David Hayes was delighted to repay the loyalty of his owners last night before addressing some speculation around Ka Ying Rising and his decision to avoid Royal Ascot.
Fresh off Ka Ying Rising’s dominant Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint win, Hayes was immediately back in the winner’s enclosure thanks to Star Brose in the opening race at Happy Valley, a Class 5 over 2,200 meters.
The four-year-old, who was without a win from 11 starts in Hong Kong, relished the 2,200m distance at the city track to mow down his rivals late in the piece under Hugh Bowman.
“It was a 10-out-of-10 Hugh Bowman ride,” Hayes said. “He followed Zac and got him on the line. I think I might go back to Sha Tin with him over 1,800m or 2,000m.”
Hayes was excited to deliver owner Peter Young Wai-po a win he said was relatively overdue.
“The stable is very excited because Mr Young has been such a huge supporter of the stable and we’ve had no success for him,” Hayes added. “Hopefully that’s the start of many wins.”
One of Young’s recent horses with Hayes was the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner in Australia, Little Brose, who was forced into retirement due to injury.
Hayes also took a moment at Happy Valley to clear up some talk surrounding Ka Ying Rising after the trainer said they wouldn’t take up an invitation to Royal Ascot in June.
“I would dearly love to go to Royal Ascot, but I’m prioritising The Everest because I want to give the champion a rest after his race in April,” Hayes said. “I’m hoping to have him racing consistently for a couple of years.
“It’s not about the money, it’s just the best path for him. Why would I change what I did last year?”
