Randwick had been set for a coronation, but Tempted ended Ka Ying Rising’s 1,000-day reign in The Everest on Saturday, holding the Hong Kong champion out by a head after the world’s highest-rated racehorse was caught wide from barrier 11.
Ka Ying Rising, the dominant favourite, closed fast under Zac Purton but could not run down the Ciaron Maher-trained mare, who had the run of the race under Chad Schofield and denied the gelding a second win in the A$20 million sprint.
The surprises started before the gates opened. The track dried out better than expected and was upgraded to Soft 5 after the sixth race. When the field jumped, Ka Ying Rising could not find the early speed to lead from barrier 11, while Tempted got away cleanly from barrier 1 and settled closer to the pace than anyone had forecast.
Whatever scenarios Schofield had mapped out beforehand, and the same goes for any analyst, Tempted settling in front of Ka Ying Rising was not among them. Purton was left stuck wide on the Hong Kong horse through the turn, and Schofield kept the mare going to the line as Ka Ying Rising came at her late.
“The first and third horse had dream runs and we had a horror run, being six-wide with no cover, but he was brave,” trainer David Hayes said. “I love the way he finished, but I hate the result.”
Hayes said the draw he had expected to help had worked against his champion.
“We didn’t expect him to be there but it was the barrier. Sometimes barrier 11 can be a bonus, but he was very wide,” he said. “He settled a bit further back than we thought he would, and if we had to take a positive out of it, he was in front one stride after the post.”
Joliestar finished third for Chris Waller and James McDonald. Tempted, the second favorite, has now won all five of her starts since last year’s Everest.
“The winner had such a beautiful run. Well done, she has had a big spring,” Hayes said.
Hong Kong Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges took the defeat philosophically.
“That’s horse racing. He didn’t bring his A-game,” he said. “She obviously loves the track, the going, and it was a brilliant ride from Schofield.”
Engelbrecht-Bresges said Hong Kong punters bet a record HK$113 million on The Everest alone, a new high for a simulcast race, and the latest sign of the hold Ka Ying Rising has on the city’s betting pools.
Randwick had turned on a brilliant blue sky for the occasion, with Australian racing fans clutching Ka Ying Rising plushies and dressed for the day in ties and colored suits.
“I think it is always an event that is a benchmark, creating new awareness for younger people who come to the track, and it was a great atmosphere,” Engelbrecht-Bresges said.
Ka Ying Rising’s last defeat came on January 21, 2024. That day Wunderbar, ridden by McDonald for John Size, beat him by a short head in a Class 3 handicap at Sha Tin. He then went on to win 21 races in a row, among them last year’s Everest. Saturday’s loss denied him the chance to join Redzel, the 2017 and 2018 winner, as the only two-time winner of the race.
Hayes would not rule out another attempt.
“The season is only just getting started and maybe we will come back next year,” he said.
Engelbrecht-Bresges was asked whether the gelding could return for a third Everest. “Why not?” he said. ∎
