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Purton: Ka Ying Rising âwonât be good enoughâ to win Everest if...
Connor Scanlon ⹠ October 15th, 2025 6:00 pm
Ka Ying Risingâs regular jockey Zac Purton has questioned his steer in the wake of his disappointing trial last week while building up for a start in The Everest.
The trial was across 1000m, and the eight-time Group 1 winner finished third by 0.23 lengths.
Purton admitted that the short-priced favourite with many bookmakers wonât win the $20 million Everest, if Ka Ying Rising performs the same way he ran in the trial.
âThe trial was not him.â Purton told SENTrack & RSNâs Giddy Up.
âIf that horse turns up on Saturday, he will not be winning The Everest. That was not good enough to win The Everest.
âHe didnât have much left, he was all but at his top.
âThatâs not the Ka Ying Rising I know.
âThatâs the most disappointing performance heâs put in, in about 2.5 years.â
When Purton was asked about why the Hong Kong sprinter was disappointing in his eyes, the jockey admitted that one of the reasons was because Ka Ying Rising was overweight.
âThere are certain ways to look at it,â Purton said.
âHayesy (David Hayes) put him on the plane with a little bit of condition on him, thinking that he was going to lose a little bit of weight.
âBut the opposite happened.
âHe travelled down so well, that he didnât drop any weight at all.
âFrom a fitness perspective, he probably wasnât where we wanted him to be, so he really needed the trial.â
Purton even added that the five-year-old gelding was sweating up and misbehaving prior to the trial and mentally switched off during the jump-out.
âThen you take into account the way he carried on before the trial,â Purton added.
âThey couldnât leave him in the stall as he wouldnât stay there, they had to hand-walk him.
âHe was sweating and he was agitated.
âBy the time heâd come into the parade ring he was a mess, thatâs not the horse who I see on race day.
âItâs like I had just seen the life drained out of him â and this is only for a barrier trial.
âSo, if he carries on like that again on race day, heâs not going to help himself at all.
âAlso, in the trial, he was lost, he was looking at the signs, he wasnât looking at where he was going, he just completely switched off, and he never actually switched back on.
âIf that horse turns up on race day, weâre in trouble.â
Is Ka Ying Rising in danger to lose The Everest?
