Ka Ying Rising could race at Conghua in November as the Hong Kong Jockey Club considers a bold proposal to introduce the world’s best sprinter to fans across the border.
HKJC boss Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said the Group Two Jockey Club Sprint (1,200m), the key lead-up race to December’s Group One Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m), could be moved to Conghua for the mainland racecourse’s second meeting of the season.
Regular racing at Conghua, a northern district of Guangzhou, will be launched later this year, with the first meeting scheduled for October 31.
Ka Ying Rising, who has racked up a Hong Kong record 19 consecutive wins and holds top spot in the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings so far this year, would be a huge drawcard for racing at Conghua.
“It would be big news on the mainland – the world’s best horse running there,” Engelbrecht-Bresges told the South China Morning Post.
“At the moment we are exploring what we can do to beef up this meeting and it is one consideration, which is currently in the exploration stage and would need approval from the international pattern committee and even quarantine arrangements for overseas horses, because we cannot exclude them.
“We would have to talk to our sponsor, so therefore there are a lot of things to consider. I think it would probably take two months to make a decision whether it’s feasible or not, but it definitely would be something interesting.
“We’re on track [for Conghua’s first meeting] – it’s very exciting and this would make it even more exciting.”
Ka Ying Rising has been a flag-bearer for Conghua’s training facilities, with trainer David Hayes regularly preparing the eight-time Group One winner there in between races.
Hayes and Ka Ying Rising’s owner, Leung Shek-kong, have backed the proposal to stage the Jockey Club Sprint at Conghua.
“He trials well and he’s well-rehearsed in Conghua, so I haven’t got an issue with Conghua,” Hayes said. “The thing that makes sense is there’s no betting [on the mainland] and every time he runs, the club loses a lot of money, so I think it’s not a bad thing.
“It’s something that if the horse is healthy and well, I’d love to take up the challenge. It’s a big thing for China having him there. The whole world wants him and Conghua’s getting him.”
Ka Ying Rising has opened at $1.05, the minimum price the Jockey Club can offer, on his past eight Hong Kong starts. That has not deterred punters from backing him and collecting a 5 per cent return on their bets.
Ka Ying Rising will chase a 20th consecutive victory in the Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m) on April 26, before Hayes turns his attention to defending his crown in the world’s richest race on turf – the A$20 million (HK$110.24 million) Group One The Everest (1,200m) at Randwick in October.
If he runs in the Jockey Club Sprint, that would rule him out of staying in Australia to tackle the Russell Balding Stakes (1,300m) a fortnight later.
“Last year he came back from The Everest and was prepared for the Hong Kong Sprint out of Hong Kong, because the lead-ups were here” Hayes said. “This time he’ll be prepared for the Hong Kong Sprint out of China and he’s done that a lot in the past. He’ll get into his routine pretty easily.”
