Latest news with #KaYingRising
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
John Hawkes: Ka Ying Rising still has a box to tick for The Everest
Hall of Fame trainer John Hawkes has provided his expert endorsement of the sprinting talents of The Everest favourite Ka Ying Rising – but with one qualification. 'Ka Ying Rising looks a really, really good horse but he has got to travel from Hong Kong and settle in here,'' Hawkes said. 'Most probably he will be fine but it is never easy when you are travelling a horse overseas. 'At least he has a very good trainer (Hall of Famer David Hayes) and he's a mature horse now. 'He should be OK and if he gets here without a problem then he is going to be hard beat but you never really know until they do it.'' There's nearly five months to the $20 million The TAB Everest (1200m) at Royal Randwick on October 18 but Ka Ying Rising is the dominant $1.90 TAB Fixed Odds favourite ahead of Newcastle's unbeaten Private Harry at $6 and the Hawkes Racing -trained Briasa at $8. Ka Ying Rising is spelling after a perfect Hong Kong season where he won all his eight starts brilliantly, including four at Group 1 level culminating with his runaway win in the Chairman's Sprint Prize at Sha Tin in late April. The John Size-trained Helios Express, who was placed in seven races behind Ka Ying Rising this season, made the most of his formidable rival's absence with a fast-finishing win in the Group 3 Sha Tin Handicap on Saturday night, running a fast 1m 8.14s. But the very talented Helios Express is being called Hong Kong's version of Hay List, the outstanding sprinter who was unfortunately born in the same era as the unbeatable Black Caviar and often ran second, albeit well beaten, behind the great mare. Ka Ying Rising has not yet been locked in by a slot-holder for The Everest but this seems only a matter of time with Hong Kong Jockey Club in advanced talks with slot-holder Australian Turf Club. The Hawkes-trained Briasa is a confirmed Everest starter after being snapped up by slot-holders Max Whitby, Neil Werrett and Col Madden. Briasa is spelling after winning the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick during The Championships in April before finishing fourth to Jimmysstar in the All Aged Stakes. Hawkes, who trains in partnership with his sons Wayne and Michael, said Briasa and the stable's other autumn Group 1 winners, Nepotism (Champagne Stakes) and Devil Night (Blue Diamond Stakes) will return to light work this month. 'The good thing with Briasa is he's already qualified (slot) for The Everest, so it's great to get that out of the way,'' Hawkes said. 'The Everest is a very tough race, it won't be easy to win, but we are in with a chance. 'We are only planning to give Briasa one or two runs before The Everest. Horses like him won't have too many runs each preparation as that way they can keep racing for longer.'' The Hawkes stable also had success with Liberty State at Rosehill Gardens last Saturday with the smart mare overcoming a wide run to score an impressive first-up win. Liberty State, who helped boost the Hawkes stable's earnings for the 2024-25 season to a personal-best $10.87 million and counting, also earned praise from winning rider, Dylan Gibbons. 'Ideally I would have been happy with three deep, four deep wasn't part of the plan,'' Gibbons said. 'But when you are out there, there isn't much you can do so I was happy to leave her in her rhythm. 'She seemed to love that ground, there was no kickback in her face, and it gave her the chance to explode.'' Gibbons is hoping he can retain the ride on Liberty State as the mare has an unbeaten second-up record. 'Normally, I'm a big believer when horses go so well first-up they can taper off at their second runs back,'' Gibbons said. 'But I told Michael (Hawkes) and her owners I would not be surprised if that hasn't knocked the wind out of her at all. 'She seemed to pull up in good order and came back in like it was nothing. It will be interesting to see what sort of level she can get to now on the basis of that win.''
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Hugh Bowman bullish Helios Express can strike in absence of Ka Ying Rising in Sha Tin Vase
Helios Express (purple and gold silks) finishes close behind Ka Ying Rising and Satono Reve in the Group One Chairman's Sprint Prize. Photos: Kenneth Chan Hugh Bowman has supreme confidence in Helios Express capitalising on the absence of superstar Ka Ying Rising and a light weight when the talented sprinter chases a deserved win in Saturday's Group Three Sha Tin Vase (1,200m). A brilliant winner of last year's Classic Mile and Classic Cup (1,800m), Helios Express has had to settle for five seconds and two thirds behind Ka Ying Rising in his seven starts this season. That streak includes three Group One seconds and a last-start third in the Group One Chairman's Sprint Prize (1,200m) when he rocketed home from last. With Ka Ying Rising sent for a break, the Sha Tin Vase presents a golden opportunity for the John Size-trained Helios Express to break through at Group level. While Bowman conceded the outside draw in the field of 11 was far from ideal, Helios Express' top form and weight of 123lbs has the Australian bullish. HE DOES IT AGAIN! 🚀 Ka Ying Rising makes it 12 straight wins, four Group 1s and a HK$5 million Speed Series bonus with victory in the 2025 Chairman's Sprint Prize... @zpurton #FWDChampionsDay | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) April 27, 2025 'I think he's very well placed,' Bowman said. 'Barrier 11 isn't really what I was after. In saying that, he settles back and the more he settles and finds his feet, the better he runs anyway. 'He's been unreal this season. I thought his last run was his best and on his most recent trial, I think he's in the best form he's been in all season and he's got a very attractive set up, despite the wide draw. I'm sure he'll start a short-priced favourite and deservedly so. I hope he can get it done for us.' Multiple Group One winner Lucky Sweynesse, who carries top weight of 135lbs, and fellow Group One victors Invincible Sage and Victor The Winner are among Helios Express' rivals on Saturday. 'If Invincible Sage gets moisture in the ground like he did last time, he's just a different horse,' said Bowman, who guided the David Hall-trained sprinter to victory in last year's Chairman's Sprint Prize. 'There's some worthy opposition in the race so we won't discard them, but Helios is in good order, he trialled well last week and with Lucky Sweynesse in the race, he gets the weight advantage as well.' Bowman will chase a feature double for Size on Saturday when he rides last-start Group One Champions Mile winner Red Lion in the Group Three Lion Rock Trophy (1,600m). The consistent galloper caused a massive upset when narrowly beating subsequent Triple Crown hero, Voyage Bubble, at $90.8 on Champions Day. However, the elite-level success has thrust him into the role of Lion Rock Trophy top weight. 'That makes it very hard. You're giving good horses a lot of weight,' Bowman said. 'Barrier one will help him – he'll have less work to do in the early stages. But I would think he's probably going to have to run better than he ran last start to win with the weight. That's my honest opinion.' Second in the jockeys' premiership with 64 wins, Bowman will also ride Lucky Man, Straight To Glory, Prestige Hall, Precision Goal, Excel Wongchoy and Size's promising sprinter Crossborderpegasus at Sha Tin. 'Crossborderpegasus is an exciting young horse who's progressing well,' Bowman said of the winner at three of four starts. 'He continues to have a habit of laying in, which hasn't improved and is a little concerning. But if he can start to get his race sense going, he's got points in hand.'
South China Morning Post
26-05-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Voyage Bubble stakes Horse of the Year claim with HK$61 million season
While Voyage Bubble's brilliant surge to a fifth Group One success and a Triple Crown clean sweep rightly demanded much of the attention at Sha Tin on Sunday, the champion galloper also quietly ticked another box on the weekend by becoming just the fourth Hong Kong-trained horse to amass HK$100 million in prize money. More than HK$61 million of his HK$107,472,475 career earnings have come in a superb 2024-25 campaign that has featured four elite-level victories and a HK$10 million Triple Crown bonus for his troubles. It'll go down as one of the better campaigns ever seen from a Hong Kong galloper but amazingly, may not be enough to secure him Horse of the Year honours at the end of the term. While Romantic Warrior has been immense again this season, it does look a race in two between Ka Ying Rising and Voyage Bubble. UNBELIEVABLE! 🤯 31 years since River Verdon won the #TripleCrown for the first time, Hong Kong has a second winner of the series in Voyage Bubble, who makes light work of his Champions & Chater Cup rivals... 🏆🏆🏆@WorldPool | @mcacajamez | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) May 25, 2025 Many still have Ka Ying Rising as the front runner after an undefeated eight-run campaign lined with four Group One successes and multiple track-record-breaking efforts. Those in Voyage Bubble's corner can make a compelling case for Ricky Yiu Poon-fai's galloper, however. He has bagged more prize money than Ka Ying Rising this season, has been far more versatile than the sprinter by winning at the top level over 1,600m, 2000m and 2,400m and he just became Hong Kong's second ever Triple Crown winner, and first in 31 years. Amid the euphoria that followed Voyage Bubble's three-and-a-half-length Group One Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m) demolition job on Sunday, jockey James McDonald briefly cast his thoughts back to Voyage Bubble's agonising defeat at the hands of Red Lion in last month's Group One Champions Mile. HK Racing News Get updates direct to your inbox Sign up Best Bets Racing News By registering you agree to our T&Cs & Privacy Policy Error: Please enter a valid email. The email address is already in use. Please login to subscribe. Error, please try again later. THANK YOU You are one the list. RED LION ROARS! 🦁 It's an 89/1 shocker in the FWD Champions Mile at Sha Tin for @HugeBowman and John Size as Red Lion lands his first Group 1 over Voyage Bubble... #FWDChampionsDay | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) April 27, 2025 After prevailing by a short head, $90 shot Red Lion had to survive a protest from the connections of $1.6 favourite Voyage Bubble before securing the prize. 'I still can't believe he got beat last time, to be fair,' said McDonald on Sunday. If that short-head margin does cost Voyage Bubble Horse of the Year honours, there is little doubt he can count himself just about as unlucky as any galloper who has missed out on the gong. McDonald the main man While Voyage Bubble couldn't quite snare five Group One wins this campaign, McDonald certainly could as he continued his extraordinary fly-in, fly-out feature-race spree in Hong Kong. Thanks to Romantic Warrior's Group One Hong Kong Cup (2,000m) success and Voyage Bubble's four top-line wins, McDonald led the way in 2024-25 by winning five of the 12 elite-level contests of the campaign. Zac Purton was the other jockey to bag multiple Group One wins, saluting three times aboard Ka Ying Rising, while the Australia-based McDonald has now plundered 12 Group One successes in Hong Kong in the past two and a half years. Group Threes look red hot While the Group Ones are behind us for another season, there are still four Group features to come in 2024-25, starting with this Saturday's Group Three Sha Tin Vase (1,200m) and Group Three Lion Rock Trophy (1,600m). Won last season by Ka Ying Rising, this year's Sha Tin Vase is headlined by four-time Group One winner Lucky Sweynesse and the ever-consistent Helios Express. Ka Ying Rising has Group 1 targets next season! 😏 The gifted 3YO secures the G3 Sha Tin Vase in style with @KarisTeetan for David Hayes... #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) June 2, 2024 Rounding out the 11 entries are Lucky With You, Victor The Winner, Patch Of Theta, Magic Control, Invincible Sage, Mugen, Copartner Prance, Beauty Waves and Lady's Choice. The Lion Rock Trophy has also attracted 11 entries and a string of Group One performers, with Red Lion and Beauty Eternal joined by Chancheng Glory, Beauty Joy, Happy Together, Sunlight Power, Divano, Encountered, Johannes Brahms, Ka Ying Generation and Pray For Mir.
Herald Sun
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Herald Sun
2025 The Everest: Sunshine In Paris in, Ka Ying Rising deal nears
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. Sunshine In Paris is almost certain to stay in training and be aimed at the Group 1 $20 million The Everest next spring. And an Everest deal for Hong Kong superstar Ka Ying Rising that will secure his place in the world's richest turf race is also imminent. John Camilleri, owner of Sunshine In Paris, suggested his outstanding rising six-year-old mare will race on next season after her tough win in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 last Saturday. 'Sunshine In Paris is not heavily raced, I think she is up to start 17 so she has no 'miles' in her legs,'' Camilleri said. 'So, we are leaning towards another crack at The Everest and maybe the Melbourne Champions Sprint, a race she won last year.'' • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Sunshine In Paris, trained by Annabel and Rob Archibald, notched the third Group 1 win of her career when she wore down Rothfire to win the Doomben 10,000 in a thrilling finish. Camilleri revealed winning rider James McDonald told him Sunshine In Paris 'hated' the heavy 8 track conditions at Doomben. 'But she still put in,'' the owner said. 'I thought 100m out she's not going to get there but she did which is testimony to how gutsy she is.'' • 'It really felt like a win': Rothfire's second coming thrills connections Sunshine In Paris is nominated for the Group 1 $1 million Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm on May 31 but Camilleri said the mare would be sent to the spelling paddock early this week. Camillieri's Fairway Thoroughbreds holds an Everest slot and Sunshine In Paris will now be aimed at the rich Royal Randwick sprint on October 18. Sunshine In Paris is currently at $26 in early TAB Fixed Odds betting for The Everest behind Ka Ying Rising at $1.90. The only confirmed starters for The Everest – Private Harry (slot-holder Yulong) and Briasa (Max Whitby, Neil Werrett, Col Madden) – are $6 and $8 second and third favourite respectively. Although Everest favourite Ka Ying Rising has not yet secured a slot it is understood an announcement is expected any day. • 'Hell of a fright': J-Mac digs deep to deny local hero in Doomben 10,000 There is speculation the Hong Kong Jockey Club could purchase or lease an Everest slot of its own for a minimum three years and when that deal is signed, Ka Ying Rising will be locked in as a starter. It makes sense for HKJC to become involved as a slot-holder as the club hosts the World Pool which will be betting on The Everest and Ka Ying Rising's presence in the Randwick sprint will generate considerable interest from Hong Kong punters. Racing NSW late last week asked for expressions of interest to buy The Star's Everest slot while Australian Turf Club and TAB are other slot-holders who might consider selling or leasing their slot. • 'Great storyteller, wonderful horseman': Trainer Syd Brown dies aged 99 Ka Ying Rising, trained by expatriate David Hayes, has won 12 races in succession including the Group 1 Chairman's Sprint Prize at Sha Tin last start to improve his official rating to 126, up from 124. This moves Ka Ying Rising alongside another Hong Kong champion, Romantic Warrior, on the official world rankings with the pair behind only Japan's Forever Young on 127. Originally published as 2025 The Everest: Sunshine In Paris to target this year's race as slot deal for Hong Kong's Ka Ying Rising draws closer
South China Morning Post
18-05-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
David Hayes fires in treble to create ‘glimmer of hope' in title race
Apprentice Ellis Wong and trainer David Hayes are all smiles after Solid Shalaa's Sha Tin victory. Photos: Kenneth Chan David Hayes admits a late-season charge at the trainers' title is a long shot, but the champion handler hasn't given up all hope after reducing John Size's lead to six wins with a treble at Sha Tin on Sunday. Hayes reached a half-century of winners for the season after Oriental Smoke, Solid Shalaa and World Hero scored to potentially add some spice to the premiership battle. 'It is a long shot but there is a glimmer of hope,' said Hayes, who won Hong Kong trainers' championships in 1997-98 and 1998-99. 'I've got a lot of young horses that are going to start running that are trialling well, but basically I have to keep going and John has to stop winning. Every time John trains a winner, it's hard, but it's worth giving it a go. 'I'd definitely love to run second and if John doesn't train a winner or two in the next few weeks and I get a couple, it will get interesting. It's a big margin, but you can dream.' World Hero leads throughout and David Hayes has a treble at Sha Tin! 🔥#LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) May 18, 2025 Hayes credited support from owners for his superb campaign, which has been headlined by superstar sprinter Ka Ying Rising's record-equalling eight wins from as many starts. 'I had a very strong team of young horses but they kept leaving my stable. I lost 40 horses in 18 months and that's almost career-destroying,' Hayes said of his stable departures two seasons ago. 'Luckily we've recovered and we're not losing horses now. That's the only difference that I've seen – that owners I have now are staying, not moving, and some of the big ones are coming back.' HK Racing News Get updates direct to your inbox Sign up Best Bets Racing News By registering you agree to our T&Cs & Privacy Policy Error: Please enter a valid email. The email address is already in use. Please login to subscribe. Error, please try again later. THANK YOU You are one the list. Oriental Smoke kick-started Hayes' three-timer with his first victory since March last year when Zac Purton booted him home in the Class Four Members' Care@HKJC Handicap (1,800m). After a perfect trip in the box seat, the seven-year-old cruised to the lead early in the straight and was eased down late by Purton to cling on by a neck from the fast-finishing Double Win. Oriental Smoke scores under Zac Purton. Solid Shalaa handled the rise to Class Three to make it back-to-back victories with a barnstorming display under Ellis Wong Chi-wang in The Members Cup (1,200m) on dirt. Taken back to third last after a slow start, Solid Shalaa saved ground along the inside rail in the straight and gunned down tearaway leader Packing Bole to score by a neck. The five-year-old has made a strong return from multiple leg injuries with a close second and two wins from three starts this term. 'His form all season really has been terrific and he's an elite dirt horse, I think,' Hayes said. Solid Shalaa (outside) chases down Packing Bole to score. 'He loves this track, loves this distance and Wong rides the horse really well. I have to say it was a great ride. 'I like supporting the younger riders and when they get confident, their seven and 10lbs [claim] is a huge help. At the moment, he's confident on my horses and I'm very happy to use him.' Brown-lamped from $21 to $7.2 late in betting, World Hero landed a plunge when making all under Alexis Badel in the Class Four Sha Tin Clubhouse Handicap (1,400m).
