The Everest

After vowing earlier this week that Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) would not be chasing any more track records in defence of his title in the HK$24-million G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize, jockey Zac Purton will be only too happy to have been proven wrong. That's because the 5-year-old wunder-sprinter made the 1200-metre contest his 20th straight success, lowering his own mark by 0.02 and sweeping the Hong Kong Sprint Series for the second straight season. It has been just short of 500 days since Ka Ying Rising was last defeated in...

By Dane McLeod/TTRAusNZ Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) finished a close-up third in his pre-Everest trial at Randwick on Tuesday, with the world's champion sprinter cruising into the minor placing under a hold behind the G1 Randwick Guineas winner Linebacker (Super Seth) and A$10.5-million earner and dual Group 1-winning sprinter Overpass (Vancouver). Plenty in the crowd were keen to catch their first glimpse of the outstanding Hong Kong sprinter, who enjoyed the strong hit-out and clocked a fast time ahead of the A$20 million feature Saturday week. The line-up was stacked...

Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress), the world's highest-rated sprinter, has been confirmed as an intended runner in the A$20 million G1 The Everest after the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) finalised a deal to secure the Australian Turf Club's slot for two years. Trained by David Hayes, Ka Ying Rising was last seen winning the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize at Sha Tin in April, beating Japanese ace Satono Reve by over two lengths to gain his 12th consecutive win. "I'm absolutely thrilled it's been finalised," Hayes told the South China Morning...

The Australian multiple Group 1 winner Bella Nipotina (Aus) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}) has been retired from racing and will be offered for sale at public auction in May. Trainer Ciaron Maher announced the seven-year-old's retirement on social media on Tuesday. He said, "Bella was the most consistent and toughest racehorse I have ever had the pleasure to train. She has given me some of my biggest thrills in racing and has had a wonderful career. "I feel honoured to have been part of her journey, and the last 12...

At some point, the superlatives run dry. Just two races after lowering the Sha Tin 1200-metre track record previously held by the outstanding Sacred Kingdom (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}), Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) shaved another chunk off that mark when dominating from the front in Sunday's HK$13-million G1 Centenary Sprint Cup. It was a ninth win on the trot for the 4-year-old, his 10th in just 12 career starts and has his connections pondering exactly what 'heights' he may be able to achieve. "It's the richest turf...

Following the news released last week by The Thoroughbred Report that The Everest and the All-Star Mile had been elevated to Group 1 status by Racing Australia, Weatherbys will recognise these races as Group 1s, Weatherbys head of bloodstock and data James McHale told TDN Europe late on Wednesday evening. "Weatherbys have had it confirmed that The Everest and All-Star Mile have been approved for Group 1 status by the Asian Pattern Committee (APC) which satisfies the requirements for Part I countries in Australasia. As such these races will be...

I thoroughly applaud the position of Arion Pedigrees, reported in TDN Europe (The Thoroughbred Report), October 15, opting to wait for review and rating from the appropriate authorities before accepting, in the pedigrees it produces, the Group (Grade) One status claimed by Racing Australia for The Everest and the All-Star Mile.  For a commercial company to take this stand, when it would have been so easy to enhance a race-record or a sales pedigree by simply adding G1 to the race title, shows courage and integrity. These two stakes are...

By Kristen Manning, courtesy of The Thoroughbred Report  In a decisive move that underscores its commitment to global standards, Arion Pedigrees, Australia and New Zealand's leading thoroughbred pedigree provider, has taken a firm stance against Racing Australia's decision to upgrade The Everest and The All-Star Mile to Group 1 status. While Racing Australia hailed the upgrades as a landmark moment for Australian racing, Arion Pedigrees has opted not to recognise the new classifications until formal ratification is received from international authorities. The pedigree database, respected for maintaining the highest standards...

The A$20m Everest has been upgraded to Group 1 status in time for this year's running on October 19. The All Star Mile was also handed a Group 1 update after Racing Australia issued a press release stating the organisation was "pleased to announce the elevation of two major races to Group 1 status". It continued, "Following the recent agreement and adoption of the Australian Black Type Guidelines by the Racing Australia Board, a review of races under those guidelines is being conducted. "As a priority, The Everest and The...

Courtesy TTR AusNZ Imported mare Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never is likely to run for her owner, Yulong Investments, in this year's The Everest, assuming she bounces back to form. The multiple Group 1 winner failed at her only Australian start in the autumn, finishing 10th in the G1 Queen of the Turf S. at Randwick in April. The 6-year-old looks set to resume in the G2 Sheraco S. at Rosehill on Sept. 9. "At this stage she is going to head towards an Everest campaign," co-trainer Adrian Bott...

Racing NSW and the Australian Turf Club (ATC) announced on Sunday that the G1 George Main S. will be replaced by the G1 King Charles III S. at Royal Randwick starting this year. The King Charles III S. is named in honour of His Majesty The King and will be run over 1600 metres under weight-for-age conditions and carry a prize purse of A$5 million, making it the world's richest weight-for-age mile event. Last year's George Main S., won by Anamoe (Aus) (Street Boss), was worth A$1 million in 2022....

James Harron is one of the most respected operators of his craft internationally. Based in Australia, the native of Northern Ireland credits Gai Waterhouse, agent George Smith and Winx (Aus)'s breeder John Camilleri of Fairway Thoroughbreds as being some of the key influences in his career.    Foxwedge (Aus) is the horse who got the ball rolling for Harron Down Under. He sourced the high-class sprinter-turned-stallion as a yearling and, from there, refined the art of making stallions on a commercial level through colt partnerships.    It's a little under...