Hall of Fame trainer David Hayes is more concerned about the weather conditions than the wide barrier assigned to Hong Kong’s star galloper Ka Ying Rising for his defence of the Group 1 $20 million TAB Everest (1200m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Ka Ying Rising will start from barrier 11 in the world’s richest turf race, while main competitor Tempted has drawn the inside gate. However, Hayes believes his champion sprinter possesses sufficient natural speed to overcome the disadvantage of his wide draw.
The trainer is powerless to influence the weather, which brought heavy rain to Sydney during the barrier draw ceremony held at Luna Park.
“If the track was rated a 5,6 or 7 I can tolerate that,” Hayes stated. “A heavy 9 I would start to worry, if it got to (heavy) 9 I would s..t myself. I wouldn’t know what is going to happen.”
Despite the wide barrier, Ka Ying Rising remains the firm $1.40 favourite with TAB Fixed Odds for The Everest, though Tempted saw its odds shorten slightly from $5 to $4.50. Jimmysstar is next in the market at $15 from barrier 8.
Other runners with favourable draws include Ninja (barrier 3), Joliestar (5), and Headwall (6). The speedy Blue Door will jump from gate 9.
The field boasts eight individual Group 1 winners, including two previous Everest victors: Ka Ying Rising (2025) and Giga Kick (2022). Angel Capital (barrier 2) is the sole entire in the race, which also features six geldings, four mares, and the three-year-old filly Blue Door.
TAB Fixed Odds representative Tim Ryan commented that Ka Ying Rising is the “most wagered-on horse in Everest futures betting history.”
“We are holding nearly $2.5 million on him,” Ryan revealed. “That’s $2 million in multis and $500,000 straight out. He bottomed out at $1.30 but I’m comfortable having him at $1.40 with Tempted the firmer. What odds Ka Ying Rising starts out will depend on the track conditions on Saturday.”
Ka Ying Rising is aiming to emulate Redzel’s achievement by becoming the only other dual winner of The Everest, having won in 2017-18.
Hayes acknowledged that Tempted presents as the primary threat once more, but he highlighted that Ka Ying Rising is a superior sprinter now compared to his performance 12 months prior.
“I can’t fault his preparation,” Hayes commented. “He’s fitter now than he was this time last year and his work has been very good. The unknown is a heavy track but if we get a soft 5,6 or 7 then we won’t be using the track as an excuse.”
For those looking to back Ka Ying Rising in the big race, consider exploring the available Australian betting sites.