‘Ka Ying Rising didn’t race up to his best’: Ratings guru’s scary review of 2025 The Everest victory

Timeform ratings guru Gary Crispe has revealed Ka Ying Rising was well short of his peak ratings figure winning The Everest at Royal Randwick last Saturday.

But Crispe said Ka Ying Rising still returned a Timeform rating that is the equal highest for an Everest winner since the race was introduced in 2017.

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“Ka Ying Rising ran to a 128 Timeform rating which is still a very good figure but is below his 132 peak figure he ran in Hong Kong earlier this year,’’ Crispe said.

“But he did record the equal highest rating for any Everest winner. Classique Legend went to 128 when he won the 2020 Everest and Nature Strip was 127 when he won in 2021.

“Although Ka Ying Rising didn’t race up to his best in The Everest, it was a great performance just the same.’’

Crispe likened Ka Ying Rising’s Everest win to legendary mare Black Caviar’s effort to win the 2012 Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Black Caviar’s peak Timeform rating is 136 but she only ran to 128 winning at Royal Ascot when she was clearly not at her absolute best.

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“Champions like Ka Ying Rising and Black Caviar win even when they are not right on top of their game,’’ Crispe added.

“Ka Ying Rising is the real deal. They don’t do what he did on Saturday when he changed stride in the straight and found that extra ‘gear’ unless they are an elite racehorse.

“His jockey, Zac Purton, rode a very intelligent race on Ka Ying Rising and keeping Jimmysstar three-wide was brilliant tactics.

“Zac even eased down near the line which only underlines how impressive Ka Ying Rising was winning The Everest.’’

Despite rating below his best and without being pushed right to the line, Ka Ying Rising still ran the Randwick 1200m in 1m 08.13s to win The Everest by one-and-a-quarter lengths.

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This was a high quality Everest with less than four lengths separating first to last in the 12-horse field.

Remarkably, Magic Time might have finished at the rear of the field but she ran the Everest distance in 1m 08.80s which would win most Randwick 1200m races.

Ka Ying Rising leaves Sydney for Hong Kong on Monday evening with trainer David Hayes concentrating on his champion sprinter’s defence of his Hong Kong International Sprint title in December.

Hayes, a Hall of Fame trainer, has also declared he is already planning to bring Ka Ying Rising back to Sydney for The Everest next year with TAB Fixed Odds installing the champion as the $2.25 favourite from Beiwacht, Tempted and Joliestar at $11.

Originally published as ‘Ka Ying Rising didn’t race up to his best’: Ratings guru’s scary review of 2025 The Everest victory