Ka Ying Rising returns in Gr.2 Jockey Club Sprint romp

[Wandering Eyes]

Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress) maintained a relentless pursuit of racing history and stretched his unbeaten sequence to 15 races with a devastating display of power and speed to land the HK$5.35 million Gr.2 Jockey Club Sprint (1200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Unvanquished since January 2024, Ka Ying Rising (128lb) obliterated nine rivals in clocking the second-fastest time in history over 1200m at Sha Tin – 1m 07.33s, marginally outside his own track record of 1m 07.20s – despite being eased down over the last 100m by jockey Zac Purton.

Conceding five pounds to the rest of the field, the world’s highest-rated sprinter jumped cleanly to lead from barrier 10 before settling in second place behind Beauty Waves and, such was his superiority, Purton said the tempo was still not fast enough – despite a blistering sectional of 21.93s from the 800m to the 400m.

Purton quickly put the issue beyond doubt on straightening as Ka Ying Rising surged clear inside the last 200m before being allowed to saunter to the line. The winning margin of two-and-three-quarter lengths flattered runner-up Fast Network with Helios Express third, a further length-and-three-quarters away.

Ka Ying Rising’s 15th consecutive win leaves him third overall for the most wins in a row by a Hong Kong trained horse behind Silent Witness (17) and Golden Sixty (16).

With the HK$28 million Gr.1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) at Sha Tin on 14 December seemingly at his mercy, the Shamexpress gelding continues to impress Purton with his maturity, having successfully travelled back to Sha Tin after landing the Gr.1 The Everest (1200m) in Sydney on 18 October.

“He just looks better all the time. He’s mentally getting better. It’s hard to say that he’s improving or that he’s going to get better, but he’s certainly enjoying what he’s doing and handling it really well,” Purton said.

“It was good to see him win like that today without having to go to the bottom of him, so it’s a nice confidence-boosting win as he comes back. I’ve never seen him look so good. We were hoping he was going to do that, and it’s good for him to back up what we were thinking.

“Mid-race, Beauty Waves was probably just half a step too slow – I know we’ve run nearly a track record time – but he (Ka Ying Rising) was on his tippy toes behind him wanting to go quicker. That’s the beauty with this horse, the faster they go, the better he is.

“I got to the stage where I had to let him roll into it because otherwise it was going to be detrimental to him.”

Trainer David Hayes said: “To the eye, I thought it was probably one of his best wins. That was as easy as I’ve seen him do it – maybe in this race last year, but I thought it was probably better than this one last year when he (Purton) did the kiss cam.

“Zac agreed with me. He thought he gave him probably the best feel in the last 15 (races), so that’s a great sign. He just showed us that he’s right on song. He raced at the heaviest Hong Kong weight (1,158lb) he’s ever been today, which suggests he’s getting bigger, stronger, better.

“It’s just a dream come true to have a horse like this, and I really want to thank my team that travelled him overseas and didn’t miss a beat with him and brought him back in better condition than he left.

“He’ll be set for (2026) The Everest now again and, of course, we’ve got the big international race in three weeks which is his short-term grand final, so it’s all very exciting.”

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