So much for an old man's sport! How punters at The Everest knocked back 15,000 bottles of champagne and 120,000 beers - and most of them were under 35

  • Vast majority of the crowd at The Everest horse race in Sydney were under 35
  • Punters at Royal Randwick made the most of it by drinking 120,000 beers
  • Racing NSW boss Peter V'landys said the event was for 'new generation'

By Ben Hill For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 00:01 EDT, 16 October 2018 | Updated: 00:40 EDT, 16 October 2018

The vast majority of the crowd at the world's richest horse race The Everest were under 35 - and they made the most of the day by downing 15,000 bottles of champagne and more than 100,000 beers.

The punters present at Royal Randwick racecourse in Sydney on Saturday formed a record crowd of more than 40,000 for the event, which was marketed towards young people.

Racing NSW boss Peter V'landys said the race was 'for a new generation'.

'What the young people like about this race is that it's bold, brash and disruptive,' he told the Daily Telegraph.

Eighty per cent of those in attendance were younger than 35. 

The vast majority of the crowd at the world's richest horse race The Everest were under 35 (Bachelor star Cass Wood pictured with friends)

The vast majority of the crowd at the world's richest horse race The Everest were under 35 (Bachelor star Cass Wood pictured with friends)

The punters present at Royal Randwick racecourse in Sydney on Saturday formed a record crowd for the event, which was marketed towards young people

The punters present at Royal Randwick racecourse in Sydney on Saturday formed a record crowd for the event, which was marketed towards young people

Racing NSW boss Peter V'landys said the race was 'for a new generation'

Racing NSW boss Peter V'landys said the race was 'for a new generation'

Pop star Liam Payne performed after the race, which helped boost the event's popularity

Pop star Liam Payne performed after the race, which helped boost the event's popularity

The Everest has lofty goals to compete with the Melbourne Cup as Australia's premier horse-racing event.

Pop star Liam Payne performed after the race, which helped boost the event's popularity.

'I have never seen such a young crowd at the races,' Mr V'landys said.

'It was a new era. For a long time young people weren't interested in the races but the clear message here is they want to come to The Everest and they want to come in big numbers.'

During Saturday's race, more than 15,000 bottles of champagne were sold while 120,000 beers were drank.

The Everest race was shown on television in more than 60 countries.

Redzel made it back-to-back wins in The Everest and claimed the $6 million first prize for taking out the world's richest horse race on Saturday.

The Everest has lofty goals to compete with the Melbourne Cup as Australia's premier horse-racing event

The Everest has lofty goals to compete with the Melbourne Cup as Australia's premier horse-racing event

During Saturday's race, more than 15,000 bottles of champagne were sold while 120,000 beers were drank

During Saturday's race, more than 15,000 bottles of champagne were sold while 120,000 beers were drank

The Everest race was shown on television in more than 60 countries

The Everest race was shown on television in more than 60 countries

The six-year-old gelding led the field into the home straight and dashed clear of the 12-horse field on a heavy track, and beat home Trapeze Artist and Osborne Bulls. 

The victory was watched by around 40,000 racegoers - many of whom had dressed to impress for the marquee event.

Despite the overcast conditions in the city, racegoers weren't afraid to leave skin on show as they soaked up the atmosphere at the inner-city racecourse grounds.

They were not able to soak up the weather for long though, with a series of downpours hitting the racecourse throughout the day.

Protesters from the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses could be seen holding placards outside the event which were critical of the horse racing industry.

The protest was the latest distraction from the event after the state government stood by its decision to force Opera House management to promote the $13 million horse race.

More than 120,000 Australians signed a petition protesting against plans to turn the World Heritage-listed Sydney Opera House into a light-show billboard.

Despite the overcast conditions in the city, racegoers weren't afraid to leave skin on show as they soaked up the atmosphere at the inner-city racecourse grounds

Despite the overcast conditions in the city, racegoers weren't afraid to leave skin on show as they soaked up the atmosphere at the inner-city racecourse grounds

The race was watched by around 40,000 racegoers - many of whom had dressed to impress for the marquee event

The race was watched by around 40,000 racegoers - many of whom had dressed to impress for the marquee event

Protesters from the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses could be seen holding placards outside the event which were critical of the horse racing industry

Protesters from the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses could be seen holding placards outside the event which were critical of the horse racing industry

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Staggering 80 per cent of bumper crowd at The Everest horse race were aged under 35

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