Ka Ying Rising is the best sprinter I have seen.
Better than Black Caviar, better than Silent Witness, better than Lord Kanaloa.
That’s no disrespect to the other three – they were all great champions. But let’s talk about what makes Ka Ying Rising great.
Ka Ying Rising has incredible gate speed – he doesn’t need luck or a certain race shape to win. He dominates races. He can quicken off a fast pace, which is rare, and that early speed means he stays out of trouble. He also has the perfect jockey in Zac Purton, who loves to put his horses into a race.
I don’t call many horses “champions”. People use the word too easily. Horses I rode like Octagonal and Tie The Knot – great horses, crowd favourites – I still wouldn’t call them champions. Kingston Town was a champion. Winx was a champion. Silent Witness, at his peak, was a champion sprinter, as was Black Caviar. Romantic Warrior is a champion, Golden Sixty was too. Frankel was the best of them all. Ka Ying Rising belongs in that small group.
A person I respect more than anyone in racing – someone who’s been doing the form longer than most people have been alive – told me the only sprinter he can compare Ka Ying Rising to is Vain. That’s the level we are talking about.
Most sprinters can be victims of circumstance in a race. If they go too fast early, they stop late; or if the race is run too slow and they are a backmarker, they never get into it. With Ka Ying Rising there are no excuses. He puts himself on speed in clear air and can still sprint again. Very few horses can absorb pressure and quicken.
That’s why I rate him ahead of the others. I always had Black Caviar and Silent Witness 50–50 – one would beat the other depending on the day. Lord Kanaloa produced one of the most mind-blowing Hong Kong Sprint wins I’ve ever seen in 2013. But if you put them all together, fair track, everyone at their peak, I’d back Ka Ying Rising.
I have heard a bunch of talk about how Australian sprinter Jimmysstar could have got closer to Ka Ying Rising in The Everest had he drawn a gate, and how he could be the threat next year. Ka Ying Rising was at least four lengths off his best in Sydney. On Sunday we saw him back to his best, happy back home in Hong Kong.
Back in 2005, Cape Of Good Hope showed how strong Hong Kong sprint form is. Silent Witness beat him easily, and he then went to Australia and England and won Group 1 races against the best. If Silent Witness handled him comfortably – and Ka Ying Rising is better again – you can see where my opinion comes from.
Zac Purton is the perfect jockey for this horse. He’s aggressive, likes to take bad luck out of the equation and Ka Ying Rising suits that perfectly. When Zac rides him quieter, he explodes; when he’s on speed, he’s still too strong. The combination is deadly.
David Hayes also deserves credit for keeping things simple: he’s a sprinter, treat him like a sprinter. No stretching him to a mile, no pointless travel. There’s huge money at home and next year’s Everest is the logical long-term target.
I’ve seen so many great horses taken out of their comfort zone and never quite return to their best – Silent Witness the prime example. With Ka Ying Rising, you don’t need to reinvent anything. Keep him where he’s unbeatable. As far as I’m concerned, he’s the best sprinter I’ve ever seen. Full stop.
Romantic Warrior And A Training Performance For The Ages
What Danny Shum did with Romantic Warrior on Sunday was extraordinary. Seven months away from racing, back from injury and first-up over 2000m – that is not easy, even for a good horse.
The key for me was what I’d seen from him this season leading in. His trials were better than any year before: his action was fluent, he looked sound and his body weight told the story. Last season he carried an extra 20–30 pounds compared to two years ago. This time he came back exactly the same weight he was when he won the 2023 Hong Kong Cup. That told me he was ready.
People talk about “first-up at 2000m” like it’s something new for him, but he has done it twice before and smashed them. Danny knows exactly how to prepare this horse for that assignment. I often give the jockey most of the credit for where a horse gets to, but in Romantic Warrior’s case, what Shum has done is incredible and deserves maximum respect.
He is a true champion because he can win over a range of distances. Fresh, I wouldn’t be surprised if he could win a 1200m race. He can sprint, he can run a strong 2000m and I believe he could handle 2400m as well if given another chance. He even handles dirt, as shown in the Saudi Cup. And still, as good as he is, Golden Sixty managed to beat him over 2000m at his own game – which tells you how special Golden Sixty was too.
As for Voyage Bubble, I thought his first-up run was very hard and that never helps you second-up in a race like Sunday’s G2 BOCHK Jockey Club Cup. He’ll improve off it, but so will Romantic Warrior, and that’s the problem. I just can’t see Voyage Bubble turning the tables over 2000m on International Day. Dropping back to 1600m for the Hong Kong Mile is the right move. The mile is more open and Voyage Bubble can avoid running into Romantic Warrior at his absolute best distance.
Galaxy Patch, My Wish And The Hong Kong Mile Picture
The Hong Kong Mile became a lot more interesting when 1.4 favourite My Wish was beaten in Sunday’s Group 2 lead-up. What do we make of that?
My read of the race matched what trainer Mark Newnham said afterwards. They went along quickly, My Wish overraced and he never truly relaxed. When a horse who usually switches off suddenly pulls like that, they cannot finish the race off. That is exactly what happened. Once I saw him overracing after 400m, I thought, “You’re in trouble.” He was disappointing on paper, but there were genuine reasons for it. As Mark alluded to, perhaps five weeks between runs and raceday freshness hurt him.
The positive is that he’ll take a lot of benefit from that outing. Three weeks into the Mile, with that run under his belt, you’d expect him to settle better. If he draws well, travels kindly in fourth or fifth and gets the chance to quicken like he can, he is still the horse they have to beat. If he pulls again, the race opens right up.
Galaxy Patch is the opposite type of horse to Ka Ying Rising. He doesn’t control his own destiny – he needs things to go right – but that doesn’t mean he isn’t top class. I was never “off” him, even when people kept saying he was disappointing throughout last season. Go back through his last preparation and you’ll see a series of bad rides and race shapes where he simply wasn’t given the chance to show his best.
On Sunday he finally got what he needed: a fast tempo, a patient ride from James McDonald. J-Mac saved ground, there was no mid-race panic and he had one clean shot at them in the straight. That’s Galaxy Patch’s style. He can pull if you try to force him into a spot he doesn’t want, and he really only has one big sprint – you have to save it.
Is he as good as Voyage Bubble or Romantic Warrior? No, I don’t think so. But under the right circumstances, Galaxy Patch is absolutely capable of winning a Group 1, and he proved again he’s a genuine Hong Kong Mile contender.
So the Mile now looks like this from a Hong Kong perspective: My Wish is still the one to beat if he relaxes; Galaxy Patch is the danger if the tempo and ride are right; and Voyage Bubble dropping back from 2000m adds another layer.
Shane’s Selections: Happy Valley
Well last week my tip Run Run Timing had an irregular heart rhythm and ran near last. When that happens it’s impossible for a horse to perform at their best. This Wednesday there’s two that should go well.
Tip: Race 7, No. 5 Amazing Gaze
He had no luck over the last 200m last start and if he had a clear run he probably wins. Purton gets on and from gate 4 will get a great run.
Tip: Race 8, No. 7 King Lotus
Gate 11 isn’t ideal but he will probably go back. His last run was great and this doesn’t look an overly strong race. ∎
