Everest ticket will go to second if Booker wins Schillaci

Melbourne Racing Club's ticket into The Everest will pass down to the second place getter if Oakleigh Plate winner Booker wins Saturday's Schillaci Stakes.

Co-trainer Simon Zahra said the five-year-old Written Tycoon mare would be unlikely to accept entry into next Saturday's Everest if she won this weekend, with the gap between runs too short.

"We struggle to get three or four runs into her every prep," Zahra said.

"She's got to win anyway, but she'd have to pull up unbelievable and for a big, strong mare, she always takes a long time to recover.

"You find those sprinters, they just go at their top so much that they take a long time to get over it."

The MRC will give winning connections until midday on Sunday to decide whether they want to take up their spot in The Everest. If not, the opportunity will pass to the second place-getter.

Zahra said there was no reason why Booker couldn't repeat her career-best Oakleigh Plate run over the same track and distance this Saturday.

"This race has been one of her targets," he said.

"The Moir was never quite going to suit but we had to run her in between. But both her runs she was locked away on the inside and never got a crack at them.

"If they were tough runs you'd probably say, 'Not enough [time] in between runs and probably couldn't win', but she's had pretty easy sort of runs going into the Schillaci."

Meanwhile, Zahra said he was disappointed that no one called to offer Zoutori an Everest slot following his third-placed finish behind Sunlight and Santa Ana Lane in Saturday's Gilgai Stakes.

James Harron holds the key to the final spot, which is likely to go to Brutal after his Premiere Stakes win, while Chris Waller and Godolphin are expected to use their slots for their own horses.

"I'm very surprised no one rang us about Zoutori to be honest. Very surprised," Zahra said.

"He was exposed all the way up the straight, Sunlight had an easier time out in front and he was out in the middle of the track exposed and still went with them.

"If someone had have rung us and said, 'We want him for The Everest', we would have kept him in the stable and gone and had a crack.

"But no one's rung us so he's up the farm for 10 days and he'll come back and run Derby day."