After starting brilliantly from barrier four in steady rain, Hong Kong’s reigning Horse of the Year settled second behind Bottomuptogether, who surged from the 800m to the 400m in 21.33s to string out the field, ultimately playing into Purton’s hands.
“It went fairly smoothly. If I could have had that run pre-race, I would have taken it,” Purton said.
“We got into a nice spot and Beauty Waves on my inside got fired up a little bit and got keen and Alexis (Badel) was looking to edge out, so I just felt my horse back on the bit and travelling, thinking about it.
“But then Bottomsuptogether went and it had my bloke having to chase him midrace, which was not what I wanted. I wanted to have him travelling within himself but what it did – because he’d used a bit more energy midrace – he actually changed his leg for the first time in a long time when he came into the straight. Hopefully it’s taught him something.
“When he did that, I thought ‘game over’ and away he went.”
After equalling the weight-carrying record he set last season in the same race, Ka Ying Rising is the first horse to win the HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup twice.
“We’ve been saying privately that we think he’s better than last year and I think that showed – the time he ran, the way he did it, the weight he carried. He’s bigger and stronger and probably better,” Hayes said.
“He’s always physically been a backward-looking horse and now I think he looks like a complete sprinter. So, yeah, he’s the best I’ve had.
“The worry with this ‘prep’ was running with 135 (lb) at the start, but I didn’t want to go six months between runs, first-up in an Everest. Now I know we’ve got him there, we just maintain him and he holds form for a long time this horse. That’s why he’s a champion.
“He’s a pretty good traveller and I’m very confident travellng him.”
Later in the evening former NZ trainer Jamie Richards started the Hong Kong racing season in perfect style with two wins, giving him important momentum heading into the spring.
– LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
