From the moment he was born at New Zealand’s Windsor Park Stud, there was something special about Ka Ying Rising.

Fraser Auret, the breeder who had a remarkable case of beginner’s luck, knew it. Even his three children Milton, Oscar and Grace knew it.

“Our young children called him ‘rocket’,” Auret said. “He was a cracking foal. He’s actually the first horse I’ve ever bred, would you believe?”

Auret is the man behind the initial chapter of Ka Ying Rising’s incredible story, which will reach a new high if the emerging superstar claims Sunday’s Group One Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m) at Sha Tin.

However, it was only by chance that the New Zealand trainer of about 20 years finally did what he was probably destined to.

Despite being the son of Nigel and Adaire Auret, successful breeders for more than 40 years, Fraser considered himself too impatient to take the plunge into breeding thoroughbreds.

“It was always possibly on the cards to give it a go, but I had absolutely no idea about the crosses and all that sort of thing. I was very much an amateur,” Auret said. “I’m certainly no pedigree expert, but there’s a lot of luck involved.”

Auret’s first foray into following in the footsteps of his parents started with Missy Moo, a Per Incanto mare who proved to be a solid campaigner for Auret’s Grandmoral Lodge Racing stable.

She won five races from 1,200m to 2,050m in her 25 starts and was retired after finishing down the track in the Group Three Wellington Cup (3,200m) in 2019.

“She was a very talented mare herself, but she had some troubles with arthritis,” Auret said.

“When she retired, the elderly chap who owned her didn’t want to breed with her and at the time, we were doing a bit of work for Windsor Park, where Shamexpress stands.

“Shamexpress obviously is a very good stallion. He can leave a good filly or a good colt and he was a very, very fast horse himself. So that’s how it all fell into place.”

The result of the mating continued to turn heads in his early education with Auret and it didn’t take long for bloodstock agents to take notice.

“We reared him here, broke him in and got him up and going,” Auret said. “He certainly looked like he was destined for big things right the way through, even when we were breaking him in.

“We took him through a couple of preparations and to some jump-outs and that’s when he ended up being snapped up. He was purchased and the rest is sort of history.”

The horse was sold to Lindsay Park, a famed racing and breeding operation in Australia over many decades.

He appeared in a Flemington jump-out and Moe trial, winning both impressively for co-trainers and brothers Ben, Will and JD Hayes. He was then sold to Hong Kong, joining the stable of the Hayes boys’ father, Australian Racing Hall of Fame trainer David.

Making his race debut last December after winning each of his five Hong Kong trials, Ka Ying Rising saluted by almost three lengths over 1,200m at Sha Tin.

At his next two starts, the then three-year-old was beaten narrowly by Wunderbar, who looks a promising sprinter in his own right after notching two victories to start his current campaign.

Ka Ying Rising hasn’t tasted defeat since, reeling off a scintillating seven consecutive wins to stake his claim as arguably the world’s best sprinter.

After finishing last season by bagging the Group Three Sha Tin Trophy (1,200m), he returned with stunning successes in the Class One HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup (1,200m), Group Three Premier Bowl (1,200m) and Group Two Jockey Club Sprint (1,200m).

In his latest performance, he eclipsed Sacred Kingdom’s 17-year-old track record by 0.07 seconds while being eased down late by rider Zac Purton.

Auret has followed every step of Ka Ying Rising’s incredible rise from a rating of 52 to 128 in just 10 starts.

“It’s very, very exciting to be able to follow his journey,” he said. “Obviously in New Zealand selling is part of the business and we do sell a lot of horses all around the place. It gives you a buzz when they can go onto bigger and better things.

“I must say it’s been a pleasure sitting back and watching the job David’s done. He’s just handled the horse so well. He was a later maturing type who was probably on the weak side as a younger horse, and it’s been lovely that he’s allowed him to strengthen before he’s asked too many questions of him.

“They’re certainly reaping the rewards now. The world’s his oyster at the moment.”

A three-time Group One winner as a handler, Auret looks set to taste elite-level success as a breeder when Ka Ying Rising starts a red-hot favourite in the Hong Kong Sprint.

And there is another chapter in Auret’s story to unfold in Hong Kong, with Ka Ying Rising’s half-brother Ka Ying Glory arriving in the city in October after he was sold to owner Leung Wai-chuk, the manager of the Ka Ying Syndicate. The unraced three-year-old is also trained by Hayes.

“The mare had another foal by Turn Me Loose, also from Windsor Park, and he was actually a magnificent horse who showed a heap of ability,” Auret said.

“He was a different type of horse – quite tall, a big unit. He was quite impressive at the jump-outs as well, so he’s gone to the same stable. He’s certainly got big shoes to fill.”

Ka Ying Glory was Missy Moo’s last foal, with her chronic arthritis forcing Auret to make the difficult call to have her euthanised.

“When she was carrying the second foal, the more pregnant she got, she was getting more lame,” Auret said.

“We made the unfortunate but necessary decision to put her down. At the time I thought ‘two colts in a row, you beauty’, but it would have been nice to get a filly out of her, that’s for sure.”

Breeding has become a bigger part of Auret’s life as he hopes to find another Ka Ying Rising.

“It certainly isn’t something I’ve done on purpose, but all of a sudden there’s four mares here now,” he said.

“One mare had a nice Shamexpress colt a few weeks ago – I don’t know if I can be that lucky, but it would be nice to think lightning could strike twice.”