Ka Ying Rising primed for Everest mission after Sha Tin send-off

[Wandering Eyes]

David Hayes said no stone has been left unturned in the preparation of his stable star Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress) as he galloped at Sha Tin on Friday (19 September) ahead of his trip to Australia to tackle the world’s richest turf race, The Everest (Gr.1, 1200m).

In his final workout on the grass 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”.

“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.

“We weighed him and he’s thriving. He’s at about 1,164 (lb) this morning, 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 being kept in quarantine ahead of his departure for Sydney on Sunday (21 September). The five-year-old, who has won his last 13 races, including four Group One victories, will compete overseas for the first time.

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,” said 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,” Purton added. “There’s going to be a lot of people going down there with the horse.”

The 2025 edition of the AU$20 million (approx. HK$102.8 million) The Everest at Royal Randwick on 18 October is hugely anticipated by racing fans across the world, but Hayes said the excitement hasn’t been limited to the racing public.

“The staff are very excited. He’s getting the rockstar treatment! 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,” he said.

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