Zac Purton gave his reaction as success in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup saw Ka Ying Rising break the record for most Hong Kong wins on the bounce.
Here’s what Purton had to say...
It was sensational and probably one of his better wins.
The only instruction I had from David Hayes was to make sure I broke the track record and ride right out to the line. He wanted to see how strong he’d be at the end of the 1400m.
I couldn’t help myself, though, sitting up for the last little bit to look good for the photo!
It’s probably unrealistic to expect that he’s got any more there than what he was giving. I was basically hands and heels, but he was accelerating and giving me everything he’s got.
He’s a very intelligent horse and knows when he has got to go. Coming into the straight, I didn’t even ask him to go. He started to surge underneath me, taking off and going.
That’s the beauty of it. He knows exactly what he’s doing.
It was our early impression that he was going to be a miler, and maybe even a mile-and-a-quarter horses. His mother raced in the Wellington Cup over about two miles and had solid form at around ten furlongs.
We always thought Ka Ying Rising was going to get out over some ground, but he was so good sprinting that we kept him over that distance.
There’s nothing to say that he couldn’t run a mile, though… and there’s nothing to say he couldn’t run 2000m either, because he does relax quite well in his races.
He has got a bit of a lighter frame than most sprinters, but I think the stamina in him is one of his great assets. That’s why he has got a high cruising speed to accelerate off. Normal horses can’t do that when they’re getting tired.
I think David is very happy with the programme he has set for him and the races he has been running in. He wants to run in the Everest again in October and, after that, at the Hong Kong International Races again in December.
Beyond that, the programme will probably be the same as it is at the moment unless, at some stage, they want to go overseas and do something different.
Obviously, the fantasy is to have him running in everything around the world, but the owner likes racing here in Hong Kong.
The Everest is obviously a big carrot down in Australia, worth a lot of money, but there’s a lot of money and prestige in racing the horse here in Hong Kong. Plus, he tries to pick up the bonuses for the Speed Series and those types of things.
So, it just makes sense to keep doing what he’s doing even if, at some stage, you do start to look outside the box and think: ‘oh, I wouldn’t mind going there or doing this.’
Is it the right thing to do? I’ll let David decide.
Ka Ying Rising will have a run in early April – a Group 2 1200m race – and three weeks later he’ll run on Champions Day.
He has etched his name in history now. It’s another chapter in my book and it’s a privilege to be involved.
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