference comes down to timing, form and who makes the best offer.

What to watch: The Everest 2026 guide

Key dates (Sydney time)

• Now through race week: Slot holders announce their runners. Watch for news on Jimmysstar, Tempted (second last year) and the TAB, Coolmore and Inglis slots.
• Tuesday, Oct 13, 10 a.m.: Final declarations close, and the barrier draw follows.
• Saturday, Oct 17: The Everest and the Sydney Stakes at Royal Randwick.

How to follow from the Americas

• Time zones: Saturday afternoon in Sydney is Friday evening in the Americas. In 2025, the first race of the Everest card went off at 6:30 p.m. Pacific, or 9:30 p.m. Eastern, and The Everest itself was the seventh race, so on the East Coast and in South America it ran after midnight.
• TV and streaming: In 2025, FanDuel TV broadcast live from Randwick with Sky Racing World presenters, and DRF en Español carried a Spanish broadcast. Check your local listings for 2026.
• News: Follow the ATC, Racing NSW and Australian racing outlets for slot announcements and the barrier draw.

Quick fan checklist

• If you live in the Americas, save the night of Friday, October 16, as "Everest night." On the East Coast and farther south, the race itself lands in the early hours of Saturday.
• Look up which slot each horse is running for, because it explains the jockey's colors.
• Watch the finish closely. Jimmysstar usually looks hopeless at the halfway mark and then finishes fast.
• Compare it with US sprinting in our Breeders' Cup Sprint 2026 preview, or see the rest of the fall schedule in our Arc 2026 guide.

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