Everest defence a 2018 priority for Redzel

Redzel is likely to stay in Australia in 2018 to enhance his chances of back-to-back Everest wins.

An overseas campaign for Redzel has been all but ruled out to give Australia’s premier sprinter every chance of winning the Everest for a second time.

Redzel confirmed his ascension to the top of Australia’s sprinting ranks with a clear-cut win in the Darley Classic at Flemington on Saturday.

The Group One win, the second of Redzel’s career, came a month after his victory in the $10 million Everest at Randwick.

Often the Darley Classic winner is courted by officials to run in the King’s Stand Stakes or the Diamond Jubilee Stakes but the connections of Redzel appear almost certain to knock back a Royal Ascot invitation.

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“Our main priority is The Everest so if we came to the conclusion that going to Ascot would get in the way of that it would make the decision for us,” managing owner Chris Ward told Racing NSW.

“It hasn’t been officially ruled out yet, we haven’t gone too far into discussions on that front.

“(But) the money here and races like the TJ Smith Stakes are very attractive.”

Redzel’s earnings have spiralled to just short of $8 million during an unbeaten sequence of six wins that started at the end of the Sydney autumn carnival.