Ka Ying Rising\u2019s campaign toward defending his Everest crown began in earnest at Sha Tin on Friday, the champion sprinter cruising to a nine-length trial win \u2013 though Zac Purton came away with the same nagging concern that dogged him a year ago: he didn\u2019t change lead legs.<\/p>\n
For the uninitiated: a horse\u2019s \u2018lead leg\u2019 is the foreleg that reaches furthest forward in each stride of the gallop \u2013 essentially the leg the horse is \u2018leading\u2019 with. Horses typically lead with the inside leg around a turn for balance, then switch to the opposite leg once they straighten for the run home, so fresh muscles can drive the finishing burst. A horse that fails to make that change is effectively finishing a race on the same side it turned into the straight with \u2013 which can shorten its stride, cause it to hang or drift under pressure and blunt the explosive turn of foot that has made Ka Ying Rising so hard to beat.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s done it again,\u201d Purton told Idol Horse. \u201cOnce he got out and got into his stride, once again he wasn\u2019t really interested in changing his (lead) leg, which is a bit frustrating. So whether he just needs to get back into the groove of things and get going, we\u2019ll find out.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it\u2019s frustrating because last year he was so good from The Everest on. He changed his leg all the time, he knew exactly what he was doing: he was beautiful. So for him to come out and be like that again this morning is bloody frustrating.\u201d<\/p>\n
Preparing for his return in the now-Group 3 HKSAR Chief Executive\u2019s Cup on the opening day of the season on September 6, where he will carry top weight of 135-pounds, Ka Ying Rising jumped from barrier six in the 1050-metre all-weather trial and quickly took control before drawing clear.<\/p>\n
The margin was decisive, but the trial was slower than the same lead-up heat last year, when he won by 14\u00bc lengths in 59.26 seconds. Friday\u2019s trial was run in 1:01.65 on a sloppy, rain-affected track.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was going to be rusty, you know, he lacks a bit of fitness and he was a bit rusty,\u201d Purton said. \u201cBut he trialled okay. He was on the best part of the track. It was much better on the rail there than it was off the rail, so he did have a bit of a fast lane.\u201d<\/p>\n
Purton voiced a similar concern after Ka Ying Rising\u2019s corresponding trial last year, when the sprinter cornered on the wrong leg and failed to switch in the straight despite otherwise pleasing his rider.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll it means is, you know, he got better and better as the season went on last season, and part of that was because he was changing his leg,\u201d Purton said. \u201cHe was getting onto his fresh leg, and that\u2019s when he was explosive, winning with ease and putting them all away.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, you know, at the level that he\u2019s at, with the expectation that everyone has of him, he needs to be changing his leg.\u201d<\/p>\n