Hong Kong Champion Ka Ying Rising Falls Short in Everest Defense, Ending 21-Race Winning Streak
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong champion Ka Ying Rising failed to defend its Everest title at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Saturday, October 17, as its remarkable 21-race winning streak came to an end. Starting from the unfavorable barrier 11, the horse was forced to race wide throughout and finished a short head behind the winner, Exhilarating. Trainer David Hayes attributed the defeat directly to the poor draw, stating the horse had no cover in the straight and was caught wide throughout.
Key Points
- Ka Ying Rising (129 lb) finished a short head behind Exhilarating (125 lb) in the A$20 million (approximately HK$108.9 million) Everest over 1200 meters at Randwick
- The horse started from barrier 11 under jockey Vincent Ho and was forced to race wide in sixth place, never finding cover throughout the race
- Despite the disadvantage, Ka Ying Rising produced a strong late surge in the final stretch but narrowly failed to catch Exhilarating, who had broken clear from barrier 1
- Exhilarating, trained by Annabel Neasham and ridden by Zac Lloyd, reversed last year's result when it finished second to Ka Ying Rising
- Ka Ying Rising earned A$2.9 million (approximately HK$15.8 million) for second place, bringing its career earnings to HK$167.17 million, ranking second all-time among Hong Kong horses
Why It Matters
The result marks the first defeat for Ka Ying Rising since January 2024, ending one of the most remarkable winning streaks in international horse racing. Hayes has already mapped out the horse's return to Hong Kong, targeting the Group 2 BOCHK Private Banking Jockey Club Sprint (1200m, HK$5.35 million) on November 22 and the Group 1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m, HK$28 million) on December 13 as the season unfolds .
The result marks the first defeat for Ka Ying Rising since January 2024, ending one of the most remarkable winning streaks in international horse racing. Hayes has already mapped out the horse's return to Hong Kong, targeting the Group 2 BOCHK Private Banking Jockey Club Sprint (1200m, HK$5.35 million) on November 22 and the Group 1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m, HK$28 million) on December 13 as the season unfolds .