Hong Kong gelding Ka Ying Rising has produced a storming finish to claim victory in the world’s richest horse race, The Everest.<\/p>\n
Jockey Zac Purton had the pre-race favourite two lengths off the lead heading into the straight of the $20 million Group 1 race (1,200 metres) at Randwick Racecourse.<\/p>\n
Ka Ying Rising took the lead, passing the 300m mark and surged clear towards the line for a dominant win.<\/p>\n
It is Ka Ying Rising’s 14th straight victory.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ciaron Maher-trained pair Tempted and Jimmysstar took second and third, with Bjorn Baker’s Overpass fourth after leading earlier in the race.<\/p>\n
The victory for Ka Ying Rising \u2014 that started as an odds-on favourite with most bookmakers \u2014 brought a huge sigh of relief for the five-year-old’s veteran Australian trainer, David Hayes.<\/p>\n
Arriving as the winner of 14 of 16 starts, Ka Ying Rising had drawn huge media attention since landing in Sydney late last month, especially when he could manage only third in a barrier trial on October 7.<\/p>\n
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Zac Purton rode Ka Ying Rising superbly in the home straight. (AAP: Dan Himbrechts)<\/p>\n
But on the big stage at a packed Randwick, the New Zealand-bred sprinter looked back near his best, leading in a field of many of Australia’s finest short-course gallopers to score his fifth Group 1 success.<\/p>\n
“It’s an absolute thrill,” Hayes told the Seven Network.<\/p>\n