Kiwi sprinting hero bolts in as historic Everest bid looms

Ka Ying Rising and Zac Purton combined for an effortless win at Sha Tin on Sunday. Photo/HKJC

Champion jockey Zac Purton has declared New Zealand-bred sprinting sensation Ka Ying Rising’s outstanding win in the HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup at Sha Tin the equal-best of the champion sprinter’s stunning career.

Extending his unbeaten streak to 13 wins, Ka Ying Rising brushed aside quality opposition on Sunday night to triumph in 1:7.63, marginally outside his own track record of 1:7.20s, despite being eased down by Purton as the gelding swept to his 14th win in 16 starts for David Hayes.

The world’s top-rated sprinter will enter quarantine tonight in preparation for a tilt at the A$20 million ($22.18m) The Everest (1200m) at Royal Randwick on October 18 after easing to a two-and-a-quarter length victory over fellow four-time Group 1 winner, and fellow Kiwi-bred, Lucky Sweynesse.

“To carry that weight against those horses at that speed first-up and do what he did, it’s probably the equal of any performance he’s put up, I think,” Purton said.

“He’s come back in really good order. I said to David before the race that he just looks a different horse. He’s furnished really nicely and that’s what we wanted before we get on the plane and go down to Sydney.”

After starting brilliantly from barrier four in steady rain, Hong Kong’s reigning Horse of the Year settled second behind Bottomuptogether, who surged from the 800m to the 400m in 21.33s to string out the field, ultimately playing into Purton’s hands.

“It went fairly smoothly. If I could have had that run pre-race, I would have taken it,” Purton said.

“We got into a nice spot and Beauty Waves on my inside got fired up a little bit and got keen and Alexis (Badel) was looking to edge out, so I just felt my horse back on the bit and travelling, thinking about it.

“But then Bottomsuptogether went and it had my bloke having to chase him midrace, which was not what I wanted. I wanted to have him travelling within himself but what it did – because he’d used a bit more energy midrace – he actually changed his leg for the first time in a long time when he came into the straight. Hopefully it’s taught him something.

“When he did that, I thought ‘game over’ and away he went.”

After equalling the weight-carrying record he set last season in the same race, Ka Ying Rising is the first horse to win the HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup twice.

“We’ve been saying privately that we think he’s better than last year and I think that showed – the time he ran, the way he did it, the weight he carried. He’s bigger and stronger and probably better,” Hayes said.

“He’s always physically been a backward-looking horse and now I think he looks like a complete sprinter. So, yeah, he’s the best I’ve had.

“The worry with this ‘prep’ was running with 135 (lb) at the start, but I didn’t want to go six months between runs, first-up in an Everest. Now I know we’ve got him there, we just maintain him and he holds form for a long time this horse. That’s why he’s a champion.

“He’s a pretty good traveller and I’m very confident travellng him.”

Later in the evening former NZ trainer Jamie Richards started the Hong Kong racing season in perfect style with two wins, giving him important momentum heading into the spring.

– LOVERACING.NZ News Desk