David Hayes has said Ka Ying Rising “couldn’t be better” and confirmed the highest-rated sprinter on the planet will return to the track for his next assignment in the G2 Jockey Club Sprint at Sha Tin on November 23.
Last month’s impressive G1 The Everest winner will return to his box in Hayes’ yard on Tuesday, having spent the past fortnight adjusting to life back in Hong Kong in the quarantine stables at Sha Tin.
Hayes, who continued his stellar start to the Hong Kong season with a double at Happy Valley on Sunday, said he was especially pleased with his stable star’s latest gallop on the all-weather on Monday morning.
“He couldn’t be better,” the trainer told Idol Horse. “He worked this morning and he was superb. He comes out of quarantine on Tuesday, he’ll gallop at the end of this week and he’ll trial next Friday ahead of the race.”
While Hayes initially questioned whether Ka Ying Rising would skip November’s Group 2 trials day at Sha Tin in preparation for his G1 Hong Kong Sprint defence on December 14, the trainer said Hong Kong’s star is in top form and raring to go in the HK$5.35 million contest.
“Genuinely, I’ve never seen him better,” Hayes said. “After he works, he walks back to the trainers’ tower and you couldn’t even tell he’s worked – he’s that fit at the moment. I think the trip has done him the world of good.
“He’s ready for a run, that’s for sure. He’s already at his Hong Kong winning weight, so he needs to run because he’s almost doing too well.”
After overcoming the almighty task of defeating the top sprinters Australia has to offer, it will most likely be business as usual for Ka Ying Rising from a betting market perspective. The son of Shamexpress has jumped at 1.1 or the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s minimum 1.05 payout on six of his last eight runs.
“We had everything that came with The Everest and now he’ll probably jump those prices again. It will be just another heart attack,” Hayes laughed.
Hayes will also run his recent Group 2 winner, Tomodachi Kokoroe, against Ka Ying Rising in the Jockey Club Sprint.
At the age of seven, Tomodachi Kokoroe has remarkably transformed from an 84-rated Class 2 horse to a G2 Premier Bowl winner who boasts a rating of 110.
“This season has just been amazing for him,” Hayes said. “He beat Helios Express pretty well in the Premier Bowl and to think it took him 10 runs to win a race is remarkable.” ∎
