Racing: Punters spoiled for choice ahead of one of racing's greatest days

Nature Strip is one of the favourites for the Everest. Photo / Getty

Punters could be forgiven for not knowing which way to look on one of the most diverse yet greatest days in Australasian racing history on Saturday.

Those who love their racing action fast and furious may be most looking forward to the brash flash and dash of the A$15 million Everest in Sydney, where Kiwi superstars Chris Waller and James McDonald combine with the favourite Nature Strip, part-owned by former All Blacks coach Sir Steve Hansen.

Further south across the Tasman the traditionalists may centre on the Caulfield Cup, with The Chosen One the sole New Zealand-trained runner, but the former Kiwi mare Verry Elleegant, still part-owned here, vying for favouritism.

Closer to home for the weight-for-age purists Melody Belle is trying to win her 12th Group 1 race, second only to Sunline among New Zealand thoroughbreds, in the $250,000 Livamol at Hastings, her main opponents her fellow mares Avantage, Two Illicit and Supera.

Those three stunning flat races are on the same day as the Southern Hemisphere's greatest steeplechase the Great Northern at Ellerslie, which itself is complimented by the GN Hurdles earlier the same card.

The latter two are usually run by this stage of the season, for decades being held at Queen's Birthday weekend. But even after being moved to September a few years ago they have pushed further out this year because of the months of racing missed during the Covid-19 lockdown.

That will make for an unusually firm Great Northern track and even the possibility of a race record in the only race every year that goes three times over the Ellerslie hill.

All four of the mega races are run in almost four hours of each other on a day of racing that is likely to never be repeated.

On the punting front, Melody Belle opened the $2.60 favourite for the Livamol even though she has drawn wide and is likely to have to give a start to stablemate Avantage, who has drawn ideally at barrier four and is $3.60.

After drifting wildly in the market for the Everest after two recent defeats, Nature Strip is back into $4.60 after drawing barrier five, and with no natural leader drawn inside him he should be able to lead, the key then being whether McDonald can get him into a rhythm.

As for the Great Northern, the way Magic Wonder bolted clear in the Pakuranga Hunt Cup last start has seen her open the $2.70 favourite.

Racing's golden day

2.58pm, Saturday: $125,000 Great Northern Steeplechase, Ellerslie.
4.25pm: $250,000 Livamol Classic, Hastings.
6.15pm: A$15 million Everest, Randwick, Sydney.
7.15pm: A$5 million Caulfield Cup, Melbourne.