Dash out and dash home – the preparation complete and the gate to match.
Prior to the barrier draw for the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint (1200m), David Hayes was open minded to whichever gate Ka Ying Rising would draw in search of a 16th-straight victory and another jewel in the local hero’s crown.
Barrier one could not have been more perfect and Zac Purton is ready to thrill Asian racing’s end-of-year highlight yet again.
“He has come back even better,” Purton said of the gelding’s progress since winning The Everest (1200m) at Randwick in October.
“He’s got more muscle and everything that we have seen since we have been happy with.”
Hayes and Purton agree that Ka Ying Rising’s last-start win in the Group 2 Jockey Club Sprint (1000m) was likely the best performance of his 18 starts so far.
“His asset is his speed,” Purton added.
“He puts himself up on the pace and he doesn’t like it when they go slower.
“When he’s out there running along, he breaks their hearts.”
Al Riffa will be out to make amends for an unsuccessful trip to Australia when finishing 7th in the Melbourne Cup with barrier two drawn in the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase (2400m).
Voyage Bubble drew barrier # when winning the Hong Kong Mile (1600m) last year, but barrier 12 presents the challenge for Zac Purton to land the double.
Trainer Ricky Yiu is happy to leave it to Hong Kong’s champion jockey to round out the plan, which was set on avoiding a clash with Romantic Warrior in the Hong Kong Cup (2000m).
Like the sprint, the 2000-metre feature appears to be just as much of a one-horse race, with Romantic Warrior dominating the Cup conversation.
Drawing barrier two in the seven-horse field, James McDonald’s mount will be aiming for an 11th win at the highest level.
