Ka Ying Rising – horse of a lifetime
Trainer David Hayes says Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}), who runs in Sunday’s G1 Hong Kong Sprint, has shown him more in 10 starts than any other he’s trained. “After 10 starts, no horse has shown me more than this guy,” Hayes told racenet.com.au.
Ka Ying Rising (NZ) | Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
“We are talking this big about the horse when he hasn't even started in a Group 1 race yet, the expectations on him are incredible. He will probably start $1.20 on Sunday. There's all these big wraps, but I just want to knock off the Group 1 with him first. He's going to get those comparisons with all the good horses from up here because he broke the track record under a hold last start. There's been a lot of good Group 1 sprinters up here, so it's no mean feat.”
Victorian Jockeys Association want resolution
Victorian Jockeys' Association boss Matt Hyland wants to broker a resolution to the jump out issue with the Australian Trainers' Association. “Where to from here? Who knows,” Hyland told racing.com on Monday morning.
“The group (of jockeys) is as serious about it now as they were last week. It's going to require the ATA and VJA to sit around a table. We've got a willingness to do that and discuss what the payment structure looks like. There's no point arguing about whether there should be a payment. That ship has sailed for us.”
Women jockeys to create history in Hong Kong
Jockeys Rachel King and Hollie Doyle will ride in the upcoming International Jockeys Championship in Hong Kong and if they win, they’ll be the first woman rider to do so. Doyle has ridden in five IJC events, winning a leg in 2020. “It's an honour to be selected,” Doyle told racenet.com.au.
Hollie Doyle | Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
“The HKJC (Hong Kong Jockey Club) pick jockeys from the best around the world that they know will be competitive and serious in their attempt to win the trophy. It creates quite an intense atmosphere. We all get on great. We know each other from travelling the world, but everyone is there for only one thing, and that is to win. It is the atmosphere it should be when you are riding at that level, competing for that amount of money. It's intense, and that's how I like it really.”
Ricky Yiu’s trio for Hong Kong international meeting
Trainer Ricky Yiu believes all of his three runners at Sunday’s Hong Kong international meeting will go close. He runs Voyage Bubble (Deep Field) in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile and both Straight Arron (Fastnet Rock) and Nimble Nimbus (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}) in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup.
“Voyage Bubble is currently in great form and McDonald also knows the horse very well. The horse is still improving and his form is as good as last year when he was just beaten by Golden Sixty in last year's race,” Yiu told racenet.com.au.
Ricky Yiu and Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges | Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
“My other two runners, Straight Arron and Nimble Nimbus, are both in top fitness and both of them are tough and have strong fighting hearts, and hopefully they can go close on the big day. Indeed they both ran well in the BOCHK Jockey Club Cup last start.”
Golden Mile returns as gelding
After retiring to stud in 2024, Golden Mile missed most of the season due to penile sheath injury and Darley Australia announced on Monday that he will now return to the James Cummings stable as a gelding.
The son of Astern has no coverings recorded with the Stud Book for the 2024 season, although Darley told thestraight.com.au that he covered 15 mares with 8 in foal.
“The horse did train on into his 4-year-old year and did retire to stud sound with similar racetrack credentials to a horse like Pericles,” Godolphin Australia managing director Andy Makiv said.
Golden Mile | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“Now returning as a gelding, we’d be hoping he will acquit himself well in similar races to those that Pericles competes in. James and the racing team will get him going for the autumn and we may target races like the All-Star Mile and the Doncaster.”
As a racehorse, he won five of his 20 starts with earnings over $4.3 million, thanks to winning the G1 Caulfield Guineas at his fifth start, and going on to place in the Golden Eagle. He also has a couple of Group 2 wins.
Nock on loan to Snowden for summer
Star country apprentice Braith Nock will complete a three month stint with champion trainer Peter Snowden over the summer. “Cav rang me up and said he wanted to send Braith down to Sydney for a few months and did I want to take him on,” Snowden told racingnsw.com.au.
“He’s a good young kid, I’ve been very impressed. He has a good work ethic. He needs a bit of polishing up, I think it’s a good idea for him to be here. There are good riders down here, they’re all good lads here too and they’ll get into his ear and talk to him about a few things. That’s what he needs now, a bit of coaching.” Nock has 133 wins in his career to date.
Double for Johnston
Apprentice jockey Kayla Johnston rode her first and second winners at Goondiwindi on Saturday aboard Astern Villa (Astern) and Capital Cee (Capitalist), both trained by her father John. “It the best day in racing I have ever had,” John told racingqueensland.com.au on Monday.
“Yes, 100 per cent – that’s the best day I have had. I am very proud of her and it is all upwards from here. They both went out there to help Kayla get going but I thought they were really good chances regardless.
“Astern Villa has had a lot of feet problems over time and that has been his biggest issue. This prep, he had a big spell and now have brought him back – I think we have his feet spot on now and he is flying. The horse will win more races now that Kayla will be taking him out to country places. He will go through his grades in the bush as it is pretty tough racing where he has been racing on the Sunshine Coast, it is not easy.
“Capital Cee came across from the Stuart Kendrick stable, who suggested he would be a good horse for Kayla to help get her going.”
Around The Nation: Monday’s highlights
Australia had a quiet Monday with three meetings. Apprentice Bailey Wheeler picked up a treble at Dalby in the first six races on the card with Rubix Love (Rubick), Good Times Again (Magic Albert) and Archer’s Game (Golden Archer). At the Sapphire Coast, 3-year-old gelding Rocco Lini (D’Argento) won on debut, while at Tamworth 3-year-old gelding Magic Stalker (Pierata) won on debut.
Apprentice Yeun has Hong Kong aims
Apprentice jockey Nichola Yuen set to ride at the Pukekohe trials on Tuesday ahead of her first NZ raceday rides at Saturday’s meeting at Ellerslie. “At this stage, it looks like she might have a couple of raceday rides on Saturday at Ellerslie, all going well,” former champion jockey Leith Innes told Loveracing.nz.
“She’s already getting quite good support for the short time she’s been here, and she can ride at 51.5kg.” Yuen moved from Hong Kong to South Australia in 2021 and was attached to the stable of Gary Searle, who trains with wife Nichole and daughter Brittany Callanan.
Nichola Yuen | Image courtesy of Trish Dunell
“She has got her New Zealand licence and can claim 2kg, she’s ridden 61 winners in South Australia and had about 700 rides there. All going well, she’ll then hopefully get a licence to ride in Hong Kong, to get a licence there is a pretty big feat.”
Lemon Pop defends G1 Champions Cup
Race favourite Lemon Pop (USA) (Lemon Drop Kid {USA}) ran out a determined winner of Sunday's G1 Champions Cup at Chukyo Racecourse to become the first horse to defend the title for over a decade. It was the perfect way to bow out for Lemon Drop, who now retires to Darley Japan as the winner of 13 of his 18 career starts, with his other notable victories including the G1 February S. in 2023 when he was crowned the JRA Best Dirt Horse.
The 16-strong field also included the latest winner of the February Stakes in Peptide Nile (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}), latterly runner-up to Lemon Pop in the Listed Mile Championship Nambu Hai at Morioka in October, as well as the two horses who completed the frame in last year's Champions Cup, Wilson Tesoro (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) and Dura Erede (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}).
“It was his last race and I'm glad that he was able to end his career with the best result,” jockey Ryusei Sakai said of Lemon Pop, who became the first horse to win the race in consecutive years since Transcend (Jpn) (Wild Rush) was successful in 2010 and 2011, back when it was run as the Japan Cup Dirt.
Lemon Pop is one of four winners from six to the races for Unreachable (USA) (Giant’s Causeway {USA}), whose multiple Graded stakes-winning dam Harpia (USA) is a full sister to the legendary Danehill (USA).
Matriarch won by outsider Sacred Wish
Longshot Sacred Wish (USA) (Not This Time {USA}) just outlasted favoured Gina Romantica (USA) (Into Mischief {USA}) to win the G1 Matriarch S. and give her sire a sweep of the two graded events at Del Mar Sunday. The 4-year-old filly had finished on the board in six Graded events, but the Matriarch was her first win at the Graded-level and her defeat of Gina Romantica put an end to trainer Chad Brown's string of four straight victories in the race.
Sacred Wish became the 19th graded winner for Not This Time, whose son Clock Tower (USA) became his 18th just an hour or so earlier with his win in the G3 Cecil B. DeMille S. Sacred Wish is out of Indian Wish (USA) (Indian Chalie {USA}) who is a half-sister to Grade 1-placed Sister Girl Blues (USA) (Hold for Gold {USA}), the dam of G1 Kentucky Derby runner-up Firing Line (USA) (Line of David {USA}), as well as to the dams of Grade 1 winners Sharp Azteca (USA) (Freud {USA}) and Bowies Hero (USA) (Artie Schiller {USA}).
Boxing Day run for Tutta La Vita
Australian multiple Group 1-placed Tutta La Vita (The Autumn Sun), purchased by John Stewart's Resolute Racing for $3.2 million at the Inglis Chairman's Sale in May, is nearing her US debut after working four furlongs in :49.34 (11/16) over the Tapeta surface at Gulfstream Saturday. Trainer Ignacio 'Nacho' Correas, IV said on Sunday that the 4-year-old filly is being pointed to an entry-level optional claiming allowance following the Christmas holiday.
“She's doing good. She's eligible for a one-other-than and she's going to run here on the 26th,” Correas said. “So far, so good.”
Trainer Green debuts with a winner
Amelia Green, 31, whose most recent racetrack job was as an assistant trainer to Todd Pletcher, wasted no time getting her own training career off to a fast as she won Sunday's first race at Aqueduct with her first ever starter. The win came with On Command (USA) (Omaha Beach {USA}) in a maiden special weight race.
“I don't think it's quite hit me yet,” she said. “It doesn't feel real yet. It is starting to hit me now I guess. Mostly, it was a relief. I am very happy for the owners (Lucky Hat Racing LLC and V Hop Racing) and the filly herself.”
