Ka Ying Rising 'at the top of his game' in search of 21st straight win in Group 3 season opener

By Paul Ryding

Trainer David Hayes declared sprint sensation Ka Ying Rising “totally clear” following a minor injury scare going into Sunday’s (6 September) season-opening HK$4.2 million G3 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup Handicap (1200m) at Sha Tin.

The first Group contest of the season had long been planned as the lead-up race to a defence of Ka Ying Rising’s AU$20 million (approx. HK$112 million) G1 The Everest (1200m) crown at Royal Randwick in Sydney on 17 October. But the discovery of bruising on the champion sprinter’s left hind foot momentarily threw his preparation into doubt.

“I think he kicked his concrete feed bin, and bruised his hind foot,” Hayes said. “He was definitely sore on Monday. But Tuesday, Wednesday and today he’s been perfect. He’s had Doppler scans, CT scans and an X-ray, so he’s totally clear.”

Hayes admitted to having some concerns ahead of a gallop on Thursday morning (3 September), but his worries were allayed when the world’s top-rated sprinter, who will start as comfortable favourite despite giving the maximum 20 pounds to the remainder of the six-horse field on Sunday, came through his work with ease.

“If he wasn’t right, I wasn’t going to run him,” Hayes said. “I was shattered on Monday morning, but I’m very happy today. This horse, I can assure punters, will be fine at the weekend.”

The focus now switches to Sunday’s contest, which Ka Ying Rising will bid to win for a third straight year and extend his record winning streak to 21 victories, before attention turns to The Everest.

Hayes was confident when discussing the champion sprinter’s prospects after the six-year-old completed an easy 400m gallop in 25.4s on the Sha Tin dirt.

“He was really good. The riding boy certainly thought he was at the top of his game, so that’s always nice to hear,” Hayes said.

The two-time Hong Kong Champion Trainer (1997/98 & 1998/99) said lessons had been learned regarding his preparation for the Sydney showdown, and that he was aiming to have Ka Ying Rising at his brilliant best for The Everest, starting with the pre-Everest trial.

“I probably had him too fresh going into that trial,” Hayes said. “He got very stirred up with the big crowd all going to see him. I think this year he’ll have just a little bit more work, and he won’t be as fizzy. And, hopefully, he won’t have all the problems after the trial that we had with the perception that he was not right.

“Visually, (The Everest) was his worst performance of the season, but he still won by a length-and-a-half, and didn’t have the whip on him. I think this year, hopefully, Australians can see him at his best, and we’re doing everything we possibly can to have him at his best,” he added.

Champion jockey Zac Purton said he felt Ka Ying Rising was an improved horse going into this season.

“He’s a bigger, heavier, stronger horse now than what he was back then,” Purton said. “We’ve seen that when he went to Australia, he developed down there, and he continued to get bigger and stronger as the season went on. And it was a good sign that he got even bigger in Conghua when he had that break.

“He does look like a much stronger horse, definitely than what he was 12 months ago, but even from what he was at the end of last season. He could go well for another good season, hopefully.”

Sunday’s (6 September) 10-race fixture at Sha Tin starts at 12.30pm with the Class 5 Glenealy Handicap (1200m). Admission to the racecourse opens at 10.30am.