Hayes pits Tomodachi Kokoroe against Ka Ying Rising

David Hayes will test a resurgent Tomodachi Kokoroe against stable star and The Everest winner Ka Ying Rising in Sunday’s Group 2 Jockey Club Sprint at Sha Tin.

Tomodachi Kokoroe, who raced as Bank Bank Bank in Australia, ran the second fastest 1200-metre time ever at Sha Tin, behind only Ka Ying Rising, when he won the Gr 3 Premier Bowl in 1:07.39 last month.

Hayes told HKJC that he was willing to step the Written Tycoon gelding up against the world’s best sprinter

“We’ll see him against the champ. I knew I’d have the leading sprinter, but Tomodachi Kokoroe, well it’s incredible,” Hayes said.

“It took him eight starts to win in Class 4, and as a seven-year-old now, he’s arguably inside the top three sprinters in Hong Kong. He’s a revelation – a fantastic horse.”

Hayes revealed a key change in the horse’s form had been a gear adjustment.

“He’s always shown he’s a good horse, but he’s a horse like so many, who just took that time at the start to adjust to Hong Kong. We’re training him the same, but the one thing that has made a massive difference is the one-eyed blinker,” Hayes said.

Bank Bank Bank won his six starts for north Queensland trainer Ricky Ludwig before being sold to Hong Kong in 2022. He had three starts in Victoria before being bought online by Ludwig.