He came and he conquered. Ka Ying Rising, the Hong Kong superstar and world’s highest rated racehorse, underlined his champion status with an Everest victory for the ages on Saturday.
After a build-up that included a controversial barrier trial defeat and injury rumours, the David Hayes-trained sprinter did his talking on the track, accounting for the elite field to the roar of a packed house of more than 50,000 at Randwick.
Winning jockey Zac Purton did much of his early riding in Sydney before becoming a legend in Hong Kong and said Ka Ying Rising deserved similar status.
“It has been the biggest build up to a race that I have ever been involved in,” Purton said.
“He is a special horse. I wanted it for the horse’s legacy more than mine. I’ve got my career and these things help to that, but this is his moment and his time and I wanted him to be respected for the ability I know he’s got.”
Purton has won more races than any other jockey in Hong Kong history and has won the premiership there eight times but rated his triumph in the $20 million The Everest (1200m) his greatest achievement.
“It is probably the pinnacle of my career to a certain degree, especially the stage that I’m at and on this type of horse. I appreciate the moment,” he said.
Expat Australian trainer David Hayes was thrilled to pull off the coup, admitting he would have been devastated to go home without The Everest trophy.
His biggest concern pre-race had been how Ka Ying Rising would handle the occasion and when the horse didn’t turn a hair, he knew he was on his game.
“I would have been shattered if he lost today, truth be known, when he was calm an hour before the race,” Hayes said.
“There was no sweat between his legs. He was absolutely perfect and that made me feel quietly confident.
“There is more to come with this horse. This is certainly the biggest thrill in my life and it has been the longest ten days in my life.”
It was a full circle moment for Hayes, who in 1990 won the Japan Cup with Better Loosen Up when training in Australia and on Saturday returned with an overseas superstar to raid the world’s richest race.
The significance wasn’t lost on him.
“He (Better Loosen Up) was the last world champion-rated horse I trained and this is the next one,” he said.
“A lot of good horses in between but these are the two stars.”
Ka Ying Rising ($2) camped off the speed and surged to the front halfway up the straight to defeat filly Tempted ($16) by 1-1/4 lengths with her Ciaron Maher-trained stablemate Jimmysstar ($13) a game third.
It was the gelding’s fourteenth win in succession and Hayes said that despite the pressure to perform in a new environment at Randwick and the dramatic build-up, his faith in Ka Ying Rising never wavered.
“Every time I went to Canterbury, I knew the horse was right,” Hayes said.
“No matter what was written and said, ‘bodgy’ trial or he was injured or he was sore, I just knew he was ready and I couldn’t wait for the race to come around today.
“He is a genuine superstar and we’ll be back next year if invited.”
