Blinkers first time for Jimmy in Manikato
Another sharp workout at Caulfield on Tuesday morning by Jimmysstar (NZ) (Per Incanto) is likely to see the Group One star wear blinkers for the first time in a race in Sunday’s $2 million Gr.1 Manikato Stakes (1200m).
‘’He had the shades on when he trialled the other day and he had them on again this morning and he’s worked very well, as you would expect him to,’’ trainer Ciaron Maher said after regular rider Ethan Brown took the seven-year-old through his paces.
‘’I’ve thought about it (blinkers) for a while.
‘’His work is not really much to go off as he likes to track up in a trial. His race (Memsie Stakes) was sort of a hard one to make of that whether it was Angel (Capital) sort of leaning on him or what it was.
‘’I was certainly happy leading into the race and I am very happy leading into this race.
‘’I think they (blinkers) can only help him but if he gets the right run probably more so if he gets to the outer and can unleash like we know he can. He certainly showed he can do that and his time was very slick in the jumpout the other day.
‘’It will be interesting (1) how the track is and (2) what the field looks like and where we are drawn.
‘’The main thing is the horse is really well. He’s only come forward from his first-up run.
‘’He was very good in The Everest last year and certainly be keen to have a look at that again, provided he is in the right form. Hopefully he runs back to form and we can have those discussions.’’ - Racing.com
Ka Ying Rising thriving after Sydney arrival
Trainer David Hayes believes Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress) is in even better shape than 12 months ago after the Hong Kong superstar arrived in Sydney to defend his Gr.1 The Everest (1200m) crown at Randwick on October 17.
The New Zealand-bred son of Shamexpress arrived on Monday and has settled into quarantine at Canterbury, where he will spend the next two weeks before trialling at Randwick on October 6 under regular rider Zac Purton.
Ka Ying Rising lost just 5kg on the trip from Hong Kong, having deliberately travelled heavier than last year, and Hayes said all indications were that he had handled the journey exceptionally well.
“He has settled in fine, my team is really excited how he handled it,” Hayes said.
“They brought him through last year and I have just talked to my vet, who has just flown back, and she thinks he handled it better than he did last year.
“Last year was fine but we are all better for the run.”
Ka Ying Rising travelled with his retired half-brother Ka Ying Glory (NZ) (Turn Me Loose), who will serve as his companion throughout the trip.
“He bowed a tendon a few months ago and retired from racing, so his one job in life now is to eat well and travel with Ka Ying Rising, which isn't bad,” Hayes said.
“Last year Ka Ying Cheer travelled with him and it's really important, mainly from a mental perspective. Their job is to keep him stimulated and eating well. It's hugely important.”
The six-year-old heads into his Everest defence riding a 21-race winning streak, having produced a stunning return in the Gr.3 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup (1200m) at Sha Tin earlier this month, lowering his own track record by almost a second.
Hayes believes Ka Ying Rising, who has won 22 of his 24 starts, has returned a significantly better horse this season.
“I say conservatively he is 10 percent better than last year,” Hayes said.
“It’s always hard to judge, but I would say 10 percent or more.”
Ka Ying Rising won last year's A$20 million The Everest in his first appearance outside Hong Kong and will again race in the slot leased by the Hong Kong Jockey Club from the Australian Turf Club.
The logistics surrounding the valuable sprinter's Australian campaign are significant, with a private Boeing 747 chartered to fly him back to Hong Kong two days after The Everest.
“He's their headline horse and just so valuable, so they are heavily invested in making sure everything goes to plan when he leaves home,” Hayes said.
“A private 747 plane has been chartered to bring him home two days after The Everest to ensure he's back and settled as quickly as possible.
“It's a big exercise with a lot on the line.” - NZ Racing Desk
How's the ruling Everest champ and 2026 favourite Ka Ying Rising looking on the morning after his arrival at Canterbury?! The superstar stepped out on Tuesday for a look around.
Kiwi connection translating to international success
Yuto Kumagai will be a familiar face to many in New Zealand racing from his time riding as an apprentice jockey for Wexford Stables, and now he is living the dream of travelling the world with one of Japan’s top stables.
Kumagai had been working as a track rider for Andrew Forsman before returning to Japan earlier this year to take up a contract as a translator, which ultimately led to his association with leading Japanese trainer Yoshito Yahagi.
“My work visa in New Zealand was finishing at the end of the year, so I was working as a translator in Japan for overseas jockeys,” Kumagai said.
“Another Japanese translator told me if I could, I should come to Saudi (Arabia) for American Stage, who is Forever Young’s stablemate, and it would be a good opportunity. They were looking for a person who could speak English and also ride, so I am doing both – riding and translating.
“I went to Saudi Arabia for the Saudi Cup and American Stage was in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint (Gr.2, 1200m), where he came fourth. They both (Forever Young and American Stage) went to Dubai, so I went to Dubai as well.”
Forever Young has been a leading figure on the world stage in the last few years, including winning the last two editions of the world’s richest horse race, the US$20 million Gr.1 Saudi Cup (1800m).
Kumagai continued his world tour to the United States for the renowned Kentucky Derby (Gr.1, 2000m) before heading to South Korea where American Stage finished runner-up in the Gr.3 Korea Sprint (1200m) earlier this month.
He has since returned to the United States where Yahagi is preparing his Breeders’ Cup team, including Forever Young, who won the Gr.1 Jockey Club Gold Cup (2000m) at Belmont Park last Friday, and is preparing to defend his crown in next month’s Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup Classic (2000m) at Keeneland.
While Kumagai said his connections were pleased with the win, they expect to see plenty of improvement from him as he heads to the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
“He went well but the trainer and staff thought he wasn’t 100 percent,” he said. “He is keeping good condition, but he needs to improve to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic back-to-back.
“We need to stay at Belmont for a month and then we are moving to Keeneland, and he will go straight to the Breeders’ Cup.”
While Forever Young is the stable’s flagbearer, and has his own track rider, Kumagai is excited about the prospects of American Stage and Group One performer Shin Emperor, who he rides in track work.
“We have another horse coming called Shin Emperor, so I am riding him,” Kumagai said. “For the Breeders’ Cup, American Stage is coming, so I will be riding him as well.”
American Stage will be targeting the Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint (1200m), a race he finished fourth in last year.
While enjoying travelling the world, Kumagai looks back fondly on his time in New Zealand, where he got his start in racing.
“When I was 19, I went to Australia and saw horse racing and I decided I wanted to become a jockey,” he said. “I couldn’t get a visa over there, so I went back home to Japan and I saw Taiki (Yanagida) got a licence in New Zealand, and that’s why I went to New Zealand.”
Kumagai linked up with Wexford Stables and rode for three seasons, recording 11 wins, but he said his love for raceday riding waned following the passing of his close friend Taiki Yanagida after a race fall in 2022.
“I used to be an apprentice for Lance O’Sullivan at Wexford Stables,” he said. “After my friend Taiki passed away I was struggling to make weight and keep motivation to ride on raceday, and I stopped riding on raceday in September 2023.
“After that I moved to Cambridge and worked for Andrew Forsman as a trackwork rider (before moving back to Japan to become a translator).”
Kumagai said he continues to pinch himself that he has been granted the opportunity to travel the world and be associated with quality racehorses.
He has been in awe of the world-renowned race meetings he has attended and has been particularly taken by the theatre of the sport in America, something he is looking forward to continuing to experience over the coming weeks.
“Not many people can have this opportunity, and I am honoured to be here with this great horse (Forever Young),” he said. “I never thought I could get this chance, I am just happy as.”
Champion Kiwi apprentice testing Australian waters
Champion New Zealand apprentice jockey Amber Riddell is testing the waters in Australia over the next three months, with hopes of making the move permanent by Christmas.
Formerly based in Palmerston North, where she was apprenticed to Lisa Latta, Riddell had a season to remember last term, winning 80 races, including one at stakes level. Her tally put her at the top of the National apprentice premiership and third in the overall National jockeys’ premiership.
Riddell had set her sights on Australia after competing in the NARS (National Apprentice Race Series) at Eagle Farm in April, and she started to think more seriously about the move after she outrode her claim in New Zealand last month.
“We thought it was the right time to come over after I won the premiership and I had also just lost my claim in New Zealand,” Riddell said.
Riddell’s parents, Group One-winning jockey Jonathan Riddell and former trainer and jockey Trina Marshall, have strong links to Australia, and Riddell has used their network to link up with Sydney-based expat New Zealand trainer Bjorn Baker.
“My family are close with the Bakers, both Mum and Dad worked for Murray Baker (Bjorn’s father),” Riddell said.
While Riddell is currently on loan to Baker, she is hoping to make the transfer permanent.
“The loan period is three months, so that gives me a trial period, and I am hoping to stay on if it all goes well,” she said.
Riddell is aware of the task ahead of her to try and break into the competitive racing jurisdiction during their spring carnival, but she is hoping her three-kilogram claim in the city will assist her, and she is thankful to have the support of a top trainer.
“We are based at Warwick Farm and Bjorn’s horses race everywhere, including country and provincial as well,” Riddell said. “Obviously, it is pretty tough with the Sydney Carnival coming up, but I have already got a couple of rides lined up for this week.
“I have got two trial rides at Rosehill (on Tuesday) and I have got a ride at Warwick Farm on Wednesday on Kirribilli (for Baker).”
While Riddell has only recently arrived in Sydney, she is enjoying her time and can’t wait to settle into what she is hoping becomes her new home.
“I am really enjoying it, the horses are lovely, and it has been really nice,” she said. “Bjorn has got a big team of horses, about 130 in work, and he has some really nice horses.
“It is a big culture shock and I am still learning all the systems for racing here, but I am picking it up pretty fast.” - Joshua Smith LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
Paul Vettise
🎥 Did you see?
We wrap up the 2026 jumps season at the Great NZ Jumps Racing Carnival at Te Aroha.
