Anything but easy

Michael Cox

Relief was written all over Ka Ying Rising's trainer David Hayes' face and Romantic Warrior's trainer Danny Shum Chap-shing apologized to the press for "hiding" this week after their horses won as the equal-shortest priced favorites in Longines Hong Kong International Races history yesterday.

Ka Ying Rising had never contested a Group 1, let alone won at top level, but his imperious last start victory had him start at odds of 1.1 in the Hong Kong Sprint and Romantic Warrior later started at the same price in search of a third straight Hong Kong Cup.

The results may have been expected, on paper, but as Hayes told the press afterwards: "A 1.1 chance is not much fun to saddle-up, I can tell you, it looks easy but it's not."

The anticipation had built around Ka Ying Rising to the point that a dominant win was the only expected outcome, but from barrier 11 of 14 over the high pressure 1,200-meter course against seasoned rivals meant the race had the capacity to get ugly for the favorite.

The 1,200m start features a short run to the first turn and jockey Zac Purton sought to stay out of trouble and found a spot outside leader California Spangle. Just when he wanted his horse to settle, he was soon pushed from his outside by another Group 1 winner, Victor The Winner. Despite the pressure, Ka Ying Rising responded with a strong sprint and held a resolute half-length margin on the line.

"The last three races, where he has absolutely dominated, something everybody has overlooked is that he has had the run of the race," Hayes said. "Today he didn't have it, and that was why he wasn't as impressive to the eye."

The media attention around Ka Ying Rising may have taken the pressure off Shum but he was still feeling it, avoiding interviews when he could in favor of spending time with his champion.

"I stayed in the stable the whole time," Shum said of the buildup to Hong Kong's richest race. "My old boss Ivan Allan told me to work hard and it brings me luck, so I keep it in my mind, I work really hard."

The recently-crowned Longines World's Best Jockey James McDonald rode a perfect race from barrier one on Romantic Warrior, taking a chance to get off the fence into an ideal position in the middle-stages and then timing his run to perfection.

"Anybody could ride him, he is that easy, but I am the lucky one," a humble McDonald said post-race. "He is the horse of a lifetime."

Connections of both horses are now considering overseas targets: Romantic Warrior is set to embark on an ambitious campaign in the Middle East that could include a switch to a dirt surface and a start in the world's richest race, the Saudi Cup, worth US$20 million (around HK$156 million), on February 22 along with a multi-run preparation based in Dubai.

Ka Ying Rising will stick closer to home, for now. Hayes said his sprinter's next start will be in the G1 Centenary Sprint Cup at Sha Tin on January 19 before he considers a run in the Hong Kong Classic Mile at the Chinese New Year meeting on January 31. Beyond that, Hayes is eyeing the world's richest turf race in his homeland of Australia. Ka Ying Rising is set to contest The Everest in Sydney in October next year, a race worth A$20 million (around HK$99 million). "I think he is the current favorite," Hayes said of The Everest. "He probably should be, and I can't wait to bring a really good horse home."

michael.cox@singtaonewscorp.com