Ka Ying Rising, the world’s best sprinter, extended his winning streak to 16 with his victory in the HK$28 million Group 1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m) at Sha Tin this morning.
The New Zealand gelding claimed his sixth Group 1 victory, taking his record to 17 wins and two seconds from 19 starts, with prize money of HK$122.5 million.
In a powerful display after breaking the first barrier for the first time in his career, the Shamexpress gelding scored one of his finest victories with a masterful ride from Zac Purton, who steered the champion down the middle of the home straight in search of the best ground.
Ka Ying Rising raced away to beat Raging Blizzard by three and three quarter lengths, with Fast Network third after being slowed by Purton over the final 150 yards.
“I think we showed everyone what he could do…”@zpurton reacts to Ka Ying Rising’s performance at the Hong Kong Sprint after blowing away her rivals at Sha Tin!
@HKJC_Racing | @HongKong_Racing | #HKIR | #HKRaceing pic.twitter.com/HPvzjbdLjj – At the Races (@AtTheRaces) December 14, 2025
“In a league of their own”
Purton said Ka Ying Rising’s performance was what everyone wanted to see.
“His last race showed us that it was possible today,” he said. “He opened the right door, and when the barrier came out, they said, ‘What do you think?’ And I said he would win further.
“He’s in a league of his own now. And not having to do that extra work in the first corner from a wide gate to try to get forward, that probably helped him.”
The best Hayes has trained
Declaring Ka Ying Rising the best horse he has trained, David Hayes said he was relieved the five-year-old gelding had not let the stable or public expectations down.
“He was just superb today,” he said. “The messages he was sending the week of the race suggested he would do something like that. We’re not running fast times today, but he did it – (running) much faster than the other races.”
Hayes said there were horses in the race with Royal Ascot, Dubai and Breeders’ Cup form and they were probably the best sprinters around, and although Ka Ying Rising made them look ordinary, he said they certainly weren’t.
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