Ka Ying Rising will gradually step up his workload over the coming week as trainer David Hayes continues preparations for the AU$20 million G1 The Everest (1200m) at Randwick Racecourse on October 17.
The world’s highest-rated horse has settled smoothly at Canterbury Park Racecourse’s quarantine facility in Sydney after travelling from Hong Kong on September 20. The six-year-old has also regained the estimated five kilograms lost during the flight, giving Hayes further encouragement ahead of the next phase of the campaign.
Ka Ying Rising Prepares For Randwick Trial
Hayes plans to introduce faster work on Saturday before extending the gelding’s longer exercise sessions to maintain his fitness.
“He’ll have some fast work on Saturday, and we’ll continue to give him longer work to maintain his fitness,” Hayes said.
The next major checkpoint will come on October 6, when Ka Ying Rising is scheduled to trial at Randwick Racecourse under nine-time Hong Kong champion jockey Zac Purton.
The trainer believes the horse is better prepared this time than he was 12 months ago. Ka Ying Rising became the first overseas-trained winner of The Everest last year and will now attempt to defend that title while chasing a remarkable 22nd consecutive victory.
Hayes considers the gelding to be around 10 percent better than last season, pointing to his recent performances and four track records in his last four starts.
“I think conservatively he’s 10 percent better,” Hayes said. “It’s always hard to judge, but 10 percent or more.”
Ka Ying Rising further underlined that assessment on September 6 when he broke the Sha Tin 1200m course record for the fifth time, stopping the clock at 1m 06.11s in the G3 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup Handicap.
A Stronger Ka Ying Rising Heads To Australia
Hayes has also been encouraged by the horse’s physical development. Ka Ying Rising raced at a career-high 1,172lb first-up and produced what his trainer described as his strongest performance to date.
“He’s a bigger, stronger and more mature horse. He’s a heavier horse, and that’s a big positive as far as I’m concerned,” Hayes said.
The approach to the recent Sha Tin victory was also different. Rather than easing the horse down late in the race, Hayes asked Purton to allow him to quicken from the 400-metre mark and finish with a stronger effort.
That provided a more meaningful fitness test ahead of the Australian campaign, while the resulting course record added another significant performance to his preparation.
Hayes is also taking confidence from having already gone through the international journey once before. While he acknowledged that travelling between countries always carries an element of uncertainty, the preparation itself is now familiar to the stable.
“Going into the trial last year, I probably had him a bit underdone. This year, he will be fitter,” Hayes said.
The plan is now straightforward: increase the workload gradually, sharpen the six-year-old through his Randwick trial and have him ready for another major assignment on October 17.
Ka Ying Rising will race in The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s slot for The Everest at Randwick Racecourse.
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