Hot favourite Ka Ying Rising firms further for Saturday’s $20 million TAB Everest after receiving handy draw

Ka Ying Rising has firmed to $1.60 favouritism after faring well in the barrier draw for Saturday’s $20 million TAB Everest (1200m) at Randwick, receiving gate seven. The international megastar will be ridden by Zac Purton and is trained by David Hayes, both of whom are Australian natives domiciled in Hong Kong. Hayes was pleased with the draw, saying all he wanted was to not be too wide from the outset. “Zac will jump fast for sure and if the pace is hectic, he’ll back out of it; some of his best wins have been off the pace,” Hayes said. “If they miss the start and don’t go hard, he can lead. “Canterbury is a wonderful place to train from. It’s an unfair advantage, I think. “He’s a happier horse than he is in Hong Kong. “He’ll just have a canter around Canterbury (on Saturday morning). “The last horse from Hong Kong competing in Australia won our big race. I do think this horse will be up to our Australian sprinters.” Hayes reached global fame when preparing Better Loosen Up to land the 1990 Japan Cup and said a victory this weekend would be on par. “I think it’s very similar, actually. Bigger for me because I was so young and naive, I didn’t realise how hard it would be to travel and win that race,” he said. “No one had done it from Australia and no one’s done it since. “That was a massive effort by an underrated champion, and he was rated the number one horse in the world at the time, like this horse. “This is a different one coming back to home competing against all my friends and fellow trainers here.” + Unraced three-year-old filly Tennessee Spirit created an impression at Monday’s Belmont trials, ripping away from four-time winner Castle Road to score by two-and-a-quarter lengths. Later, proven four-year-old Repossession was given a tepid 850m trial but brushed off a fleeting challenge from Tycoon Harry to salute by a half-length. The gelding has won five of his seven starts, including the Beaufine Stakes last start, and is a $16 chance for Ascot’s Winterbottom Stakes on November 29. Sky Duke led home a high-class Neville Parnham trifecta in the heat following, beating September Born and Demolish. September Born, a $21 shot for the Winterbottom and $26 for the Railway Stakes, was six lengths from Sky Duke at the 600m mark but made strong progress to be a three-quarter-length second on the line. + Greg and Skye Bond’s Troubadour gets a big chance to push his claims for the WA Derby in Friday’s Group 3 $50,000 Western Gateway (2536m) at Gloucester Park after drawing gate No.1. Among his rivals will be budding star stablemate Bettor Fortune, undefeated in five WA starts, who must overcome gate 12. The Gary Hall Sr-trained Chase Me (gate two) is a $4.20 second favourite for the Derby to be run on October 31, trailing Bettor Fortune who is $1.70. Troubadour is on the fifth line at $9 behind Lincoln Lou ($6.50) and Jacks Ultimate Fury ($7.50). + Cannington hosts four heats of the All Stars Sprint (520m) on Saturday with the in-form Miss Envy coming up trumps with box one in the first qualifier. Miss Envy was a brilliant winner of last week’s free-for-all, overcoming interference to salute in 29.80 seconds. Iconic Jet has the advantage of a vacant box to his outside in heat three after drawing box four, while West On Sidney has a vacant box to his inner after receiving No. 6 in the final qualifier.