Ka Ying Rising makes statement ahead of Everest defence
The world’s premier sprinter Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress) has turned in possibly his greatest performance to date when he smashed the Sha Tin 1200-metre course record on Sunday by almost a full second to record his 21st consecutive victory.
Ka Ying Rising easily beat his own track record when he ran a head-shaking 1.06.11s to destroy his previous mark of 1.07.12s in the Group 3 Chief Executive’s Cup.
Jockey Zac Purton gave an ominous warning to those with hopes of beating Ka Ying Rising in The Everest in six weeks.
“He’s got improvement, there’s no doubt about that so that’s why I gave him a bit of a push to give him that blow,” Purton said.
“We’ve got to try to bring him on for The Everest, but he handled himself really well and he changed his leg, that’s what I liked.”
Ka Ying Rising had been under some veterinary scrutiny in the lead-up to the race after sustaining minor bruising to a hoof.
The David Hayes-trained superstar is expected to go immediately into quarantine after the race on Sunday night to prepare for his trip to Australia to defend his Everest title. As per last year, he is likely to trial at Randwick about 10 days out from the $20 million race.
As well as being the world’s current fastest horse, Ka Ying Rising also currently co-holds the title of leading racehorse in the world at a rating of 131 alongside Royal Ascot’s Group 1 Prince Of Wales Stakes winner Ombudsman.
