'I’d love to take Ka Ying Rising on and see where we go '

He’s the 7-year-old gelding who just won his first Group 1.

The other guy is the best sprinter in the world who has just won thirteen straight.

But Baraqiel’s managing owner Nathan Bennett wants a crack at the world’s best in this year’s The Everest. And they are serious in their belief they’ll at least go close.

‘’We’re really serious, mate. We think he's a very good sprinter, if not one of the best in Australia. And he deserves a slot,’’ Bennett told Betsy.

But could the 11 start seven-year-old actually beat the Hong Kong star who has amassed more than $10 million in prize money?

‘’Well, you never know, do you?

''Because if you put in Hong Kong form against Victorian form, how do you know? You can only beat what you can beat,’’ Bennett said.

‘’And at the end of the day, I mean, he's done that a fair bit right.

‘’I really think I'd love to take Ka Ying Rising on and see where we go.

‘’He's a bit of a freak, our horse.’’

Bennett is also somewhat realistic of actually getting a start. His gelding doesn’t have the same glitz and glamour of some of the slot holders and their options.

Bennett also managed Southport Tycoon, who he thinks should have got an Everest slot in 2024.

‘’I mean obviously I understand that the studs have got their slots and so do the trainers and all those sort of big players have their colts and now that it's a Group 1 they want to run their colts in it,’’ he said.

‘’But I'd say this gelding would certainly give them a good run for their money.

‘’We are sort of a smaller fish in the pond and we need someone to give us a go.’’

So how could they beat a star like Ka Ying Rising?

‘’He [Baraqiel] can sit on a hot speed, and he can sort of handle the pressure of that. Which he showed on Saturday there was a bit of speed in the race and he handled that well,’’ he said.

‘’You'd be just sitting off the speed and stalking him and then letting him go with that.’’

Bennett was back at work on Monday and spoke to Betsy from his office – not a bad result considering the party on Saturday night which started at one of the better racing pubs, the Ascot Vale Hotel.

;’We ended up at Ben Allen's house at the end,’’ Bennett said.

‘’It was good fun. We had a good little party at the Ascot Vale Hotel and then down at Benny Allen's house after that, which was a long drive to get there, but worthwhile.

‘’We had a bit of fun and had a bit of music pumping and whatnot. it was good fun.’’