Heart rate rising

Michael Cox

Ka Ying Rising's dominant victory yesterday, his 10th straight, may have looked like a foregone conclusion pre-race but his trainer David Hayes was feeling the pressure of expectation.

On the outside the veteran trainer usually looks unflappable and upbeat but he was feeling nervous enough midway through the Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup that he looked down at his smartwatch to check his heart rate.

"I did a little bit of self-monitoring, normally I am about 68 before a race, with 200 meters to go in the race it was 98 and I felt 98," Hayes said at the post-race press conference after Ka Ying Rising won by 1 1/2 lengths as 1.2 favorite.

"I was seriously just a bit uptight, I don't know why," Hayes said. "When you have a horse at those odds beaten it's not like losing with a four-to-one favorite. It's stressful.

"I haven't had one get beaten yet, but I would feel terrible if it happened. The expectations bring a little bit of pressure."

With "super sub" jockey Karis Teetan standing in for the injured Zac Purton, Ka Ying Rising was stepping up to 1,400 meters for the first time. Ka Ying Rising had drawn barrier nine of nine runners but Hayes said the wide gate at least meant that his horse would not be boxed in, taking one possible disastrous scenario out of the equation.

As expected, Teetan allowed Ka Ying Rising to stride forward in the field and sat outside leader California Spangle and although there was a stretch where it seemed as if the fastest horse in Hong Kong might over-race, he soon found a comfortable enough rhythm.

Ka Ying Rising had saved just enough energy in the run to surge to hold off a quartet of John Size-trained runners - Helios Express, Howdeepisyourlove, Beauty Eternal and Red Lion - that finished second through fifth.

Hayes has two options for the remainder of the season for Ka Ying Rising, either heading to the Group 1 Chairman's Sprint Prize on April 26 or having one more run before that in the Group 2 Sprint Cup on March 30.

"We will just get him home and see how he took this run and make a decision, if he pulls up well he will run in the Group 2," said Hayes, who has utilized the Jockey Club's spacious mainland training center at Conghua to allow Ka Ying Rising to recharge his batteries between runs throughout his career.

Beyond this season, Hayes is eyeing the world's richest turf race, The Everest, worth A$20 million (HK$98.7m) in Sydney with Ka Ying Rising.

Hayes said Jockey Club officials should consider a re-jig of the early season program to provide a better stepping stone for Hong Kong horses to prepare for the race on October 18.

"I'd love the Club to consider it at least," Hayes told The Standard. "It would be great for Ka Ying [Rising], of course, but going forward it would be good too as more Hong Kong horses target The Everest.

"The Everest is here to stay, it's a World Pool race and Hong Kong horses are going to be in it for years to come."

Hayes would like to give his horse a run here before heading to Australia but the only race available in September is the Chief Executive's Cup at the first meeting of the season, a Class 1 race in which Ka Ying Rising would have to carry top weight of 135 pounds, based on his current rating. "It would be a bit ground-breaking, but things change, don't they?" Hayes said of the race scheduling idea. "I just think you need somewhere in September to run a good horse that isn't a gut-buster."

michael.cox@singtaonewscorp.com