David Hayes is pleased with Ka Ying Rising as the superstar begins preparations for the opening day of the 2026/27 season before returning to Sydney, Australia to defend his crown in the Group 1 The Everest.
Hayes said: “He’s in great shape. He’s doing strong canters at the moment. He’ll start doing three-quarter pace at the end of the week and gradually build up to The Everest. It’ll be copy and paste – he’ll run at Sha Tin and then in Australia.
“He’ll have two trials before Sha Tin – the turf trial and then the one dirt trial. He’s had a nice spell in the paddocks and he’s putting on weight – he’s the heaviest he’s ever been, he’s out to 1,170 pounds. I think it’s a positive not a negative.”
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Ka Ying Rising returned on the opening day of the Hong Kong season at Sha Tin on 7 September, when carrying a big weight to an impressive success in the Class 1 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup, before heading to Australia to contest The Everest the following month.
After winning the AU$20 million contest at Randwick, Ka Ying Rising has gone on to reel off six straight wins at Sha Tin this campaign, including four Group 1s, extending his unbeaten streak to 20 races.
In March this year, David Hayes’ five-year-old was rated at the top of Longines World’s Best Racehorse rankings for the first time.
Hong Kong racing continues with an 11-race card from Sha Tin on Wednesday 1 July.
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Michael Davey 
Simon Wilkes