Ka Ying Rising a perfect Karaka curtain-raiser for Windsor Park

Media Release - Sunday January 19

Windsor Park Stud has drawn on a diverse range of sires from across Australasia to make up its Karaka 2025 yearling draft, but a week out from the sale, all eyes will be on one of their own stallions.

Shamexpress has had a remarkable resurgence, headed by his champion Hong Kong sprinter Ka Ying Rising. The freakish four-year-old has won all of his last eight starts culminating in last month’s Gr.1 Hong Kong Sprint (1200m), and he makes an eagerly anticipated return to raceday action in this evening’s Gr.1 Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m).

Ka Ying Rising is a Hong Kong superstar for Shamexpress - image Grant Courtney

“Having him in a Group One race on Sunday is an exciting way to lead into the sale, and especially since we’re offering the only Shamexpress colt in Book 1 at Karaka,” Windsor Park’s nominations manager Nick Hewson said.

This will be the first Book 1 appearance since 2022 for Shamexpress, who had progeny sell for $280,000 and $260,000 during the Ready to Run Sale at Karaka in November.

“It’s been amazing to see what has happened with the profile of Shamexpress in recent times,” Hewson said. “He had some strong results in the Ready to Run Sale, and now he’s back in Book 1 for the first time in a few years. It’s absolutely deserved and he’s a commercial stallion now.

“He’s had a great year. Lim’s Saltoro became only the second horse to win the four-year-old Triple Crown in Singapore, Grinzinger Belle has won a Group Two and two Group Threes in Melbourne, Blue Sky At Night took out the Waikato Cup (Gr.3, 2400m), and that’s all without mentioning the world’s fastest horse, Ka Ying Rising in Hong Kong. Hopefully his progeny will be well received at Karaka.”

Shamexpress has entries in Book 1 this year.

Windsor Park Stud’s Shamexpress colt in Book 1 is Lot 68, from the family of Group One winners Sixty Seconds, Legs, Guyno and Xtravagant.

The Shamexpress colt is one of 35 yearlings catalogued in Book 1 for Windsor Park Stud, backed up by another 20 in Book 2. The draft is made up of the progeny of 20 different stallions, including first-season sire Armory, who is owned by Windsor Park in partnership with Mapperley Stud.

“We’re very excited about Armory,” Hewson said. “His first crop of yearlings are nice, strong horses and we’ve had great feedback about them so far. People have been very impressed with the types that he’s leaving.

Advertisement

“He was a very precocious horse himself. He was a top two-year-old who won three times from just seven starts, and then he went on to perform at a high level at three and four. That included placings in the Cox Plate (Gr.1, 2040m), Irish Champion Stakes (Gr.1, 2000m) and the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (Gr.1, 2000m). We think he has a great profile for our part of the world, and we really like the Armory yearlings we’re selling in our draft.”

Other stallions represented in the draft include Windsor Park’s own Circus Maximus, Vanbrugh and Turn Me Loose, along with big names from elsewhere in the Australasian scene like Pierro, So You Think, Satono Aladdin, Contributer and Ocean Park. At the other end of the scale, Windsor Park will be selling first-crop progeny by exciting newcomers Sword Of State, Noverre, St Mark’s Basilica, Pinatubo, Captivant and Wild Ruler.

“We’ve got a lot of first-season sires represented, which I think is a real highlight of our draft,” Hewson said. “We’re selling some cracking yearlings by Sword Of State (Lots 446 and 447).

“We’ve also got some very nice yearlings from the second crop of Circus Maximus. We’re getting some great reports from trainers about his first two-year-olds this season, and it sounds like they’re only going to get better once they turn three.

“There’s a lovely Circus Maximus filly out of Risque Business (Lot 246). Risque Business has been a great producing mare, and this filly is a half to the Group performer It’s Business Time.

“Another one I really like is the Turn Me Loose colt out of Greatest Joy (Lot 642). The dam is a full-sister to the great racemare More Joyous, and this colt is an outstanding type of horse. There’s also a stunning colt by So You Think (Lot 175).

“Across the board, it’s a really good, diverse draft. I think the variety of stallions is a real drawcard.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Advertisment
More Reading...
Incredible Quality in Magic Millions Virtual Sale
A breeding right to the world's most prolific sire - by elite level strike rate - will stand alongside a swag of stakes performed fillies and mares in next month's Magic Millions August Virtual Sale, with the initial catalogue unveiled today.
Consecutive Black Type Victories For Snitzel Filly Bridal Waltz
Stepping up to open company is always a tough task, but 3yo Snitzel filly Bridal Waltz graduated from a last start Listed win over her own age to win the $200,000 Group 3 MRC Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.
G1 Placed Lavalier Tops Inglis Digital for Godolphin
The fourth most successful Inglis Digital auction in history tonight concluded with 15 lots realising $100,000 or more, leading to a gross in excess of $7m.
Inglis Digital Now Online - G1 Winner Velocious the Star
The G1-winning Champion 2YO Velocious (Written Tycoon) has been joined by a host of outstanding racing and breeding prospects in a tantalising Inglis Digital July (Late) Online Sale catalogue.
Another G1 Triumph for Aga Khan Stud Bred Gelding
Aga Khan Studs don’t race a lot of geldings, but one that they do is Calandagan, who made it back to back G1 wins overnight when beating a select field in a tactical battle to win the Group I King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (1m4f) at Ascot.
Season Finale Flourish for So You Think
Coolmore stalwart So You Think is powering to the end of the Australian racing season with a six winner flurry on Saturday highlighted by a winning treble at Randwick led by his progressive mare Oh Diamond Lil.
Unbeaten Run Continues For Ole Kirk’s Daughter Ole Dancer
Successful in the Magic Millions SA 2YO Classic at Murray Bridge on debut back in March, the Peter Moody and Katherine Colemen trained filly Ole Dancer resumed at Sandown on Saturday, winning the Senet Gambling Law Experts Handicap (1200m) to remain unbeaten.
Winning Hat-Trick for Gold Standard 2YO
When an unheralded sire produces a Group I winner in their first crop as happened for Sebring stallion Gold Standard it can take a long time for the benefit of that early splash to take effect, but in his case the wait is nearly over and in the meantime Destiny’s Summit is a good reminder as to his merit.
JRHA Foal Sale – Equinox Fever and Aussie Star Mares
The JRHA Select Sale continued on Tuesday with the prized foal session and while the sale-topper always looked an obvious one with the Equinox colt from Champion US Mare Midnight Bisou widely tipped to star, our Aussie bred mares still made their presence felt.
First SW For So You Think Stallion Tamasa As Cicala Takes Out Lightning
One of just three named foals by the So You Think stallion Tamasa, the Will Clarken and Niki O’Shea trained 3yo filly Cicala remained unbeaten, going three from three by winning the $120,000 Listed SAJC Lightning Stakes (1050m) at Morphettville.