Australian punting has always loved an underdog with a good story, and this winter it found a perfect one: a mare bought for $8,000 — the price of a used ute — who ran down a $3 million Stradbroke Handicap field at Eagle Farm in June.
Spicy Martini's win was a first Group 1 for young jockey Taylor Marshall, a career highlight for Gold Coast trainer Toby Edmonds, and the kind of result that makes every battler who's ever bought a cheap yearling believe again. Her earnings now top $2.7 million — more than three hundred times what she cost.
The dream with a mountain in it
What makes the story bigger than one race is where it's pointed: The Everest at Randwick in October, the world's richest race on turf — and the domain of Ka Ying Rising, Hong Kong's champion, the world's top-ranked sprinter and the horse many are already calling the best they've seen.
“Hopefully this mare might attract an Everest slot, we'll see what happens,” Edmonds said after the Stradbroke — the sound of a man trying not to dream too loudly.
