Less than two weeks out from the world’s richest horse race on turf, Hong Kong sprinter Ka Ying Rising is at almost unbackable odds to win The Everest at Royal Randwick.
Currently paying just $1.50 with Sportsbet—comfortably the shortest price in the race’s nine-year history—fans and rivals will be able to catch a glimpse of the world’s highest-rated sprinter in a special barrier trial on Tuesday morning.
Hong Kong Jockey of the Year Zac Purton will fly into Sydney for tomorrow’s trial, with Hong Kong-based Australian trainer David Hayes also expected to be on hand.
In a huge coup for the Australian Turf Club, the appearance of Ka Ying Rising in the elite 12-horse field is already driving a spike in international publicity for the world’s richest turf race.
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Regardless of his odds-on price with bookmakers, a surge in World Pool betting revenue is also expected to see Australian wagering records tumble—just as they did two years ago when another Hong Kong champion, Romantic Warrior, won the 2023 Cox Plate.
Previously, the shortest-priced favourite in The Everest history was 2021 winner Nature Strip who started the 2022 race at $1.90 before finishing fourth.
A five-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding, Ka Ying Rising has had 16 career starts and accumulated more than $10 million in prize money from 14 wins and two second placings.
First prize for The Everest is a tidy $7 million.
The Group 1 Everest (1200m) will be run on Saturday 18 October at Royal Randwick in Sydney, the same day the Group 1 Caulfield Cup will be held in Melbourne.