Debutant jockey pulls off ‘impossible’ victory in Everest thriller

Tempted has pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Australian racing history, holding off a huge late charge from Ka Ring Rising to win the $20 million Everest.

Ridden by Chad Schofield on his Everest debut, Tempted led by two lengths with about 200m of the Randwick track to go, before Ka Ying Rising and Headwall mounted a huge charge down the outside, with Joliestar on the inside.

Tempted faded, but just managed to hold on to win by about a head over Ka Ying Rising and Joliestar.

"The impossible may have happened! We'll talk about this race forever and a day," Bruce McAvaney said on Seven.

Trainer Ciaron Maher was fighting back tears.

"Amazing … I thought she'd run a PB today. Thrilled," he said on Seven.

"We knew we had to take position. Chad knew what he had underneath him. She had to be phenomenal, and she was."

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Schofield said he knew he had to push her from the start of the race, rather than wait to kick at the end like he might normally.

"I normally just ride her to relax and trust her to be far too good late," he said.

"But it was a different race today. We had obviously the world's best sprinter, world's best horse in it.

"I had eyes for him. I knew he wasn't up there and I sort of held my spot and kept him deep … I had a perfect trip."

Ka Ying Rising started as the best-backed favourite in Everest history, with 70 per cent of money invested.

He started at $1.35 favourite, with Tempted the next best at $7.

Ka Ying Rising trainer David Hayes – who watched the race from Caulfield – blamed the barrier draw.

“If we have to take a positive out of it, he was in front just past the post,” Hayes said on Seven.

“He was brave. I love the way he finished, but I hate the result.

“The ground was perfect. It was the barrier. We thought it could be a bonus for us, but it wasn’t.”