Superstar jockey Craig Williams has won his second Everest after piloting Bella Nipotina to an extraordinary victory in the $20m Group 1 feature at Randwick.

Bella Nipotina was caught three wide at the turn, but surged clear at the home stretch to hold off 2022 champion Giga Kick in a remarkable finish.

Growing Empire finished third, while Lady Of Camelot completed the first four.

Bella Nipotina started at $9, and earned connections $7 million with the victory, taking her career earnings to more than $25m.

Godolphin colt Traffic Warden was a late scratching after becoming fractious in the starting gates.

“I’m not sure we’ve had a better Everest than this,” legendary commentator Bruce McAvaney said.

The Everest was run for the first time as a Group 1, the official top-tier status that had been previously denied it since its inception in 2017 due to its novel slot race format.

It not only attracted its largest contingent of female runners - six of the 12 starters - but now has its first female winner, after no mare or filly had previously finished better than fifth.

Godolphin colt Traffic Warden was a late scratching after becoming fractious in the starting gates.

It capped a wild three years for Williams in The Everest after winning on board Giga Kick in 2022 and now beating Giga Kick in this year’s edition.

Williams, who earned his jockey’s percentage of $350,000 for his 1 minute and 8.76 seconds of work, was quick to pay tribute to trainer Ciaron Maher after the race.

“It’s amazing, it’s very very special,” he told Channel 7.

“Again, I can’t do it without the performance of Bella. We drew 12. We were hoping for more rain but the track was to her liking and Ciaron Maher said let’s trust her. We might be wide, let’s not be negative, let’s be positive.

“Going to the gate today, I said to Ciaron I said she was moving well. And before I gave her a pat and a cuddle, she was ready to go.

“Ciaron Maher is a phenomenal trainer with so many different arms that help this process go along.”

Maher was never worried despite the wide gate.

“We thought she was in career-best form. She got her conditions to suit. We said at the barrier draw she’s got an uncanny knack of running very well from any gate, wide, inside, it doesn’t matter,” Maher told Channel 7.

“Craig, beautiful ride, to have the balls to do that. And, yeah, I can’t thank me team enough ... the whole team, unbelievable. And to do it this late in her career, a 54th start is unbelievable.”

- With AAP