Ka Ying Rising | Aussie Trainer David Hayes (9/9/26)

0:00400 to go, Cahing Rising's five in front. The rest must look up and think, oh no, not this again, because the champ is now six clear of co-partner brands and then came Magic Control, lucky with you. 21, 15, he seconds, split. Look at Sydney, he's coming back and he's coming back, looking just like that. Sunday night at Charton, they started the Hong Kong Racing season for the new year and a Kiwi horse, a horse who started its career here at his first trial in New Zealand, produced one of the most remarkable sprinting performances in the history of racing. And I don't try to oversell that on not being parochial. It was jaw-dropping. The man who trains him, this is one of the legends of racing in both Hong Kong and Australia, David Hayes. Well, lucky to talk to him this morning. David, when you hear that, and I'm sure you've heard it plenty of times and seen it plenty of times in Sunday night,

1:00for someone who has racing running through their blood like you do, it's still sort of hard to believe what happened. Yeah, he's a total freaky. He's last four runs since the Everest. He's broken a track record every time. So he's just getting better and better and better. Yeah, it's just a pleasure to pitch ourselves that we've got a machine like this. David, I know that you've been to the absolute mountain top as you're entire family in the racing world. But there seems to be a different type of hype around him because people in England are transfixed by him. People in America are aware of him, which is remarkable considering the way the Americans treat the outside world. And obviously, New Zealanders and the Australians are just in Japanese and the Japanese and probably half of China. They're an aura of him. What's it like being at the centre of this? There's almost a hurricane of a horse. It's a pleasure. It's a bit of pressure sometimes,

2:03but it's just a pleasure to have if you get him right and get him to the gates, it gets him to the gates and out of the gates, he takes care of the rest, which is just so nice to have. But I think in the Everest last year was probably, he was his off-part performance and he's still one by length and a half and didn't get the whip for the last hundred. He hasn't had the whip on him in Hong Kong for a season. So it's quite amazing. People who don't watch a little racing, David, wouldn't understand that a horse comes around a bend and often they'll change their lead leg. But he's so fast, some of them, he won't do it because he doesn't need to. But I saw him change legs the other day. That's going to be really a headie heading to Sydney and maybe it's showing that he's finally getting his head around all this. Well, he's changed legs in Sydney was one of the first times and the last four races he's had. But he's had 30 subbing trials and they got a lot easier in trials

3:03and he never changes legs and it drives that mad. But I say the Zack, he's running probably four seconds below what he can do. He doesn't need to change legs. When you saw the time and in no times the rest sportsluses are largely irrelevant, but I was trying to give them perspective on Monday morning. I said, this will be like you saying about breaking the 100 meter world record going from 9.6 to 9.4. That is don't break it by two tenths. But he broke this record by a second. Once you saw that, because I'm sure you watched the performance but then you saw the time come up. What did you think? Well, it was funny that I watched it with the person I always watched it with. Leo Schling and when Zack let him rip it in the 300 because we wanted him to have a bit hard to hit out the normal. He's easy him down from the 300. I said he's going to break the track record. And then when I walked out and the time came up, I didn't think you'd break it by that much. Okay. He's a big, big large horse.

4:05He's a big monster of a horse. And some people would think that big horses are probably better than smaller horses, but that's not always the case. But what I found is that with dealing with Hong Kong quite a bit, it does help if they are bigger because sometimes you get those smaller horses with the smaller barrel and they can sort of melt away a little bit under the pressure of Hong Kong. When you think of New Zealand horses and the type of horses you like to take to Hong Kong, does that factor into it? Do you like those bigger, more robust, five, 20 type kilo horses who can then develop horses? They get older? Yeah, he was smaller than that when we bought him, but he's put on a hundred pounds since he's been in Hong Kong. So he's still developing and getting stronger. He was actually 28 pounds above his winning weight, which is 10 kilos last year. And we took that as a positive because he's just getting bigger and better. But you know, I'd say he roped us a midsize and he's now a mid big.

5:07No, he's not a giant, but he's a mid big. A lot of people make a big deal about how horses walk when you go to a yelling sail or a two-year-old sail, people will love that nice flowing walk and the bat leg has an overstep over where the front leg lands. I looked at him last year for that trial before the Everest. He's not the greatest walking horse in the world, is he? Like he, that fact, he sort of makes a bit of a lie or some of the things we would like to believe, David. He's a tight war. I'd call him a tight warker. And when he loosens up behind the gates, he sort of prancers around very nice if you watch him. When they have him on the TV, but if you get him out the stable, he plats a little bit and he's a stiff warker. Wags up beautifully, very sound horse. But no, he just spells the walking theory. David, you and your sons who are doing such a wonderful job with a lot of horses, but with some New Zealand horses. I've had a lot of success with New Zealand horses, including, of course, Mr Brightside. As unperocule as it can be, because I know you're talking to a New Zealand audience,

6:09what do you guys like about New Zealand horses? Because you're regulars at the sails here. They've got Mr Brightside. You have got Kaying, Rising. Is it the depth of bone? Is it the fact that they are bone and muscle and tough horses? I'm not trying to put words in your mouth. What do you like about them? When you get a good one, they're very hardy. Like they think where the conditions, you know, you get the beautiful grass paddocks of course, but they have to be pretty tough being out the cold sometimes. And I think they become, when you hit the spot, their bad ones are pretty weak, but their good ones are very good. And that's what I notice when you get a Kiwi horse there, they've got good bone and they do train on, often train on, they're not precocious horses. David talked to us about Chong Fah, which is a word a lot of people listening to the show of Never Who before. So Sharton is in Hong Kong, and horses who live at Sharton, predominantly live in boxes a lot of the time. But obviously the Hong Kong Jockey Club

7:10have built this purpose-built facility on mainland China, called Chong Fah, where they're going to start racing soon. And it gives you the opportunity to put horses in a more natural environment. What's that like? Because so many of the Hong Kong horses we think are boxed most of the time, but when they get a Chong Fah, does it sort of replicate what you might see down this part of the world? A little bit, a little bit. Edson Magnus and Trading Centre, they've spent six billion Hong Kong on a billion, not million, billion. And it's a wonderful training track, beautiful, relaxed environment. I find my horses when they go there, they probably eat 15 to 20% more, which means that's all about the environments. It's nestled in the mountains, and they've just moved the mountain and put a race course in there. So the grads there is to be seen to believe. It's the best grads that I've ever seen. So hopefully they get racing soon. There was a bit of a complication

8:10and a setback on the first meeting. But I think they're working towards getting back on track. But this facility is incredible. I know you like to plan caring, rising racing. Obviously, it can be a year in advance, because you know when it's going to be international, week, which is the second weekend, and December, and we know we race at the back end of April. Now that the Chong Fahle meeting, which was going to be November 21, and they wanted you to go there with him to be the big star attraction for the big day. Now that's been canned. Is there any chance you say, well, it gives us a window to stick around and go to Flemington for a $3 million sprint? Or literally, is it the Everest, October 7th, and you go home, because it would be too long to be away from home to get a milk? Well, no, not too long. He'd be absolutely fine. But the club, I mean, we're so wonderful buying the permit for the ownership group. And the club are very keen to get their star attraction home as quickly as possible. So you'll be running in a probably $1.3 million

9:15for racing Hong Kong, rather than a $3 million Melbourne or Sydney. David, you'll be doing this a long time with a lot of great horses. Obviously, you've been to the mountain top in Japan. We have un-Japan cups and that sort of thing. With this Everest is going to come maybe a lever of, shall we say, interest that even you may not have encountered before? In fact, I would say outside the seciteriates and the Frankles and maybe moods with black caviar and obviously Chris with winks. Not many trainers are going to have as many requests as much spotlight and have the horse as scrutinised. As Kayeeng's going to be before the Everest, it's going to be a really interesting time. Yeah, like last year, there was a little fake news going around that he was something was wrong with him, which he wasn't, because he got beaten in the trial. But he was a bit fresh and to come on this year, hopefully he doesn't get beaten in the trial or trials more encouraging to the eye than everyone will leave us alone. But to have a horse that two years ago,

10:17I thought it was the best horse I've ever trained and now I think he's one of the best I've ever seen. And you know, I'm seeing all these comparing to black caviar, which is ridiculous to different eras. But isn't it nice to have a horse to be compared to black caviar? Like I never thought I'd see one. Neither did I. What about the quarantine? So he's in quarantine at the moment which he has to be in to go to. So what does quarantine, because again, I'm talking to a sporting audience David, what does quarantine mean for a horse? Does it mean he has to be stable by himself or can he take a mate in there so he's got someone to keep him company? And then I presume he works on the track once all the other horses have done their work for the day so he doesn't go near them. Yeah, well, unfortunately he works before. So we have very early starts. He's working at 3.34 o'clock then then the track opens. And he has two weeks in isolation, but he's got a stable mate there, which is just a companion to eat with. And he travels down to Australia with him

11:19and he lives with him all the time before he goes into quarantine. He has two weeks of serious quarantine at Canterbury and then he's got two weeks of isolation. So it's about a six week. You see, it's pretty hard on them. You know, they've got to have a great attitude which he has. He loves Canterbury, which is nice to know he does. David, tonight we went head to Happy Valley. So for those people who don't follow it, Hong Kong, Sharten races predominantly. Sundays, every Wednesday's happy Wednesday at Happy Valley. So you get a couple lining up there. I mean, you've got a winner for our sport nation listers at the Valley tonight. I look like I won't tip you a late one. This is too late. Never once you've been bad. But I might not be there. And right. So I've got a horse called precious hyping race two and oriental in race three. So race two and race three,

12:20I'm pretty hard to be there. Before we let you go, David, obviously you're a proud Aussie and you've got so much to be proud of. I take it maybe because most of the trainers in Hong Kong are coming down here for the ready to run some November. Will you be back for those? And it is the awareness in your mind that you're also taking a whole bunch of Kiwis along on this ride because I can't explain to you how many New Zealanders set their alarms for Sunday at 5.30 last week and later into the into the summer to see Kaying rising. There are so many people over here and factually by the horse. I don't think I've ever seen it before about an overseas horse. Yeah, well, is that nice to have a horse like that? They he's really worth watching. It doesn't. It's something a few stats about him. The second favorite in Saturday's race was 104 to one. So that's how dominant a horse he is. And in the last four races, the second favorite has been 50 to one. I've never seen that.

13:20No, it's remarkable. David, you'll be down for the ready to run in November. I'll see you later last year. So you'll be there. Ticket's booked and looking forward to it. Mate, we look forward to seeing you, David. Look, thanks for joining us on Sport Nation this morning. It thanks for helping fly our flag. It's always becoming your knighted nations of horse. And David, we're loving a remittance of it, mate. Good luck for the remainder of the season. Thanks for taking your time to join us. Yeah, thanks a lot. David Hayes, who teach you. It's the legendary family. His father was the great colonized. Colonized, yeah. And so that one, Japan. Atalac, colonized. Yep, absolutely. Well done, TJ. We're open cup 1986. Six. Seven. Now, 87 was the end of our race, was it? 86. What, yeah, might've been. But look, they've been a legendary family. How the hell did I remember that? This is the exclamation I might've had. I think I might've got the quenella. I had the quenella. I had a quenella. Yeah. Atalac. And a horse that one of the skeletons was on. Something rising, something. Oh, come on.

14:20I've had a quenella in about 20 years. Yeah.