Ka Ying Rising is becoming more and more monstrous: he smashed his own record and reached 21 consecutive victories
- Turf Diario
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
The world's best sprinter won the HKSAR Chief Executive's Cup (G3) by 7 3/4 lengths for the third time, stopped the clock in an extraordinary 1m06s11/100 for the 1200 meters, and extended his Hong Kong record; now he will target another conquest in The Everest
SHA TIN, Hong Kong (Special for Turf Diario).— How far can Ka Ying Rising go? The question is left hanging in the air after every single one of his performances, and this Sunday, on the opening day of Hong Kong's 2026/2027 season, he delivered another astonishing answer. He is better than before. Much better.
The crack conditioned by David Hayes turned the HKSAR Chief Executive's Cup Handicap (G3-1200 m) into a exhibition, winning by 7 3/4 lengths, extending his record of consecutive victories in Hong Kong to 21, and once again shattering the Sha Tin track record by stopping the clock in a spectacular 1m06s11/100.
It was the fifth time that Ka Ying Rising lowered the 1200-meter mark on that strip, and this time he flat-out destroyed his previous record, improving it by nearly a full second. A massive feat for such a sprint distance.
All of this, moreover, while carrying top weight of 135 pounds and conceding 20 to most of his rivals.
As if he needed to add an extra flavor to such a demonstration, just a few days earlier his participation had been thrown into slight doubt due to a hind leg bruise. On Tuesday, he spent several hours undergoing veterinary checks, including CT scans and Doppler ultrasound examinations under sedation.
Nothing seemed to bother him.
"That would throw most horses completely off their routine, but he just takes everything in stride. And then he goes out and breaks the track record again," summed up Hayes, still marveling at a horse he knows better than anyone.
With Zac Purton in the irons, Ka Ying Rising left no room for speculation. He went straight for the lead, covering the opening 400 meters in 23s27/100. Then came a simply brutal stretch: he ran the next 400 in 21s15/100, before completing the final 400 meters in 21s69/100.
Unlike what happened in the same race 12 months ago, when Purton virtually gear-downed him over the final 200 meters, this time he let him ride all the way to the wire.
The clock told the rest of the story. Ka Ying Rising left Copartner Prance (Epaulette) 7 3/4 lengths back in second, while Magic Control (Sioux Nation) finished third, another length and a half further behind.
"Last year Zac virtually pulled him up in the final 200 meters. Today he let him run all the way to the post. He hasn't had many chances to do that, and, of course, he smashed his own record," Hayes commented.
There is another stat that illustrates the physical evolution of the son of Shamexpress. He currently tips the scales at 1,172 pounds, 29 more than when he set one of his previous records last season, and about 9 above his previous highest winning weight.
"He's bigger, stronger, and better," Hayes defined.
The numbers are starting to reach extraordinary dimensions. Ka Ying Rising now boasts 22 wins and 2 runner-up finishes in just 24 starts, with career earnings reaching HK$160,923,900. And his latest outings have done nothing but raise his ceiling even higher.
He had closed his previous campaign breaking records sequentially: 1m19s36/100 for 1400 meters in the Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup (G1), 1m07s12/100 in the Sprint Cup (G2), and 1m07s10/100 when claiming the Chairman's Sprint Prize (G1).
His romance with Sha Tin's 1200-meter record began in 2024, when he lowered to 1m07s43/100 the 1m07s50/100 mark that had belonged for years to the extraordinary Sacred Kingdom (Encosta de Lago). He then kept chipping away at it until reaching a dimension today that seemed unthinkable: 1m06s11/100.
And there will hardly be any time to celebrate it.
Immediately after the race, Ka Ying Rising entered quarantine to begin preparations for his trip to Australia, where on October 17 he will attempt to defend his crown in The Everest (G1-1200 m).
A year ago, he won the richest turf race in the world without, according to Hayes, coming close to offering his best version.
Now he will travel as a different gelding. Bigger. Stronger. Faster. And, judging by what was on display this Sunday at Sha Tin, also better than ever.
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