PURTON COMMENTS ON KA YING RISING: “HE IS A GEM.”

By Graham Potter and Darren Winningham | Friday, April 25, 2025

Ka Ying Rising will be shooting for a twelfth straight win on Sunday in the $22 million Chairmans Sprint Prize. Zac Purton has ridden the David Hayes trained star nine times in that current eleven race winning sequence and in twelve of son of Shamexpress’ fourteen career starts overall.

On that basis it is clear that nobody is better placed to give an opinion on Ka Ying Rising and, as you would expect, Purton’s report card for Ka Ying Rising is glowing with praise, not just for the horse’s superior ability, but also for his amazing temperament … a compelling combination.

“What can we say about him. It is just copy and repeat every time, isn’t it,” offered Purton.

“He is a gem to do anything with. He works well in the morning. He trials well. He eats well. He recovers well. He does anything you want him to do between runs.”

And if past runs are anything to go by, not even a wide barrier seems to trouble the champ. Having said that, Purton is happy to accept a good draw this time around.

“He’s drawn in barrier four on Sunday,” said Purton. “It is a lovely barrier for him. We are used to coming to big races and being drawn on the outside, so it finally gives us an opportunity to let him use his natural speed.

“There is a little bit of speed out wide, but there is every chance he can take it up and I can let him find his rhythm, keep him happy, keep him comfortable and just let him do his thing.”

Looking for any other possible chinks in Ka Ying Rising’s armour is not an easy search. The options are quickly becoming limited. What about any weather concerns. Any possible problem with the rain that is being predicted.

“Weather-wise, it’s hard to say whether the rain will actually be here on Sunday,” said Purton optimistically.

“It’s predicted to start tomorrow (Saturday) and be here on Sunday, but I don’t think a little rain will bother him.”

So, there you have it. There is no obvious light at the end of the tunnel for Ka Ying Rising’s rivals to cling to.

With all the evidence on the table you will be hard pressed to go against Purton’s call, as mentioned above, that “It is just a copy and repeat every time, isn’t it?”

As ever in racing though, where there is, supposedly, no such thing as a racing certainty, there is a question mark at the end of Purton’s description.

Suffice to say that, if the result doesn’t pan out that way, it will be a shock of gigantic proportions.

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