Still on a high from Ka Ying Rising’s historic victory in Saturday’s Group One The Everest (1,200m) at Randwick, David Hayes capped a magical weekend with a thrilling Sha Tin triumph from a horse he hopes will figure in the Classic Series this season.

Hayes and champion jockey Zac Purton barely had a chance to soak in Ka Ying Rising’s phenomenal success Down Under before making a quick return to Hong Kong for Sunday’s meeting, which featured a special ceremony in the parade ring to honour what both described as the biggest moment of their careers.

Hayes and Purton showed off their trophies from the Group One A$20 million (HK$101 million) feature and popped champagne as they continued to lap up Ka Ying Rising’s 14th straight win.

“It really was a magical day – to showcase the best horse I’ve ever trained, to bring him from Hong Kong, to have all the support from Hong Kong behind him, the Jockey Club helping us with the slot … it was just a great win,” Hayes said.

The Australian handler said Ka Ying Rising pulled up well from The Everest and will return to Hong Kong on Tuesday.

“If he handles the trip back and his weight and his attitude are good, I would say he will run [in next month’s Group Two Jockey Club Sprint (1,200m)],” Hayes said.

“If he travels and he’s struggling a bit below his winning weight, he won’t run, so he’ll tell us. We’ll know when he gets out of quarantine. He’s been seven to eight weeks in isolation, so it’s a huge effort.”

Purton said he was “still buzzing”.

“I haven’t had a good chance yet to digest all the video clips and the media that’s been out there, so it’s great to be able to watch the race again and soak it in, especially back here in front of all our home fans,” said Purton, who moved to 1,899 Hong Kong wins after booting home Manfred Man Ka-leung-trained pair Robot Lucky Star and Patch Of Stars at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Fortune Boy added to Hayes’ celebrations when he burst through traffic to land a last-gasp victory in the Class Three Sha Kok Handicap (1,600m), prompting the trainer to compare him to his Classic Cup (1,800m) winner from last season, Rubylot.

Sporting blinkers for the first time, Fortune Boy was held up for clear running back in the field before Karis Teetan speared him through a tight gap to charge down Pope Cody by a neck.

“When a horse is unlucky and they still win, they’ve got plenty of room to move and he reminds me a little bit of a young Rubylot,” said Hayes.

“I just love the way he hits the line. First time blinkers really worked and he’s a horse that’s going to win more races.

“I think his record is very good, the longer the race the better and he’s in his classic year, so we’re hoping he can run in the better races later on. I think he’s a horse with a lot of upside.”