Horse racing news: Hong Kong’s Ka Ying Rising primed for Everest mission after Sha Tin send-off
Trainer David Hayes said no stone has been left unturned in the preparation of stable star Ka Ying Rising ahead of a trip to Australia to tackle the world’s richest turf race, The Everest, which will be a World Pool event for the third successive year.
In his final workout on the grass of Sha Tin before leaving Hong Kong, the world’s top-rated sprinter clocked 56.9s over 800m – completing the final 400m in 23.6s – in a showing that his Australian handler called “a good piece of work”.
First overseas adventure
“He looked like he probably finished off [the final 200m] in about 11.5 [seconds], doing it very easy, and when he came back, he didn’t blow a candle out,” Hayes said of Ka Ying Rising’s Friday workout, which you can watch here.
“We weighed him and he’s thriving. He’s at about 1,164 [lb], and he raced [in the Class 1 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup Handicap] at around 1,150, so that’s a good sign.
“They normally drop about 10 pounds when they travel, so he’ll be right on his winning weight when he gets there.”
Ka Ying Rising, Hong Kong’s reigning Horse of the Year, is now being kept in quarantine ahead of his departure for Sydney on Sunday.
The five-year-old, who has won his last 13 races, including four Group 1 victories, will compete overseas for the first time.
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Everest anticipation building
For regular rider Zac Purton, it’s been a long road to the Sydney showdown.
“It’s been a big build-up – nearly 11 months in the making, really – so it’s been a topic of discussion for a long time now,” admitted the eight-time Hong Kong champion jockey.
“It’s exciting to go down there, obviously, back to Australia, and Sydney’s sort of where I’m from. There’s going to be a lot of people going down there with the horse.”
The 2025 edition of the AU$20 million (£9.8m) The Everest at Royal Randwick on 18 October is hugely anticipated by racing fans across the world, but Hayes revealed the excitement hasn’t been limited to the racing public.
“The staff are very excited. He’s [Ka Ying Rising] getting the rockstar treatment!” the Aussie said.
“He’s travelling with his vet, his farrier, his riding boy, his mafoo, and just to make it a good thing, my assistant trainer’s going down to make sure everything goes smoothly when he walks in the quarantine, so we’re not leaving a stone unturned.”
Hong Kong racing continues on Sunday 21 September with a 10-race fixture at Sha Tin, beginning at 6am (UK time).
Follow @HongKong_Racing for all the latest news from the world-class racing scene in Hong Kong.
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