DAVID HAYES TALKS ABOUT THOSE BEHIND THE SCENES NEAR MISSES THAT COULD HAVE DERAILED KA YING RISING

By Darren Winningham | Friday, April 24, 2026

Even the world’s highest-rated sprinter is not immune to the everyday dangers that lurk around racetracks and stables. Ka Ying Rising, the global superstar with a winning streak that has captured the racing world, faces the same unpredictable risks as any other horse — and trainer David Hayes knows it better than anyone.

At the FWD Champions Day barrier draw, Hayes revealed two heart-stopping moments — one last year, and one just days ago — that could have changed everything.
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The First Near Miss -“Zac had a heart attack.”

“This time last year,” Hayes recalled, “my instructions to Zac (Purton) in his final piece of work were don’t get him kicked.”

Ka Ying Rising had completed his work perfectly. Then, out of nowhere, a horse 800 metres away dumped its rider and bolted flat-out around the outside fence — straight toward the world’s best sprinter.

“The big horse just stood there, didn’t move — but Zac had a heart attack,” Hayes said, still shaking his head at the memory. A lucky escape, and a reminder that even champions rely on luck as much as talent.
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Deja Vu — The Second Scare at Sha Tin.

Fast forward to Wednesday morning at Sha Tin this week — Ka Ying Rising’s final piece of trackwork before attempting a record-extending 20th consecutive win. Hayes was already on edge ... the streak, the global spotlight — everything was on the line.

“Before Zac (Purton) went onto the track, I said to him, just keep him out of trouble,” Hayes said.

And everything did go smoothly – well until the work was finished.

Walking back up the tunnel, Ka Ying Rising was calm, relaxed — 30 metres away from another string of horses. Then, suddenly, one horse spotted the champion, dipped, then began high-kicking, lashing out, and running straight at Zac and Ka Ying Rising.

“Luckily the big horse just stood still,” Hayes said. “The little horse realised it was Ka Ying Rising and stopped.”

A second near miss. Two years in a row.

For all his brilliance, Ka Ying Rising is still a horse vulnerable to the unpredictable chaos of stable life. Hayes knows that every day brings risk, and every quiet return to the stable is a small victory.
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Deja Vu of the Good Kind.

Now, as Ka Ying Rising lines up on Sunday chasing his second Chairman’s Sprint Prize and a second Triple Crown, Hayes can only hope that the Deja Vu ends with the same result as last year … Ka Ying Rising in front … and history rewritten once again.

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