Photo: Hong Kong Jockey Club
New Zealand-bred sprinting sensation Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) continued his dominance on Sunday when defending his crown in the Gr.2 BOCHK Private Banking Jockey Club Sprint (1200m) at Sha Tin.
Fresh off returning back to Hong Kong following his heroics in last month’s A$20 million The Everest (1200m) at Randwick, he wowed his local fans once again when running out an effortless 2-3/4 length victor and extended his unbeaten streak to 15.
Jockey Zac Purton was pleased with his charge’s effort and said it was another confidence-boosting victory heading into next month’s Gr.1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m).
“He just looks better all the time. He’s mentally getting better. It’s hard to say that he’s improving or that he’s going to get better, but he’s certainly enjoying what he’s doing and handling it really well,” Purton said.
“It was good to see him win like that today without having to go to the bottom of him, so it’s a nice confidence-boosting win as he comes back. I’ve never seen him look so good. We were hoping he was going to do that, and it’s good for him to back up what we were thinking.
“Mid-race, Beauty Waves was probably just half a step too slow, I know we’ve run nearly a track record time, but he (Ka Ying Rising) was on his tippy toes behind him wanting to go quicker. That’s the beauty with this horse, the faster they go, the better he is.
“I got to the stage where I had to let him roll into it because otherwise it was going to be detrimental to him.”
Trainer David Hayes continues to be amazed by Ka Ying Rising and said Sunday’s effort was one of the best he has seen from the son of Shamexpress.
“To the eye, I thought it was probably one of his best wins,” he said. “That was as easy as I've seen him do it – maybe in this race last year, but I thought it was probably better than this one last year when he (Purton) did the kiss cam.
“Zac agreed with me. He thought he gave him probably the best feel in the last 15 (races), so that's a great sign. He just showed us that he’s right on song. He raced at the heaviest Hong Kong weight (525kg) he’s ever been today, which suggests he’s getting bigger, stronger, better.
“It’s just a dream come true to have a horse like this, and I really want to thank my team that travelled him overseas and didn't miss a beat with him and brought him back in better condition than he left.
“He’ll be set for The Everest now again and, of course, we’ve got the big international race in three weeks which is his short-term grand final, so it’s all very exciting.”
Bred by Marton trainer Fraser Auret, and his wife Erin, under their Grandmoral Lodge banner, Ka Ying Rising was initially trained by the well-respected horseman for whom he won a jumpout at Levin.
Following that performance, he was purchased by Linday Park and won a trial in Australia before joining David Hayes’ Hong Kong barn where he has won 16 of his 18 starts, including five at elite-level.
