NZ-bred a rising star in Hong Kong

[Wandering Eyes]

New Zealand-breds have long held a strong record in Hong Kong, which was further enhanced at the 2023/24 Hong Kong Jockey Club Champion Awards on Friday when Ka Ying Rising was crowned Champion Griffin.

The son of Shamexpress has been a standout in the Asian racing jurisdiction, winning five and runner-up in two of his seven starts last season for trainer David Hayes, highlighted by his victory in the Gr.3 Sha Tin Vase (1200m) last month.

Ka Ying Rising became the third New Zealand-bred to be crowned Champion Griffin in the last five years, joining multiple Group One winner Lucky Sweynesse (2022) and Good Luck Friend (2020).

Bred by Grandmoral Lodge Racing, Ka Ying Rising is out of the Per Incanto mare Missy Moo, and had a couple of jump outs for Marton trainer Fraser Auret before he was sold to clients of Hayes and had a few trials in Australia before making his way to Hong Kong.

Friday’s announcement was welcome by Windsor Park Stud, who stand Ka Ying Rising’s sire Shamexpress.

“He (Shamexpress) leaves good horses up there and he also has that very good horse in Singapore as well, Lim’s Saltoro,” Windsor Park Stud General Manager Steve Till said.

“It has been exciting to watch his (Ka Ying Rising) progress through the autumn. His time in the Sha Tin Vase was very good.

“He has a champion trainer in David Hayes, who knows good horses so well, and he is targeting him towards the international meeting in December for the Group One sprint race. You know the horse must be pretty good when David is talking about the horse in those sorts of terms, and is setting the horse for that sort of race.

“He could end up being Shamexpress’s best. He (Shamexpress) is a very good sire and he has got two beauties going around for him at the moment.”

Till said gaining accolades such as Champion Griffin is very important for stallion careers.

“Our Asian markets are very important and none more so than Hong Kong,” he said. “The standard is so high there that if you have got a stallion that can sire good horses up there, the market demand then increases and that filters right through.

“In the case of Ka Yong Rising, he is out of a Per Incanto mare, and Per Incanto is a good example of that. His progeny have done very well in Hong Kong as well, and that combination all bodes well.”

Till said Shamexpress’s progeny are well suited to Hong Kong because of their demeanour.

“He is a great stallion to have around and he is a very physical stallion,” he said. “He is a straightforward horse to mate to because he leaves good types, but he can impart a very good constitution and brain into his progeny, and I think that stands them in very good stead when they go to overseas environments like Hong Kong and Singapore. It is a great thing to have in your armoury when you are a stallion, and I think that has contributed to his success.”

Shamexpress stands at Windsor Park Stud, near Cambridge, for a fee of $8,000+GST.

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