The Everest: Kiwi entry I Wish I Win second in Australia’s richest race

I Wish I Win (green and blue cap) fell short in a late charge, finishing second to Think About It (red cap) in the Everest. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand challenger I Wish I Win had to settle for a luckless second in the NZ$21million Everest in Sydney today.

The Kiwi-owned and formerly trained gelding was charging late after traffic concerns early in the home straight, but narrowly missed grabbing favourite Think About It, with the winner’s stablemate Private Eye third in the super-rich thoroughbred slot race.

I Wish I Win was racing in the TAB Trackside slot and was the first official New Zealand representative in the Everest, the 1200m sprint race which is the richest race on turf in the world.

But his chances were diminished soon after the start when, after jumping from barrier 1, he couldn’t hold the trail behind leader Overpass as another rival got in front of him and cut down to the rail.

That left I Wish I Win three back on the inside and as his connections had feared, and he was done no favours by rival jockeys who, very fairly, held his momentum up by closing gaps in the home straight.

By the time jockey Luke Nolan got him into clear, Think About It had shot clear and, while I Wish I Win closed fast, he never really looked likely to grab the winner who was still holding him after the line.

The disappointment of losing the big one will be tempered for I Wish I Win’s connections by the NZ$3 million runner-up stake and he still has several multimillion-dollar races he can contest this season.

The race was not without a winning Kiwi connection as Think About It is sired by former New Zealand superstar So You Think, a two-time Cox Plate winner better known for his deeds over 2000m than being expected to sire sprint winners.