HKIR Winners Back To Work in Hong Kong

[Wandering Eyes]

While G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup hero Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) is tucked away neatly in Dubai preparing for next Friday's G1 Jebel Hatta at Meydan, the two other locally based gallopers to salute during the international races meeting six weeks ago return to action on what could be an historic day of racing Sunday at Sha Tin.

Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) goes in search of his ninth consecutive victory and his 10th from 12 career outings when he looks to consolidate his stranglehold on the local sprint division in the G1 Centenary Sprint Cup. The David Hayes trainee rocketed through the grades last season, closing off with a maiden Group 3 win in June, and he's only gone from strength to strength since. An easy winner in Group 2 company in October and November, he was more workmanlike than he was spectacular in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint on Dec. 8, but got the job done all the same, besting the re-opposing Helios Express (Aus) (Toronado {Ire}) by a half-length.

Ka Ying Rising has drawn widest in a field of eight, having become the first to win the International Sprint from barrier 11 last time.

“Obviously he [Ka Ying Rising] has got good gate speed, so that's an asset,” said jockey Zac Purton. “There's a little bit of speed inside him. Being drawn outside in a small field is always tricky because the runners to the inside generally try to hold a more prominent position than they might normally in a bigger field. So, I would expect a few horses to do that and it might not be easy to get across, so I'll need a little bit of luck.”

Purton enters Sunday's action within four victories of supplanting the legendary Douglas Whyte as the winningest jockey in Hong Kong history.

James McDonald returns from a suspension and warms up for the Jebel Hatta with the mount aboard defending champion Voyage Bubble (Aus) (Deep Field {Aus}) in Sunday's G1 Stewards' Cup over the metric mile.

Unplaced in an incident-marred G1 Dubai Turf last March and well-beaten behind Romantic Warrior in the Yasuda Kinen in June, the 2023 BMW Hong Kong Derby hero defeated Chancheng Glory (Mor Spirit) in the G2 Jockey Club Mile in November and improved on his runner-up effort in 2023 to take out the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile last time, with champion Japanese miler Soul Rush (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) 1 1/4 lengths adrift in second.

 

Zac Purton moves to within three wins of Hong Kong jockey record. #HappyWednesday #HKracing@LeoSchlink reports.

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— HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) January 15, 2025

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