Ka Ying Rising begins Everest campaign

Ka Ying Rising will take the first step towards The Everest when he resumes at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Hong Kong’s reigning Horse of the Year, and the world’s highest-rated sprinter, Ka Ying Rising is chasing a 13th consecutive win in the HK$3.72 million [$730,000AUD] Class 1 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup Handicap (1200m).

He is also aiming to become the first horse to win the season-opening feature twice. Trainer David Hayes has set the $20 million Everest (1200m) at Randwick on October 18 as the ultimate spring target.

Champion jockey Zac Purton is confident the six-year-old has returned even better.

“He’s a bit stronger, a bit bigger, a bit more mature,” Purton said. “He doesn’t need to improve, but if he does, that puts him in a pretty elite category.”

Drawn barrier four, Ka Ying Rising also holds the Sha Tin 1200m record of 1:07.20 in the G1 Centenary Sprint Cup in January.

Purton expects Sunday’s pace to be fierce.

“There are seven established leaders in the race, so it won’t be stop-start,” he said. “If they go forward outside me it will inject speed, and then it’s just about breezing home. He’s shown off speed in his trials — they’ll have to go quick to beat him to the corner.”

Among the opposition, Lucky Sweynesse resumes en route to a possible G1 Sprinters Stakes (1200m) in Japan later this month. Jockey Derek Leung said the gelding would improve with the run.