Ka Ying Rising, trained by David Hayes and ridden by Zac Purton, delivered a record-breaking performance in the G2 BOCHK Private Banking Jockey Club Sprint (1200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday. Setting a new track record of 1m 07.43s, Ka Ying Rising eclipsed the previous mark held by Sacred Kingdom since 2007, despite easing down in the final 100m.
Zac Purton, showcasing his confidence, blew a kiss to the camera near the finish line. “I knew it was a track record, so I thought I would seal it with a kiss,” Purton said. Settling third from barrier 10, the horse’s acceleration at the 300m mark was blinding, securing a three-and-a-quarter-length win.
“I knew it was a track record, so I thought I would seal it with a kiss,” Purton said of his celebration. “It’s getting scary now how good he’s becoming and how easily he’s doing it. It’s a nice top-up run for the big one (LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint) next month.
“He’s certainly come a long way in a short period of time. I was on Aethero, who ran as favourite in the Hong Kong Sprint as a three-year-old but, unfortunately, he had some had some health problems.
“This guy is the only other horse who’s improved as rapidly as that, that I’ve been on. He’s just perfect to ride. He’s got great gate speed, he relaxes beautifully mid-race and he’s got a great turn of foot – it’s everything you need in a sprinter. He hasn’t won at Group 1 level yet, so he’s still got to do a bit.
“Every race, you need things to go right and we had things fall right in our favour today, so that was pleasing, but it was more pleasing for him to do what he did.”
Trainer David Hayes praised the performance, emphasising the significance of breaking Sacred Kingdom’s long-standing record.
“He’s broken the track record and Zac was waving to the camera with 100m to go. What I loved about it was he forced the issue early the way he come back under him to sit third and fourth. From a trainer’s point of view, that is really something to look forward – to have a horse that relaxes in the run,” the dual Hong Kong Champion Trainer (1997/98 & 1998/99) said.
“It’s a course record held by a superstar (Sacred Kingdom). You’ve got to be pretty good to get the course record at Sha Tin when you see all these wonderful, promising horses racing on fast ground. To have your horse in the book is a bit of a thrill.
“I love looking at his action on race days – he just has that extra action. When it’s time to accelerate, when he ambles up, he really lengthens and puts races to bed really quickly. He’s a bottomless pit at the moment.
“He was a late-furnishing horse. I think that probably was why he got defeated a couple times (by Wunderbar) – he was a little bit immature. He thinks he’s undefeated because he was beaten a millimetre twice. When you see him walking around, some of the big, established sprinters here in Hong Kong look a bit more furnished than him, so there’s plenty more to come from this horse.”
With this win, Ka Ying Rising is now the favourite for the HK$26 million LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint on December 8. “He’s the horse they have to beat,” Hayes added, eagerly anticipating the Group 1 challenge.
