A “bigger, stronger” Ka Ying Rising is all set to kick off the season in Sunday’s Group Three HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup (1,200m) as David Hayes plots a familiar path for his superstar.
Hayes’s nine-time Group One winner is currently taking on an identical preparation to last campaign, where he extended his winning-streak to an unprecedented 20 victories and won the AUD$20 million Group One Everest, and has made significant physical improvement since then according to Hayes.
Following an injury cloud after bruising his hoof in the stable after last Sunday’s impressive winning trial at Sha Tin, the world’s best sprinter is reported in perfect condition as he returns for the first time since defending his Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m) title in April.
“He kicked the wall sometime after the trial, or the concrete feed bin. It was probably on Monday morning and by Monday eve, Tuesday for sure, he was back to normal. So he didn’t miss any work because he was down to swim,” Hayes said.
“Because he’s heading to Australia [for The Everest], he had to get all the scans and pass all the tests – so he got X-rayed, [CT] scanned, and Doppler scanned, and he passed all three. Then, on Thursday, I gave him his gallop as scheduled and he looked fantastic.”
