The Everest winner Bella Nipotina is the favourite for the $3million Russell Balding Stakes (1300m), as she attempts to secure the lucrative Sydney Sprint Series million dollar prize.
Bella Nipotina ($2.80) is ahead of Sunshine In Paris ($4.50) and Private Eye ($5) in Russell Balding Stakes betting, with these two, along with I Am Me, also eligible for the Sydney Sprint Series, having competed in the Everest.
Listed as the favorite with online bookmakers, Bella Nipotina is primed to become the first horse to pull off The Everest-Russell Balding Stakes double.
Since the Russell Balding Stakes introduction in 2019, Think About It remains the only Everest winner to return for this race, claiming third behind Bella Nipotina and Private Eye last year.
Notably absent from this lineup, however, is Giga Kick, the 2022 Everest winner who narrowly lost to Bella Nipotina in his quest for a repeat win in the world’s richest turf race, denying fans a rematch between the two champions at Rosehill.
The Russell Balding Stakes, which is a special conditions race, secures runners double points in the Sydney Sprint Series, which finishes on Saturday. For each race points are allocated 5,4,3,2,1 for finishing first to fifth.
Bella Nipotina is part-owned by former Collingwood and AFL figure Michael Christian.
How does the Sydney Sprint Series bonus work?
The Sydney Sprint Series has three seperate rewards up for grabs, with these being:
Bet With Mates Bonus: A $2 million bonus pool spread across six sprint races in the Sportsbet Sydney Sprint Series awards points to top-five finishers, with a $1 million prize for the highest-scoring horse and a requirement to compete in at least three races.
Multi Bonus: The top three finishers in the Russell Balding Stakes on November 2 who previously raced in The Everest, Sydney Stakes, or The Kosciuszko at Randwick will split a $1 million bonus.
Emerald Mile Bonus: The $1.5 million Emerald Mile Bonus awards shares to the top four point-earners across the Epsom Handicap and King Charles III Stakes, with eligibility requiring participation in both races.
What are/were the races in the Sydney Sprint Series?
- Concorde Stakes – 07/09/24
- The Shorts – 21/09/24
- Premiere Stakes – 05/10/24
- Epsom Handicap – 05/10/24
- The Everest – 19/10/24
- King Charles III Stakes – 19/10/24
- Sydney Stakes – 19/10/24
- Russell Balding Stakes – 02/11/24
Horse racing news
