Ka Ying Rising's Easter return

The world’s best sprinter Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress) will be out to land a record extending nineteenth consecutive win when he lines up in the Gr.2 Sprint Cup at Sha Tin on Easter Monday.

While the pressure will still be there for trainer David Hayes and jockey Zac Purton, it won’t be as onerous as what they’ve already been confronted with this season.

“I think David Hayes summed it up well when he was talking to me the other morning,” Purton told Racing.com.

“He felt like The Everest was a lot of pressure and it was, especially with how he trialled leading into the race and how he carried on at the barrier trial. It was a new experience for him, and we were against horses that we hadn’t really matched up against before.

“There was a bit of pressure involved there and then more recently when he was trying to break Silent Witness’ record; you were so close, you were there, you just needed to do it. We didn’t want anything to go wrong and fortunately, he did what he always does, he takes bad luck out of play and puts himself in the right spot.

“He got the job done and broke the track record in the process.

“There’s going to be pressure with every race, but I think the two main goals for the season have been ticked off. As David said, one day he will get beat, hopefully he doesn’t but one day he will and at least we’ve done what we wanted to do. We’re going to try to preserve and keep him going for as long as we can.

“Hopefully, we can keep winning.”

For Purton, the fear of defeat and potentially contributing to that result is always there but it’s not one that appears to occupy too much space in his mind.

“There’s that thought in every race, right, but especially when you’re riding a horse like him,” he said.

“As long as he keeps doing everything right; handling himself well on raceday, beginning well, putting him in the right spot, then it’s up to him to keep performing at the level that we need him to.”

Ka Ying Rising will face six rivals in Monday’s Gr.2 Sprint Cup, his lead-up run before he finishes his season in the Gr.1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize on April 26. 

The race marks his first taste of competition since breaking Silent Witness’ record in the Gr.1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee in February.

“I’ve been on him a few times at trackwork, I rode him (Tuesday) morning and I’ve been on him in the barrier trial as well,” Purton said.

“I’ve been around him but just not on raceday. He’s a lovely horse to sit on, I always enjoy my time on him. He’s going well, it’s not a big field, there’s a bit of speed in it, barriers will be important.

“Obviously, we just want to get him out of the gates nice and cleanly, allow him to take his normal spot and let him do his thing, but I’ll be excited to have him back to the races.”

The Sprint Cup is one of two Group Two events on Monday’s Sha Tin card. Purton will also partner Fast Network (NZ) (Wrote), who is avoiding Ka Ying Rising and trying his luck over 1600m in the Gr.2 Chairman’s Trophy. - Racing.com

Joliestar seals Royal engagement for Lindsays

A year after being knighted, Sir Brendan Lindsay, and his wife Lady Jo, will head to England to fulfil a royal engagement – watching their multiple Group One winner Joliestar (Zoustar) compete at Royal Ascot.

Sir Brendan, who was recognised in last year’s King’s Birthday honours for his services to business and philanthropy, owns iconic thoroughbred nursery Cambridge Stud alongside his wife, and the couple have enjoyed plenty of success on the track.

Their familiar gold and black checked silks have been carried by the likes of Group One winners Probabeel, Kahma Lass, Pinarello and Joliestar, with the latter currently taking them on a great ride.

The Lindsays purchased Joliestar out of Segenhoe Thoroughbreds’ 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale draft for A$950,000 and she was subsequently entrusted to the care of leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller.

The now five-year-old mare has been a standout for the expat Kiwi, for whom she has won 10 of her 21 starts, including five at Group One level.

She earned her latest Group One scalp at Randwick on Saturday in the Gr.1 T J Smith Stakes (1200m), with her performance sealing her ticket to England in June to compete at Royal Ascot.

The Northern Hemisphere raid has been on the cards for some time and Waller was pleased his mare put in a worthy performance to give her connections the confidence to press forward with their plan.

“A lot of thought has gone into it (Royal Ascot) well before today. It has all mapped out and we just needed her to run well today to cement her place on the flight,” Waller said.

“She has only run in the best races right from a three-year-old where she won a Guineas, and she has been a model of consistency since.

“She has just come into her own and is racing with so much maturity and confidence.

“There is nothing better than going there (Royal Ascot) with an in form and confident horse. She will fly the flag for Australasia.”

Success at Royal Ascot is nothing new to Waller, who won the Gr.1 King’s Stand Stakes (1000m) four years ago with Nature Strip.

Fellow expat James McDonald has formed a formidable partnership with Waller, and he was glad to once again to be in the saddle on Saturday to guide Joliestar to another elite-level success in Cambridge Stud’s silks.

“She is flying, she has had the best prep of her life and that’s indicated with her form line,” McDonald said.

“She is just a wonderful sprinter and the horse herself has just been a marvel. It is just nice to ride a mare in form that is doing the job.

“The connections are obviously Kiwis and it is always good to team up with them.”

Waller said Joliestar will now be freshened and will do the majority of her preparation in Australia before flying out to England where she will likely contest the Gr.1 Jubilee Stakes (1200m).

“She will have a bit of downtime now and we will work back from Ascot and do our normal jumpouts and trials,” Waller said. “She goes so well fresh, so she will represent us all well – Australia and New Zealand." - Hong Kong Jockey Club

Girl Talk earns stakes tilt

Rangiotu mare Girl Talk (NZ) (Zed) has been a model of consistency this season for trainer Stephen Nickalls and earned a tilt at black type with a deserved win over a mile at Wanganui last month.

She will return to the venue on Easter Monday to contest the Gr.3 Windsor Park Stud Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes (2040m), for which she is a $5 third favourite with TAB bookmakers in a market headed by Who Knows ($2.80) and Monologue ($4).

It will be the daughter of Zed’s first crack at stakes level as a four-year-old, having finished fifth and 14^th respectively in the Gr.2 Lowland Stakes (2100m) and Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) last season.

“As the old saying goes, they are only three once, so you have a crack at those races while they are three-year-olds,” Nickalls said. “It was her first prep and she ran fifth in the Lowland at Trentham and the Oaks was probably a step too far, she had come to the end of the prep at that stage.

“She got home and slept in the paddock for three weeks after that and she came back in and she has done everything right.”

Girl Talk broke through for her maiden win at Waverley in October and went on to win her next two starts over a mile. She placed in the Douro Cup (1600m) in January and was an unlucky sixth in the $350,000 Sir Patrick Hogan Karapiro Classic (1500m) before returning to winning form last start.

“That was a super win and her starts prior to that were very good,” Nickalls said. “She was unlucky in the Karapiro Classic behind some very nice horses. She has run third behind Afternoon Siesta at Wellington, so that is pretty good form, she was Group One placed last start.

“She is really happy, she has bounced through that race well and she had a really good hit-out on the course proper (at Foxton) before the first set of trials last Tuesday and felt great.

“She is doing everything right, so we can’t fault her on that score. I went to give her a hack around the farm on Friday and I had to get off halfway through because all she wanted to do was buck and play. I can’t fault her, she is feeling fantastic.”

Girl Talk has drawn barrier one and will be ridden by Samantha Collett.

“She drew one at Wanganui and they all started to come wide. It just depends on how Wanganui plays on whether it (draw) is a good thing or bad thing,” Nickalls said.

While Girl Talk has been up for a long time, Nickalls said he will wait to see how she comes through Monday’s run before making any further plans.

“We have got no real plans, she will tell us,” he said. “She will come home and have a week in the paddock most likely and if she is bucking and playing around she will carry on and if she is not than she can have a holiday. We will play it by ear and see how she comes through Monday.”

Meanwhile, stablemate Iffigive (NZ) (Contributer) is enjoying time in the spelling paddock following her fifth placing in the Gr.3 Manawatu Classic (2100m) at Trentham last week.

While still a maiden, the daughter of Contributer has performed with distinction right up to elite-level this preparation and Nickalls is looking forward to her returning in the spring.

“She knew she had a run so she is in the paddock, she is having a holiday,” Nickalls said.

“It was a super run against the pattern of the day down there. She got out to the middle of the track and they said it was like running on quicksand. She has run home really nicely, she is a lovely filly.

“She has had nine starts as a three-year-old and made the stipes reports seven times. She has had no luck most of the time, she is as honest as the day is long and I am sure it won’t take her long to pick one up as a four-year-old." - LOVERACING.NZ NZ News Desk - Joshua Smith

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