Mission Central on The Everest Radar After Royal Ascot Group 1 Victory
A stellar performance in the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot has put Mission Central firmly in Coolmore's sights for a potential start in The Everest, completing a significant achievement for trainer Aidan O'Brien and jockey Ryan Moore.
The Irish sprinter, a 14/1 chance, delivered an outstanding performance to claim the Group 1 prize, surpassing the efforts of Australian contenders Overpass, who finished third, and Asfoora, who was seventh.
Mission Central's blistering acceleration allowed him to reel in Rayevka (7/1) and the heavily backed 10/3 favourite Overpass in the closing stages for a hard-fought win.
The King Charles III Stakes was the final Group 1 at Royal Ascot that O'Brien and Moore had yet to conquer.
This victory was O'Brien's second of the day, following Great Barrier Reef's success in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes, and brings his impressive Royal Ascot win total to 98.
Coolmore Australia's Tom Magnier, who was in attendance at Royal Ascot, confirmed to Racing And Sports that Mission Central would be considered for one of the coveted slots in the $20 million Group 1 The Everest (1200m) at Royal Randwick on October 17.
"I was watching Overpass and I would have been delighted for Australia if Overpass was to win for Bjorn (Baker) and the team,'' Magnier commented.
"But the lads were pretty happy with Mission Central and it was an unbelievable ride by Ryan.
"He's a very good horse and when Ryan was walking him in and I winked at him and said 'what about The Everest?' Ryan gave me the thumbs up."
With 12 slots still available for The Everest, the race remains open, although Hong Kong's reigning champion Ka Ying Rising is the dominant $1.50 favourite with TAB Fixed Odds.
Coolmore also has other promising sprinters in their stable, such as Golden Slipper winner Guest House, who could be considered for The Everest. However, Magnier expressed his desire to discuss the possibility of bringing Mission Central to Sydney with O'Brien.
"There is a lot of water to flow under the bridge and we have a lot of horses in Australia,'' Maganier remarked.
"But I guess a horse like this (Mission Central) gets put into the mix and he could come down and run in The Everest.
"There is a long way to go between now and then but it (The Everest) is definitely on the radar for this horse."
Magnier added that he intended to review Mission Central's winning performance again.
"I was watching Overpass through the race because if we didn't win I would have been happy for Bjorn and Overpass,'' Magnier explained.
"But Ryan said Mission Central has a very good turn of foot so we will see how we go with him."
Betting markets for the race are starting to form, with several online bookmakers offering competitive odds.
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