Ka Ying Rising Draws Wide in The Everest Barrier Draw 2026

Ka Ying Rising Draws Wide in The Everest Barrier Draw 2026 – Trifecta News Summary:

• Defending champion and race favourite Ka Ying Rising has drawn barrier 11 for the $20 million The Everest at Randwick.

• Chris Waller-trained Joliestar has landed barrier 5, the most successful gate in the race's history with two wins.

• The 12-horse field is locked in for Saturday, 17 October 2026, the 10th edition of the world's richest turf race.

The Everest Barrier Draw: Ka Ying Rising Faces a Wide Gate

The Everest barrier draw was held on Tuesday night, and the final field is now set for a huge Saturday of racing at Royal Randwick. 

The David Hayes-trained Ka Ying Rising is chasing back-to-back wins in the $20 million sprint after taking out the 2025 edition with Zac Purton aboard.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club's slot runner remains the race favourite despite drawing barrier 11. That gate has not produced a winner of the race in recent times. 

However, barriers 10 and 12 have both delivered winners, so a wide draw has not stopped horses from saluting in the past.

Hayes has suggested the barrier may work in Ka Ying Rising's favour, though he noted that a wet track remains a concern heading into Saturday.

Barrier Stats from 10 Editions of The Everest

With the race only in its 10th year, the sample size is still small, but several trends have emerged:

• Barrier 5 is the most successful gate, with two wins. Joliestar, trained by Chris Waller and set to be ridden by James McDonald, has drawn barrier 5 this year.
• Barrier 11 has had no previous winners in recent times, the gate Ka Ying Rising will jump from.
• Barriers 10 and 12 have each produced winners, the gates drawn by Caballus and Giga Kick respectively.

Elsewhere in The Everest barrier draw, Godolphin's Tempted, trained by Ciaron Maher, drew the inside gate in barrier 1, while Yulong Investments' Angel Capital will jump from barrier 2.

The Everest 2026 Final Field and Barriers

Here is the complete field following The Everest barrier draw, including slot holders, trainers and likely jockeys:

- 1. Ka Ying Rising — Slot: Hong Kong Jockey Club — Trainer: David Hayes — Jockey: Zac Purton — Barrier: 11

- 2. Jimmysstar — Slot: TAB — Trainer: Ciaron Maher — Jockey: Nash Rawiller — Barrier: 8

- 3. Giga Kick — Slot: Coolmore — Trainer: Clayton Douglas — Jockey: Dylan Gibbons — Barrier: 12

- 4. Angel Capital — Slot: Yulong Investments — Trainer: Chris Waller — Jockey: Ben Melham — Barrier: 2

- 5. Caballus — Slot: James Harron Bloodstock — Trainer: Bjorn Baker — Jockey: Tim Clark — Barrier: 10

- 6. Headwall — Slot: Neil Werrett & Partners — Trainer: Matthew Smith — Jockey: Kerrin McEvoy — Barrier: 6

- 7. Ninja — Slot: Fairway Thoroughbreds — Trainer: Michael Freedman — Jockey: Tommy Berry — Barrier: 3

- 8. Joliestar — Slot: Chris Waller Racing — Trainer: Chris Waller — Jockey: James McDonald — Barrier: 5

- 9. Tempted — Slot: Godolphin — Trainer: Ciaron Maher — Jockey: Chad Schofield — Barrier: 1

- 10. Spicy Martini — Slot: Inglis — Trainer: Toby Edmonds — Jockey: Taylor Marshall — Barrier: 4

- 11. Savvy Hallie — Slot: Mulberry Racing — Trainer: Brad Widdup — Jockey: Zac Lloyd — Barrier: 7

- 12. Blue Door — Slot: Newgate/GPI-RACING — Trainer: Bjorn Baker — Jockey: Jamie Melham — Barrier: 9

Storylines to Follow Before Everest Day

Beyond the barriers, the 2026 field brings several notable storylines:

1. Spicy Martini's rise: The Toby Edmonds-trained mare was purchased for just $8000. Edmonds has described her emergence as one of "the biggest flukes ever". She jumps from barrier 4.

2. Ninja's ownership story: Part-owner David Blumberg paid $55,000 for a stake in the Michael Freedman-trained Ninja, who will be ridden by Tommy Berry from barrier

3. Multiple runners for leading stables: Chris Waller (Angel Capital and Joliestar), Ciaron Maher (Jimmysstar and Tempted) and Bjorn Baker (Caballus and Blue Door) each have two horses in the race.

The Everest will be run at Royal Randwick on Saturday, 17 October 2026, on the same day as the Caulfield Cup in Melbourne. 

Keep an eye on track conditions and the latest racing odds as the week progresses, with The Everest barrier draw now shaping the markets for the world's richest turf race.