WUNDERBAR GIVES SIZE PUSH-UP

Ka Ying Rising's only nemesis rebounds to bring Aussie trainer closer to 13th HK title

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HONG KONG - Famed as the only horse to have beaten champion sprinter Ka Ying Rising, Wunderbar catapulted John Size closer to a record-extending 13th Hong Kong trainers' championship with a devastating return to form at Sha Tin on June 14.

Twice victorious over Ka Ying Rising in the pair's three-year-old season, Wunderbar had bone fragments removed from a knee in January, 2024 — a day after his second triumph over the horse now acclaimed as the world's highest-rated sprinter — and has endured a rollercoaster since.

As Ka Ying Rising advanced to a perfect eight-win 2024-25 season while claiming four Group 1s, Wunderbar has taken a less celebrated path. He notched a pair of early season wins before finishing out of the placings at his past three runs.

Ridden conservatively by Hugh Bowman in the HK$2.84 million (S$463,000) Class 2 HKU Business School And Faculty Of Engineering Handicap (1,200m), the chestnut showed his quality after settling midfield in the 11-horse field behind Bottomuptogether.

He then swept through a gap in the straight to down stablemate Raging Blizzard and Harmony N Blessed in 1min 8.12sec.

The gelding's seventh victory in 12 starts propelled Size to 63 wins for the season, nine clear of David Hayes (54) with only eight meetings left, and presented more evidence of the master horseman's elite craftmanship.