Ka Ying Rising is back in the spotlight this weekend, with the New Zealand-raised sprint star chasing a 20th straight win in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize at Sha Tin. The race is set for 6. 25pm NZ time on Sunday, and the attention again falls on the horse’s extraordinary rise after being sold early in his career.
Ka Ying Rising heads to Sha Tin with the pressure on
Ka Ying Rising, described as the world’s fastest horse, goes into the Chairman’s Sprint Prize at Hong Kong’s Sha Tin racetrack as the clear story of the day. The horse has won his past 19 races, a run that includes the A$20 million Everest in Sydney, and has already earned HK$140m, with the possibility of doubling that before retirement.
The weekend race card also places Ka Ying Rising in a busy international setting, with other major meetings at Te Rapa, Riccarton, Morphettville, Invercargill and Sha Tin. But the focus in Hong Kong remains fixed on the same question that follows him every time he runs: how much more can he do?
What Fraser Auret says about selling ka ying rising
Fraser Auret, the Central Districts trainer who bred, owned and educated Ka Ying Rising, sold the horse for a reported $300, 000 after his first and only jumpout in New Zealand. That sale now sits at the center of the story surrounding ka ying rising, especially as the horse continues to deliver at the highest level.
Auret said people ask him the same thing again and again. “People ask me all the time, ” he said. “But anybody who knows the racing game and what it is like being a smaller-time stable, owner and breeder knows the answer. ” He added: “So I tell people the truth: ‘This is what we do, and if you want to be known as a real seller, your best horses have to be on the market too. ”
His comments underline a hard truth in New Zealand racing, where an owner or trainer can sometimes make more money selling a horse after one trial or race than through years of work. For many involved in the sport, the first sale can be the one that changes everything, even if the result later looks painful in hindsight.
The wider racing backdrop around ka ying rising
Ka ying rising has become a horse that carries its own headlines, but Auret’s background shows the scale of the contrast. He has trained an Auckland Cup winner and now turns his attention to Khanshe at Te Rapa, where she is regarded as a strong chance in the $150, 000 Travis Stakes.
The immediate question is whether ka ying rising can take that next step and keep the streak alive in Hong Kong. If he does, the discussion around the horse will only grow louder, and the story of the sale will remain part of the conversation long after the Chairman’s Sprint Prize is over.
