David Hayes anointed Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress) as “probably the best horse” he has trained, while Zac Purton described the speedster as a “really special horse” after the four-year-old’s incredible record-breaking win in the HK$13 million Gr.1 Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Clocking 1m 07.20s in a phenomenal display of sustained speed, Ka Ying Rising lowered the track record for the second time this season, eclipsing the 1m 07.43s he posted on 17 November, to secure his 10th win from 12 starts and leaving Hayes and Purton awestruck.
Pitted against seven rivals, all drawn to his inside, Purton drove Ka Ying Rising out of the barriers and crossed the face of the field inside 200m to lead – and was never headed – clocking 23.30s for the first 400m before unleashing a devastating mid-race split of 21.54s to have the race at his mercy.
Rounding the home turn, Purton flicked Ka Ying Rising into overdrive and the gelding responded with a blistering 10.59s burst from the 400m mark before easing down the 1.1 favourite to finish three and a quarter-lengths ahead of Helios Express, with Howdeepisyourlove a neck further back.
“He did surprise Zac when he jumped well and then went to the lead – to lead those fast horses so easily just shows his versatility. He can take a sit, or he just leads. He’s certainly the best sprinter I’ve had anything to do with and probably the best horse,” Hayes said.
“He’s quite freakish what he does. The last 100m today, Zac switched the engine off, so in the two track records he’s broken, he’s actually eased him down the last 100m or 80m.
“He just doesn’t lose – and I know he lost twice when he was immature – but now he’s mature, he’s just got that ability to win. He’s got amazing cruising speed and he’ll quicken off it, which is very hard to compete against.”
Bred by trainer Fraser Auret with his wife Erin under their Grandmoral Lodge Racing banner, Ka Ying Rising was born, raised, broken-in and initially trained at Auret’s property before he was sold following an impressive jumpout at Levin.
Purton, who has ridden a string of champion Hong Kong sprinters during a glittering career, said facts and figures underscored Ka Ying Rising’s extraordinary talent.
Asked if the four-year-old was the best sprinter he had ever ridden, Purton said: “He’s right up there. He’s doing things that other sprinters haven’t done, winning with the ease he’s winning with, running the times, he’s running.
“We’ve had a lot of champion sprinters grace our turf here and they’ve all had the chance to run the times, he’s run. So, yeah, he’s starting to become a really special horse.”
Desperate to avoid a repeat of the HK$26 million Gr.1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) in December when Ka Ying Rising triumphed by half a length in his slowest time of the season – 1m 08.15s – Purton enacted a simple plan.
“Jump, be positive and just work it out as we go,” he said. “They went too slow in December and it allowed the horses to be too close, so today I made sure the man was going to take care of the boys.
“He can run sectionals comfortably and kick off it. It’s very unique to have a horse that can do that, but he can. But when you go too slow, it allows the other horses a bit of an opportunity. Today, we made a statement again.”
The Centenary Sprint Cup is the first leg of the Hong Kong Speed Series, Hayes confirmed Ka Ying Rising would chase a HK$5 million bonus by winning the HK$13 million Gr.1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m) on 23 February and the HK$22 million Gr.1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) on 27 April.
Longer term, Hayes is contemplating a tilt at the Gr.1 The Everest (1200m) – worth a staggering AU$20 million (approx. HK$96.4 million) – at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia on 18 October.
“It’s the richest turf race in the world, it’s at his distance, so it’s getting more realistic every month we go on. We’ll really start thinking about a pathway towards it after the international race here in April and then after that, he’ll probably just be set for the big sprint,” Hayes said.
Purton finished meeting with 1,812 wins – one shy of Douglas Whyte’s Hong Kong record – having also scored on David Hall’s Mr Energia (NZ) (Swiss Ace) in the Class 4 Seasons Bloom Handicap (1400m), while kiwi jockey James McDonald took riding honours with a treble.
