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By Ray Hickson

If trainer David Hayes feels pressure as he prepares the world’s highest rated sprinter Ka Ying Rising for the TAB Everest he’s certainly not letting on.

Trainer David Hayes (Pic: Grant Guy).

The pressure he’s concerned about is his champion’s ability to turn the screws on his rivals in a new environment, on a foreign track and against new opposition in the Group 1 $20 million TAB Everest (1200m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

And in doing so protecting the five-year-old’s reputation at home and globally.

Hayes could easily have not taken up the challenge of giving Ka Ying Rising a test he’s never had before but he’s competitive and wants to show him off internationally.

“The expectations are really high for him to perform and there’ll be a massive interest from home,’’ Hayes said.

“He’s run at $1.10 or less five or six times and he’s done it every time. It’s just a different location and a different group of horses he’s racing.

“He absorbs pressure and he puts incredible pressure on other horses while he’s doing it.

“It’s like running with someone and they just go that tick too fast for you, and when it’s time to go home you’re empty. He does that to a lot of very good horses.”

Ka Ying Rising, $1.75 with TAB on Friday, hasn’t been beaten since January 2024 at his third race start and he’s strung 13 wins on end including four Group 1s back at Sha Tin.

He holds the three fastest times over 1200m at Sha Tin and has raced at that distance in all but one start, when he won over 1400m at Group 1 level in February.

Hayes was rapt when the gelding drew in the middle of the field in the TAB Everest, particularly with the speed drawn either side of him.

He’s said all along if the pace is fast he’ll take a sit and if the pace is slow then Zac Purton won’t hesitate to lead.

“If the pace is too fast he runs his best races sitting third or fourth so he’s got a few strings to his bow,’’ he said.

“I think that’s why he’s rated the number one horse in the world.

“The tempo here is not as fast because of the longer run to the first bend.

“In Hong Kong it’s helter skelter to the first bend and there’s often horses with kamikaze tactics and going far too fast but Zac seems to work it out and keep him out of the trouble.”

Back in 2017 Hayes, along with then training partners Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig, took part in the inaugural TAB Everest and his horse Vega Magic ran a closing, and Hayes says unlucky, second behind Redzel.

Vega Magic backed up a year later and finished last. He’s not been involved in the race since but has a great desire for Ka Ying Rising to put him on the honour roll of Australia’s most sought after race.

“I’m closer to retirement than training 20 years and this is one of the iconic races of Australia so it’d be nice to have on the dashboard,’’ he said.

“I’ve watched the races every Saturday for the last six months and have great respect for the opposition.

#TABEverest favourite Ka Ying Rising stretches out at Canterbury in his last major piece of work ahead of Saturday’s $20 million sprint at Randwick. 👀 pic.twitter.com/XEGVwaZdKy

— Racing NSW (@racing_nsw) October 12, 2025

Ka Ying Rising's final gallop before the Everest

“I just feel if you ask connections whether if the Everest was 1400m or a mile they’d be a lot more confident. My horse is a 1200m expert and that’s an advantage to him, if I was taking them on at 1400m or a mile I’d be way more nervous.”

Since his arrival in Sydney, and more particularly since his barrier trial defeat on October 7, the interest in Ka Ying Rising has grown by the day.

Then there was the drama last weekend, with rumours that all was not well with the horse though Hayes was quick to swat those down. The greater focus is, and always has been, whether or not he runs his race in the parade ring.

“If he’s got a weakness it’s his pre-race and that was part of the reason to do the dress rehearsal,’’ Hayes said.

“There’s a few things our team has learned that we’re going to do. It was a really worthwhile thing to do to make sure we’ve got him 100 per cent.

“I can assure punters, it should be odds on look on but I’d have a bit of $1.80 if it’s available.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s TAB Everest meeting at Randwick