Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) continued his preparation for the G1 The Everest with a barrier trial over 1,000 metres at Randwick on Tuesday, with trainer David Hayes admitting afterwards that he had “seen him trial better”.Nine-time Group 1 winner Ka Ying Rising – who currently leads the LONGINES World's Best Racehorse Rankings on 135 – went straight to the lead under regular rider Zac Purton and remained at the head of the pack entering the home turn.Under restraint, Ka Ying Rising went stride for stride with Ninja, before the latter edged to the line narrowly in front under Tommy Berry, ultimately passing the post a neck ahead of Ka Ying Rising in a final time of 59.46s.“Better than last year, but I have seen him trial better,” Hayes said of the exercise, with Ka Ying Rising having taken part in a similar trial before his victory in the 2025 edition of The Everest.“He didn't change legs. That's always an indicator he's going pretty easy. When Zac puts him under a bit of pressure, he changes legs and finds a lot. It's a pass mark today – but not exciting.“It is a trial and we don't screw him down for the trial. He will be screwed down a lot more for the race coming up. Just watch last year's trial and watch the race. He's a little bit better this year in the trial and [he'll be] a little bit better, hopefully, in the race.“The trial was probably run four seconds slower than race tempo. Zac was ambling into the straight. He won't be doing that in the race – he'll be letting rip. He's 30 pounds bigger than he was this time last year. I think bigger is better.”It's now less than two weeks until Ka Ying Rising attempts to defend his title in The Everest, which takes place at Randwick on Saturday, October 17 and is worth A$20 million (approx. £10.5 million).The six-year-old will line up as the winner of his last 21 starts, with Purton describing the challenge ahead of him as “the strongest sprint race on the calendar”.The jockey added of Tuesday's trial, “He certainly needed the hit-out. He pulled up having a bigger blow than what he did from his race recently. It gets him back into the routine, gets him familiar with what's going on here. We saw last year how much that helped him on race day and I think it will do the same.“I'd prefer him to be on top of the ground. He likes it when it's a hard and fast deck. As we've seen in the trial – and the trial last year – he seems to labour in the softer ground. Let's hope the sun comes out and stays out.“It's going to be a strong race. People have been downplaying it and saying there's not much there, but history tells us it's the strongest sprint race on the calendar.” Ka Ying Rising CRUISES in his final hit out before the TAB Everest on 17 October Ninja crosses the finish line first in the barrier trial at Royal Randwick.@tabcomau @racing_nsw @HKJC_Racing https://t.co/ATXpwerdzN— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) October 5, 2026The post Ka Ying Rising ‘Not Exciting’ In Barrier Trial Ahead Of The Everest Defence appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.