And so, after months of building anticipation and growing excitement, the day of destiny has arrived for KA YING RISING as the world’s top-rated sprinter prepares to contest the G1 The Everest at Royal Randwick in Sydney today (Saturday, 18 October).
Hong Kong, China has been extremely successful on the world stage over the past two seasons with the amazing feats of our global champion ROMANTIC WARRIOR with Group 1 success in Australia, Japan and the United Arab Emirates as well as CALIFORNIA SPANGLE, also in Dubai.
These are truly outstanding accomplishments, but the difficulty of winning abroad can never be underestimated because only horses of the rarest calibre – and the best disposition – are capable of coping with travel, quarantine and a change of environment and then thriving sufficiently to be competitive against the best local horses.
It requires incredible skill from the trainer – an art mastered by Ivan Allan, who mentored ROMANTIC WARRIOR’S trainer Danny Shum – and which is now being attempted again by David Hayes, who successfully campaigned BETTER LOOSEN UP from Australia in 1990 to win the G1 Japan Cup (2400m).
KA YING RISING has proved almost unbeatable at Sha Tin with 14 wins from 16 starts, four Group 1 victories and twice breaking the 1200m course record and is equal sixth with ROMANTIC WARRIOR in the LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings with a mark of 126 – nine points higher than BRIASA – but competing abroad is a completely new challenge.
KA YING RISING will need to be at his best today when he faces the cream of Australia’s sprinters and I wish David, Zac Purton, the Ka Ying Syndicate and Mr Leung Shek-kong the very best of luck.
The G1 Everest is carded as S1-2 and will be run over 1200m at 1.15pm.
The pace will be good with MAZU (Jason Collett) and OVERPASS (Josh Parr) vying for the lead. KA YING RISING (Zac Purton) should settle just off the speed from JOLIESTAR (James McDonald) and LADY SHENANDOAH (Damian Lane). BRIASA (Tyler Schiller) is likely to settle midfield with ANGEL CAPITAL (Ben Melham) being near the tail of the field.
KA YING RISING has won his last 13 races in a row and is capable of running incredible sectionals and, provided he handles the pre-race parade in front of a capacity crowd in an unfamiliar setting at Royal Randwick, he is my win and place selection.
BRIASA has six wins from seven starts over 1200m and is regarded as a rising star of the always strong Australian sprinting ranks. He is a strong finisher and will be hard to hold out as a place chance.
Chris Waller has three horses in the race and JOLIESTAR and LADY SHENANDOAH are regarded as strong place chances, while ANGEL CAPITAL is also capable of contending.
WAR MACHINE (Tim Clark) is trained by David Hayes’ sons, Ben, Will & JD Hayes, and has been racing in tremendous form and is also a place chance along with JIMMYSSTAR (Ethan Brown).
An hour after The Everest is run, our attention switches to Melbourne for the running of the G1 Caulfield Cup, which is carded as S2-1 and is run over 2400m at 2.15pm.
The pace will be good with BANKERS CHOICE (Billy Egan) and PLYMOUTH (Celine Gaudray) likely to push forward in the run to the first turn.
HALF YOURS (Jamie Melham) is an emerging young stayer and caught the eye in the G1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) with a strong finish. HALF YOURS is proven at the distance and is drawn to get a perfect run from gate two and is a win and place chance.
MEYDAAN (Andrea Atzeni) has form around GIAVELLOTTO, who ran fourth in this season’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (2400m) and will be suited on the expected good ground. He is the hardest for HALF YOURS to beat and is also a win and place chance. I wish Andrea all the best.
In a race of many hopes, ROYAL SUPREMACY (Robbie Dolan), VAUBAN (Blake Shinn), PRESAGE NOCTURNE (Stephane Pasquier), MIDDLE EARTH (Mark Zahra), ABSURDE (Ben Allen), LAND LEGEND (Jamie Mott), ZARDOZI (Harry Coffey), DEAKIN (Daniel Stackhouse), REVELARE (Luke Currie), BIRDMAN (Teo Nugent), VALIANT KING (Jye McNeil) and Japan’s GOLDEN SNAP (Suguru Hamanaka) are chances.
Our World Pool focus turns to Ascot on Saturday night for British Champions Day – one of the highlights of the British racing season – with the first of six races to be simulcast will be run at 8.30pm.
The G1 British Champion Sprint Stakes (1200m) is carded as S3-2 at 9.05pm and the expected fast conditions should suit LAZZAT (James Doyle), who led throughout to win the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (1200m) at Royal Ascot in June and is a win and place to return to his best form after a last-start fifth at Haydock.
BIG MOJO (Tom Marquand) was too good for LAZZAT in the G1 Sprint Cup Stakes (1200m) last start and again shapes as one of the leading chances along with MONTASSIB (Cieren Fallon), KIND OF BLUE (Daniel Muscutt) and FLORA OF BERMUDA (Oisin Murphy).
The G1 British Champion Fillies and Mares Stakes (2392m) is carded as S3-3 and run at 9.45pm.
KALPANA (Colin Keane) has been racing consistently against the males without winning and shapes as a win and place chance against fillies and mares here after finishing seventh in the G1 Prix del’Arc de Triomphe on very soft ground.
ESTRANGE (Daniel Tudhope) is a place chance after returning from an injury setback along with WAARDAH (Callum Rodriguez), QUISISANA (Mickael Barzalona), WEMIGHTAKEDTHELONGWAY (Dylan Browne McMonagle) and BEDTIME STORY (Christophe Soumillon).
The G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (1600m) is carded as S3-4 and is run at 10.25pm.
FIELD OF GOLD (Colin Keane) returns after an injury break, having already won the Irish 2000 Guineas and the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot this year. He was lame following his last-start defeat and is a win and place chance here.
In a very open race, ROSALLION (Sean Levey), FALLEN ANGEL (James Doyle), NEVER SO BRAVE (Oisin Murphy), THE LION IN WINTER (Christophe Soumillon), DOCKLANDS (Tom Marquand) and FACTEUR CHEVAL (Mickael Barzalona) all have strong chances.
The G1 Champion Stakes (1993m) is carded as S3-5 and run at 11.05pm.
OMBUDSMAN (William Buick) won the Prince of Wales’s Stakes over course and distance in June and is extremely consistent. He is a win and place chance as he clashes once more with DELACROIX (Christophe Soumillon), who beat him in the Eclipse Stakes.
A repeat of the Eclipse Stakes performance would make DELACROIX extremely hard to beat and he is also a win and place chance, while France’s CALANDAGAN (Mickael Barzalona) is also a serious contender.
ALMAQAM (Kieran Shoemark), ALMERIC (Oisin Murphy), ECONOMICS (Tom Marquand), FIRST LOOK (James Doyle) and FOX LEGACY (PJ McDonald) are all place hopes.
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