Belflyer, the second-longest shot in the $1.3M AUSD Kosciuszko Stakes at Royal Randwick, just boiled home a huge upset winner a few minutes ago. The connections all were adamant how well this horse was doing and the trainer was super-confident etc etc. Yes, again, he was about a 60-1 shot, and not for nothing. Bottom line - the course at Royal Randwick for The Everest card is really sodden. It's rated Heavy 9, the second-wettest among 10 course conditions used in Australia. And it's raining even now with about an hour until The Everest itself. 

Horses have won the first five races at Royal Randwick from different positions vis a vis their competitors and vis a vis the inside rail; the course seems fair enough in that sense. But it is not fair in the sense that a whole lot of horses just can't properly get through turf this heavy. The Everest is a 1200-meter sprint meant to reward speed and brilliance, but this second edition is likely to be a slog. Post time at 1:15 am Eastern.