Meanwhile, Waller’s five-time Group 1-winning mare Joliestar (Zoustar) will be bidding to transfer her elite Australian form to UK shores in Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (Gr 1, 6f).

Asfoora has proved something of a revelation since making her first journey over to the UK in 2024, taking out the King Charles III Stakes that year before returning in 2025 to land not only the Nunthorpe Stakes (Gr 1, 5f) at York but also the Prix de l’Abbaye (Gr 1, 1000m) in taking fashion.

Having made the decision to keep her in the UK during the winter months, Dwyer’s seven-year-old mare has produced two underwhelming runs so far this year.

A first-up tenth of 14 in the Palace House Stakes (Gr 3, 5f) at Newmarket has been followed by a last of 12 runners in Haydock’s Temple Stakes (Gr 2, 5f) last month, however Dwyer feels both of those runs have had their excuses.

“If you look at her form and two runs back this time it would appear she's not going very well at all, but I think both times she's had things against her,” Dwyer told ANZ News.

“First-up she was a fair way off being ready, and then second-up she just got very choppy ground and didn't want to be there. 

“I'm hoping that it wasn't a sign that she doesn't want to be there in general and that it was just the track that put her off last time, but we won't really know until we get the blinkers on and she runs on Tuesday.”

Having been significantly shorter in the market before her comeback runs, Asfoora now sits at a general 12-1 with bookmakers for Tuesday’s Group 1 sprint.

“She's probably under the odds based on this year's form but would be over on her best form,” Dwyer admitted. 

Oisin Murphy, who has ridden Asfoora in nine of her 13 starts in the northern hemisphere, including for her trio of elite-level victories, also echoed Dwyer’s thoughts after Asfoora’s last-start effort.

“He [Oisin Murphy] hasn't had a lot to do with her this preparation bar riding her, but there wasn't much to say last time he just felt she didn't go a yard,” Dwyer said.

Dwyer revealed he is ‘cautiously optimistic’ that his star mare can get back to something like her best this week, and that she has shown no signs of slowing down in her work yet.

“All her work before that and after that [Haydock] race has been good, from where we're sitting in terms of her health and soundness she looks good in her work so I have no reason to believe that won't be the case on Tuesday” he added.

“I am relatively confident that she can get back to somewhere near her best, back on a nice clean track with blinkers back on, I am cautiously optimistic that she can.”

The daughter of Flying Artie (Artie Schiller) has faced Overpass before back in Australia, running a 0.8 lengths fourth behind the gelding in the 2023 The Quokka (1200m) at Ascot.

“We've raced against Overpass and we're pretty evenly matched I'd say,” Dwyer said. 

“They have the added incumbents of the travel, whereas we're obviously here and nearing our peak.

“He's obviously a very good sprinter and it looks a good race for him, he’s more of a six and maybe even seven-furlong horse back home but the thought seems to be that the stiffer five furlongs might suit him. 

“We've been there and done that and if she can get back to that form then she's going to be very hard to beat.”

As for what could come for Asfoora following Tuesday’s race, a lot will depend on the mare’s performance, although Dwyer did reiterate that she would head for the breeding barn later this year regardless of results.

“She's definitely going there this season, so she won't be served until September 1 at the earliest now so she has got the option of having a couple more runs after this, but that will of course depend on her form,” the trainer said.

“We don't want to drag it out if she happens to not be going well, if she runs well on Tuesday then we could maybe go to Goodwood again or keep her for the Nunthorpe at York and if she doesn't then we can pull the pin and send her back to Australia.”

Dwyer also commented on being granted an official UK trainer’s licence last week, something that had been a long time coming and will offer him a new set of clientele.

“I am delighted,” he said. “It has been a while in the works and something I have been thinking about for a while.

“It's just a nice addition to what we've been doing and gives us the flexibility to come over here and have a few runners or not, depending on what we have got. 

“My owners love coming over here to the races and I certainly do, so from a selfish point of view it allows me to keep doing that, and from a business point of view it allows my owners to do something different. 

“We bought two or three at the Tattersalls Horses-in-Training Sale last year and another two or three at the breeze-up sales so that is something that we will continue regardless and I just think if we're buying two or three-year-olds then there is no reason not to keep them here for a season as they're six months behind those in Australia.”

As well as Asfoora, Dwyer also hopes to have Synners Kid (Ten Sovereigns) running in the Britannia Stakes (1m) on Thursday and Kochella (Kodiac) in Friday’s Albany Stakes (Gr 3, 6f).

“It [handicap mark of 89] has got horses in for five of the last ten years, so we're hopeful,” Dwyer said of Synners Kid. 

“If he doesn't get in then there's a mile handicap at Newmarket on the Friday night and also the Golden Gates Handicap at Ascot on the Saturday but we will just play it by ear.”

Third on debut earlier this month, two-year-old Kochella looks promising, “She needs to step up a lot you'd think but she was bought to race at Ascot and it'll be mission accomplished if she gets to the barriers really, and if she runs well it'll be a bonus. 

“All the owners are going to be there, from America and Australia and a few from here so if she can run well we'd be thrilled.”

‘I think he looks fantastic’ – Team Overpass hopeful of another big effort from stable legend

The word ‘legend’ can be bandied around quite a considerable amount in today’s day and age, but that word is absolutely deserved for the Bjorn Baker-trained Overpass.

A mere $75,000 purchase from Book 2 of the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in 2020, the now seven-year-old gelding has amassed a quite extraordinary record.

A total of ten wins including back-to-back victories in Perth’s Winterbottom Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m), and a further eight placings, have his prize-money haul at over $12.5 million.

Now, the son of Vancouver (Medaglia D’Oro) takes on an altogether different challenge of beating the UK, Ireland, France, and his very own Australia in Tuesday’s King Charles III Stakes at Ascot.

“So far so good, I've been absolutely thrilled with him,” Baker told ANZ. “I think he looks fantastic and we know he goes well fresh-up.

“Charlie [Hills] and his team have been very accommodating so that has definitely made it easier for us.

“There is a fair bit of unknown, obviously the undulating straight is a different test and we are taking on some unknown competitors for us, but I can only focus on my horse and at the end of the day I couldn't really be happier with him.

“One thing he has plenty of is air travel, he's gone to Perth six times, which is a five-hour flight from us, so he has had 12 flights before this trip so we were hoping he would handle it well, and I think he has.”

Those air-travel hours have totalled up during Overpass’ trips to Australia’s own Ascot Racecourse, journeys that have seen the gelding land his 2023 and 2024 Winterbottoms and also wins in the 2023 and 2024 The Quokka.

Recent form has seen Overpass run second in the 2025 Winterbottom, third in The Gold Rush (Gr 3, 1400m) and an excellent front-running fourth in October’s The Everest (Gr 1, 1200m) – just 1.5 lengths behind Hong Kong superstar and world’s best sprinter Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress).

“He's definitely consistent and he's been running at the top level for a long time,” Baker said. 

“He's been and clashed with the likes of Nature Strip, Ka Ying Rising and Joliestar so he's definitely been competing against the best sprinters for a while and we're hopeful that the form can hold up. 

“The previous track record of Australians at this meeting gives us a little bit of confidence, but saying that he probably isn't quite at the same level as a Nature Strip. He is consistent though and the weather looks good, which is a plus for us.”

Ascot’s track surface was rated as good-to-firm on Monday, and Baker is hoping for dry weather in the lead up to Tuesday’s contest – which is forecast.

“He can get through a softish track ok, but when it hits the heavy range in Australia he starts to struggle,” the Warwick Farm-based trainer admitted.

“Even with his most recent run when fourth in the T J Smith the ground there was definitely a little bit soft for him and he did paddle a little bit late there so I think when you look at his record the faster the track the better to be honest.”

Tuesday’s contest will see Overpass take on a familiar rival in Asfoora, the winner of the King Charles III Stakes back in 2024 and one that Baker is taking very seriously.

“She's been there and done it, so you have to respect her and her great record in recent times,” he said. “She has definitely been going well.”

Overpass is known predominantly back in Australia for his exploits over 1200 metres, and actually hasn’t raced over the bare 1000 metres since his maiden success at Orange in April, 2021.

However, with Ascot’s stiff uphill finish providing a much different test to Australia’s bare 1000 metres, Baker feels Tuesday’s five-furlong contest is the correct choice over Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes – where he would also have the task of taking on Joliestar.

“It's probably a little bit of both to be honest,” Baker said on the distance decision and avoiding the Joliestar match up.

“We know that Joliestar is definitely one of our benchmark sprinters so her going to the 1200-metre race [Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes] is probably a little bit of relief and I do think the 1000 metres here will play like an 1100-metre or even 1200-metre race in Australia so that will suit us.

“We're hopeful that he can run up to his best, that is all we can do. We're very grateful to be here, it's going to be amazing to have a runner at Royal Ascot and hopefully we can be competitive.”

Echoing those thoughts is Darby Syndications director Scott Darby.

“Going for the 1000 [metres] makes sense, I think going to the 1200 could’ve been a different story,” Darby told ANZ. 

“The reason we keep him to 1200 here in Australia is because we’ve got 800-metre speed horses in the 1000-metre races and he likes to be at the front and dominate. 

“I don’t think that will be an issue over this trip in Europe. He is the sort of horse that needs to dominate, and if he doesn’t then he can be vulnerable, but there haven't been too many races that he hasn’t been able to in this grade. 

“Even Ka Ying Rising didn’t take him on, he sat off him and then ran him down, but our lad put up a good show. It’d have to be a high-class horse to take him on, it doesn’t happen very often.”

Darby is very content in the fact his star racehorse is a frequent flyer, and feels that his previous trips to Perth have made a big difference on his journey over to the UK.

“I think when you look at the positives and negatives, the positives are that he is a fantastic traveller,” Darby added.

“I’m back in Australia but I’m hearing that even when Joliestar got a little bit anxious he was a good companion and he’s just been a super traveller every time we’ve gone to Western Australia. 

“He’s tough, sound and barely drops his form when given the right situation. 

“I think the negatives could be what the track could serve up on the day, a dry or wet track, and whether he handles the undulations of the straight. 

“Josh [Parr] knows him so well and his idiosyncrasies. I guess the biggest challenge for him is that he is inexperienced at the track himself, but he’s been around.

“He’s one of the fastest horses you’d see out of the gates usually, so I would imagine he could take up the running and be hard to run down, but then again Bjorn and Josh might have a Plan B and C!

“For the owners it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to go halfway around the world and take the horse that they love with them and test him against some of Europe’s best sprinters, it’s a big thrill.”

Darby purchased Overpass in partnership with Will Johnson Bloodstock, although admitted he nearly decided to leave the horse at the sale after discovering he had a chip in his hind fetlock.

“It’s actually unbelievable because I can put my hand up here and say that he actually had a small chip in his hind fetlock at the sale,” Darby said.

“We were keen on the horse. I make the final decision on these things and I decided we would leave him as the chip had to be taken out before we syndicated him, which could've been three-to-six months, but luckily the team rallied around and said they wanted him. 

“I mean we could’ve left him there! He’s an incredible horse, and I think it is going to take a bit of time after he retires to sort of take it in. 

“A horse that is up to over $12.5 million in prize-money and still looks as though he has some big races left in him yet, when you’re involved in that it is a bit hard to quantify and reflect on what he has done. 

“He’ll be a very hard horse to top in our colours, and we’ve had some very good ones. He is never going to be champion on the track, but he’s definitely a champion for us.”

Baker added further praise to Overpass and what he has done for his stable in the 15 years he has been training in Australia, and also what a win in Tuesday’s contest would mean.

“He's been remarkable for us and he has probably been the backbone of the last few years of success for my stable so he's very special to us,” Baker said.

“Darby are big supporters of mine and they do a great job in getting people in Australia into racing. I've been in Australia for 15 years and it has pretty much been a 20-year journey from when I was living in Europe for four years, London for two and Dublin for two, so it would cap off what has been a remarkable 20 years getting involved in the racing industry.”

Waller’s mare aiming to be the star attraction at Ascot

Star Australian sprinter Joliestar (Zoustar) will be bidding to showcase her abundance of talent on one of Europe’s biggest stages when she takes to the hallowed Royal Ascot turf for Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (Gr 1, 6f).

The now five-year-old has gone from landing the Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) as a three-year-old, to now arguably the country’s best sprinter after completing a hat-trick of wins with her T J Smith Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) success on April 4.

A total of five Group 1 victories have come from the mare’s ten wins to date, and a further seven placings see her with prize-money earnings of over $9 million in what is just a 21-start career. 

Waller has sent over a sprinter of a similar calibre, albeit slightly higher, to land a big prize at Royal Ascot before in Nature Strip (Nicconi), who soared home for a breathtaking four and a half lengths success in the King Charles III Stakes (then known as the King’s Stand Stakes) in 2022, and looks to have a big chance of doubling his tally at the royal meeting with Joliestar.

The daughter of Zoustar (Northern Meteor) took in a gallop over 800 metres at Ascot Racecourse on Friday morning, and pleased Waller’s assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth with her work.

“Joliestar had a gallop this morning [Friday] over 800 metres, 15 seconds per furlong for the first two furlongs before quickening up under a nice hold for the last two furlongs,” Duckworth said.

“Today [Friday] was more about having a look at the track, pre-parade ring and parade ring, just to familiarise her with the surroundings. It was a confidence-boosting piece of work rather than a gut-buster as she has only been in the country eight days.”

Joliestar’s last three starts have seen her elevated to top rank in the Australian sprinting division, with a win in the Expressway Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) followed by victories in the Canterbury Stakes (Gr 1, 1300m) and T J Smith.

“Her form in Australia is rock solid. She has won her last three starts, including the T J Smith Stakes against a really good field,” Duckworth added. 

“She put them to bed quite well that day on a track that was probably softer than she likes, so I don’t think she has been in as good a form. 

“We are unsure how to marry that up against the opposition for next Saturday, but we are going off the fact that Nature Strip won the T J Smith Stakes and was good enough to come here and do us all proud.

“Joliestar won the Guineas over a mile as a three-year-old and, although we have dropped her back to sprinting subsequently, that gives us confidence that she can see out the stiff six furlongs. 

“With Nature Strip, 1200 metres [in Australia] was his absolute max, which is why he went to the King Charles III Stakes.

“It is a huge thrill to be here again, especially for Cambridge Stud who selected Joliestar as a yearling. It has been a journey in terms of working out her best distance. 

“I don’t think there are many who win a Guineas and then four Group 1 races over 1200 metres. It is pretty exciting and I think she is a worthy favourite, although I am probably biased!”

Also looking forward to Joliestar’s northern hemisphere debut are Cambridge Stud owners Sir Brendan and Lady Jo Lindsay, who purchased their star for $950,000 out of Segenhoe Stud at the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

The pair have tasted success at Royal Ascot previously, having co-owned 2020 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (then Diamond Jubilee Stakes) winner Hello Youmzain (Kodiac) in partnership with French stud Haras d’Etreham.

“Chris [Waller] had the idea of bringing Joliestar to Royal Ascot last year, but she wasn’t quite ready,” Lady Jo Lindsay said.

“She has matured since then and comes here having won three Group 1 races over the course of our season. 

“Being favourite brings a bit more expectation, which is not nice because we are already nervous! However, it is very exciting at the same time.

“When Hello Youmzain won, we could not be here because of Covid, so we watched on the sofa at three o’clock in the morning. 

“We had a quick glass of champagne and then went back to bed! We alternated the colours with Haras d’Etreham and it worked out that he carried our colours that day, which made it extra special. 

“Royal Ascot is one of the great carnivals, so we are delighted to be here this time and take in the whole experience.”

Sir Brendan echoed the thoughts of his wife, while also revealing that future plans for Joliestar are not yet set in place.

“Joliestar is the ultimate professional and just gets on with her job,” Sir Brendan said.

“Being at the top of the market does not make them run faster, but I think she deserves to be there because she is a champion in her own right with five Group 1 wins.

“We have invested a fair bit of money into Cambridge Stud and the broodmare band. We have Charyn coming down to stand with us this year, which is a real coup, and we also have a Guineas winner in Chaldean as well. 

“What happens with Joliestar after this race has not been decided, but hopefully we will be back here again in the future.”

The Australian interest for the week does not end with the three raiders however, with Terry Henderson’s OTI Racing once again preparing Docklands (Massaat) to run in Tuesday’s Queen Anne Stakes (Gr 1, 1m), a crown he will be defending after last year’s rousing success.

Just a day later on Wednesday, Snellen (Expert Eye), who runs in the famous silks of Tim Porter, is set to line up in the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes (Gr 2, 1m) for Harry Eustace. 

A shrewd £200,000 purchase at last year’s Goffs London Sale by Blandford Bloodstock’s Stuart Boman, the 2023 Chesham Stakes (Listed, 7f) winner went close to adding to her Royal Ascot tally when running a length second in the Kensington Palace Stakes (1m) just two days after her purchase.

Eustace will also have La Botte (Too Darn Hot) running in the Royal Hunt Cup (1m) on Wednesday in the silks of the late Colin McKenna. Raced by Halo Racing, Noel Greenhalgh, and J Degenhardt, La Botte was an unlucky second in last year’s Britannia Stakes and seeks to go one better in another handicap this week.

With the Goffs London Sale taking place on Monday evening (after ANZ publication times), there could well be even more runners carrying Australian silks or hopes at Ascot this week.

Connections may have wondered whether a trip to Eagle Farm and the Brisbane Cup (Gr 2, 3200m) would have brought greater riches. He was an acceptor for the Brisbane race and the track there would have been well within his scope as he has won on a Heavy 9 surface. However, a win is a win and the gelding is proving his worth.

One of four winners from four to race from the Keeper (Danehill) mare Hot Pants, a winning three-quarter blood sister to Group 2 Emancipation Stakes (1600m) winner Sworn To Secrecy (Keeper) and to the dam of triple Listed winner Guns At Five (Duelled). Hot Pants is also the dam of two-year-old Bella Bonita (Noverre), third placed in Ellerslie’s recent Champagne Stakes (Listed, 1600m).

No stopping the warrior

Eight-year-old marvel Western Empire (Iffraaj) marched to a stakes treble adding Perth’s Strickland Stakes (Gr 3, 2000m) to the Hyperion Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m) and the Belmont Sprint (Gr 3, 1400m), both last month.

Rider Willie Pike knew he was on the best runner and sat the gelding third, covering no extra ground until they straightened. Finding a lane outside the pacemaker they reached the lead inside the 200m and thereafter gave nothing else much of a chance to be well clear at the line and win number 14, his earnings approaching $3.7 million.

Originally owned and raced by his breeder Bob Peters before being sold to trainers Grant and Alana Williams, Western Empire is one of eight winners from Western Jewel (Jeune), three of which are by Iffraaj (Zafonic). The mare also foaled the Listed winner Western Temple (Dream Ahead) and she herself ranks as a half-sister to another Perth Listed winner Western Blaze (Hard Spun). For more on Western Empire see Kiwi Chronicles’ June 2nd edition.

Plenty of spirit

Deep south stud White Robe Lodge near Dunedin will be excited about the prospects of Arwen, the three-year-old daughter of their resident stallion Ancient Spirit (Invincible Spirit).

In the most impressive performance of the day at Te Rapa, Arwen drew barrier 13 of 15 and began well but was trapped wide forcing rider Corentin Berge to ease the filly and sit in the back half of the field. Leaving the back straight she was still three wide and into the last corner sat widest. From the 300 metres she lengthened stride, levelled up and had the measure of her opponents a long way out to win convincingly, her second win in four raceday starts.

A winner on debut in March, Arwen placed third twice before her return to the winner’s circle but the manner of her latest win suggests she is a filly with a bright future.

Ancient Spirit was ranked the leading miler of his crop in Germany at three, landing two Group 2s including the equivalent of the German Two Thousand Guineas (1600m). Kept in training, he added two Listed wins in Ireland as a five-year-old.

Arwen represents his first crop which also includes current season Listed winner Bobby McGee and Listed placed Golden Spirit. A graduate of the 2024 NZB National Yearling Sale (Book 1), purchased by her trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood for $80,000, the filly has something to live up to as both her dam and grandam were well above average performers.

Her dam Coulee (Gallant Guru) bagged 10 wins, three of which were at Group 3 level, namely the White Robe Lodge Stakes (1600m) and two versions of Riccarton’s South Island Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m). Arwen his her third winner from three to race.

Arwen’s grandam, Cherry Creek (Monashee Mountain), won eight times, her feature win the Canterbury Belle Stakes (Listed, 1200m) at Riccarton. Her dam Stage Flash (Lake Coniston) is a half-sister to the dam of another White Robe Lodge bred South Island Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes winner, Live Drama (Ghibellines).

Rumblings

Two newsletters were published last week touching on the current and future state of the New Zealand racing industry. By natural extension, what affects the racing industry also affects the breeding industry. One piece was guardedly optimistic, the other more pointed, from a source which often specialises in looking closely at issues which many would prefer to avoid. Where there is smoke there is fire and the second piece paints a different picture, especially regarding finance and the administrative structure.

In terms of finance, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) costs have escalated somewhat dramatically. The numbers pertaining to operation costs have ballooned 142% in nine years, from $8.4 million to $20.4 million. The cost of running the arm of NZTR known as the Racing Integrity Unit (RIU) has more than doubled in ten years, from $9 million to $19 million. Within that timeframe the country’s peak inflation rate of 7% took place soon after the Covid pandemic but that was for one year, not nine or ten.

Therefore, few should be surprised that a government appointed TAB Advisory Committee, comprising industry heavyweights Sir Peter Vela, Sir Brendan Lindsay, Ken Breckon, Greg Tomlinson, Chris Waller and Mark Chittick, wrote to NZTR’s Members’ Council. One conclusion of the committee stated that the current operating model of the New Zealand racing industry is “unlikely to remain sustainable beyond the 2027-28 guaranteed funding period, without coordinated structural reform.”

While such a conclusion regarding finances is a major concern, the Advisory Committee didn’t stop there, presenting a framework intended to “address persistent issues that have not been resolved through incremental or voluntary measures, including fragmented governance, duplicated administration, an over-extended venue footprint, and structurally stranded capital.”

The bombshell comment was that the Advisory Committee also concluded that without structural change nothing will change, apparently suggesting that board resignations, perhaps the entire board, might be in order.

Kiwi Chronicles’ conclusion is: When a group such as those on the Advisory Committee see the industry’s future, (not to mention their own investment), hugely impacted by NZTR’s management, the industry at large also needs to be aware and informed.

On the road again

On a lighter note, the innovative annual Windsor Park Stud tour and road show is once again taking place. Last week the marketing department took their product to the people, putting on drinks and nibbles while presenting their stallions to breeders in Auckland, Waikato and Hawke’s Bay. This coming week takes in New Plymouth (Wednesday 17th), Wanganui for lunch on Thursday 18th and wrapping up at Palmerston North that evening.

The NZB National Weanling Sale, set for Thursday June 25th, means that the show will continue the following week in Christchurch and Invercargill. Wellington breeders will get their opportunity to hear the latest in early July.

In conjunction with Mapperley Stud, the stud has, since their last tour, added Savaglee (Savabeel) to the roster. Savaglee was the dominant three-year-old of his crop, his best winning effort the New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m). An equal measure of his ability and class occurred in defeat when finishing a mighty second in the Australian Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m). Prior to his Australian venture he was also a solid third at weight-for-age in Te Rapa’s CBD Sprint (Gr 1, 1400m).

Savabeel’s sons Embellish (six stakes winners) and Cool Aza Beel (sire of Group 1 2YO Cool Archie, now at stud) are making their way. Noverre sired his first winner this past week. Savaglee certainly deserves his chance.

Also since last year are the first foals by champion miler Paddington (Siyouni) while the first crop from 160 coverings by Auguste Rodin (Deep Impact) is due this coming spring. Meanwhile, Profondo (Deep Impact) continues to be very popular, covering 153 mares in his third season. He already has 230 foals from his first two crops on the ground so has been given plenty of opportunity to succeed.

Circus Maximus (Galileo) is off and running, siring the New Zealand Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Road To Paris from his initial crop but the highlight of the presentation might be race replays of the best sprinter in the world, Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress). His sire has known fertility issues but breeders are prepared to take their chances. The last two seasons Shamexpress (O’Reilly) has averaged 100 mares, up from a previous average of just under 60. Who wouldn’t love to breed another Ka Ying Rising?