Aiming to crown an unblemished season with victory in the HK$22 million Gr1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize at Sha Tin on 27 April, Ka Ying Rising produced an almost flawless barrier trial on Thursday, delighting trainer David Hayes and jockey Zac Purton.
Ka Ying Rising leads home My Wish at Sha Tin on Thursday (Pic – HKJC)
Jumping away moderately on Sha Tin’s dirt track, Ka Ying Rising quickly built momentum to lead from the 1000m and eventually won the hit-out by three and a half lengths from HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile winner My Wish in 1m 10.49s. Swift Ascend was third ahead of John Size’s FWD Champions Day aspirants Helios Express (4th) and Beauty Eternal (7th).
“Ka Ying Rising jumped, by his standards, a fraction slow and then he gathered incredibly quickly. You would call it a perfect trial, his recovery is excellent and hopefully he’s going to finish the season undefeated,” Hayes said.
With seven wins this campaign, including three victories at Gr1 level – LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint, HK$13 million Centenary Sprint Cup and HK$13 million Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup – Ka Ying Rising will attempt to match Lucky Sweynesse and Beauty Generation’s record of slotting eight wins in a Hong Kong season on Sunday.
Purton said: “Ka Ying Rising has trialled well, as he always does. He pulled up nicely, so we’re ready for next week.”
Ka Ying Rising will face last year’s Chairman’s Sprint Prize victor Invincible Sage, Lucky Sweynesse, Victor The Winner, Helios Express as well as Japan’s Satono Reve, Lugal, Danon McKinley and A Shin Fencer, among others, next week.
Purton will also partner Galaxy Patch in the HK$24 million Gr1 FWD Champions Mile after the gelding trialled impressively in batch two at Sha Tin this morning, finishing powerfully while sporting cheek pieces.
Near the tail of the field on the home turn, Galaxy Patch closed the 1200m trial only a length behind Yuen Long Elite, who clocked 1m 10.74s, with Red Lion (FWD Champions Mile) in fourth place and Ensued (Gr1 FWD QEII Cup) seventh.
“Galaxy Patch was nice and relaxed and cruised around. What I liked the most was compared to last time I trialled him, when the gap was there and he came through, he was more determined in the cheek pieces,” Purton said.
“I’d like to go with the cheek pieces, I just have to let trainer Pierre Ng decide whether they want to. It’s going to be a strong race – probably the strongest race we’ve had in a while, so he’s going to need to get everything right and be at his best.”
My Wish graduates to Group 1 level for the first time in the FWD Champions Mile (Pic – HKJC)
BMW Hong Kong Derby runner-up My Wish will be among Galaxy Patch’s opposition in the FWD Champions Mile along with a cast of high-class contenders including Voyage Bubble, Mr Brightside, Royal Patronage, Gaia Force, Beauty Eternal, Gaia Force and Goemon.
Trainer Mark Newnham was pleased with My Wish’s work.
“I’m really happy. It was a smooth trial. He jumped well, settled nice, quickened well and ran through the line strongly – so, all the things we wanted to see. He looks like he’s held his form,” Newnham said.
Ricky Yiu’s FWD Champions Mile entrants Straight Arron and Sunlight Power trialled this morning over 1200m at Conghua, finishing second and third, respectively, in a batch won by Righteous Arion in 1m 11.86s.
Several visiting FWD Champions Day contenders took to Sha Tin’s dirt this morning, including Liberty Island, Prognosis and Calif, who will clash in the HK$28 million FWD QEII Cup, Gaia Force and Mr Brightside (FWD Champions Mile) and Japan’s Chairman’s Sprint Prize entrants Lugal, Danon McKinley and A Shin Fencer.
Sha Tin’s 10-race fixture on Sunday (20 April), starting with the Class 5 Luk Wu Handicap at 06h45.
