Ka Ying Rising: Unassuming Yet Unstoppable
At first glance Ka Ying Rising might not have the appearance of a dominant sprinter, but he has dismantled Hong Kong’s strong sprint ranks and trainer David Hayes believes his horse is on a path to becoming an all-time great.
Ka Ying Rising: Unassuming Yet Unstoppable
At first glance Ka Ying Rising might not have the appearance of a dominant sprinter, but he has dismantled Hong Kong’s strong sprint ranks and trainer David Hayes believes his horse is on a path to becoming an all-time great.
20 February, 2025
ASKED WHAT IS remarkable about Ka Ying Rising as a physical specimen, David Hayes needs a moment to ponder. Perhaps the pause is because the most remarkable thing about the sprinter is that he isn’t all that remarkable at all, at least not to look at.
“You might find it hard to tell him apart from most horses,” Hayes says. “Standing in front of you, he’s not a standout individual.”
The trainer, who has spent a lifetime looking at horses and trained some of the very best in a storied career, is speaking to Idol Horse via phone, travelling by car to the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s state-of-the-art Conghua Racecourse, where Ka Ying Rising has been stabled between runs throughout his nine-race winning streak.
When Hayes arrives and checks in on the gelding that has upended Hong Kong’s world-class sprint division and made it a one-horse show, what the trainer will see is not your typical sprinter. Despite Ka Ying Rising’s brilliance, he is not a towering giant or a beast of muscle.
“He’s a lengthy horse and he doesn’t carry a lot of condition, but he’s not overly strong and he’s not imposing in the parade ring,” Hayes says.
“He doesn’t look out of place of course, but at the same time he doesn’t make you think ‘wow, that’s the best sprinter in the world’.”
The word ‘freakish’ comes up time and time again when describing Ka Ying Rising’s exploits on the track so far and it’s a fitting term for a horse whose ability to sustain blistering speed over 1200 metres has seen him smash Sha Tin’s track record on two occasions in his last three starts.
In November last year, Ka Ying Rising erased Sacred Kingdom’s 17-year record of 1m 08.00s with a sensational Group 2 win in the Jockey Club Sprint in a time of 1m 07.43s. Then, just two months later, he lowered it even further, clocking a stunning 1m 07.20s to win the G1 Centenary Sprint Cup by more than three lengths.
Within 14 months of his debut at Sha Tin, Ka Ying Rising has gone from a 52-rated Class 4 winner to a dual Group 1 champion with the world’s top sprint contests seemingly at his mercy.
“Freakish is the only way to describe it,” Hayes says of his horse’s rapid ascent through the grades. “We always thought he was pretty good but no one could have predicted he would reach these heights this quickly.
“What he’s done in 14 months is just unbelievable and if he can continue to do that, he’ll be known as one of the all-time greats.”
What Ka Ying Rising lacks in physical presence, he makes up for as soon as he steps onto the track when he seems to transform into something otherworldly.
Hong Kong horses are among the fastest in the world when it comes to early speed and when the gates crash open, Ka Ying Rising has the ability to lead or sit on-pace with ease, without over-racing. He can then maintain a blistering pace through the middle stages of a race. Last start Ka Ying Rising clocked three straight sub-11 second 200m sectionals from the 800m to the 200m mark, running that 600m in 32.13s. It is a pressure that has Hong Kong’s premier sprinters scrambling in behind: when it comes time to ‘sprint’, they already have trouble just trying to keep up.
“What separates him from the rest is his action when he gets past 80 per cent effort – it’s then when he turns into quite an exceptional horse,” Hayes says.
“He’s a really easy mover and he can really lengthen off a high speed. Some horses run good times occasionally, but he runs them all the time.
“He’s got something that I call an ‘extra action’, that little bit extra in the tank that many other horses don’t.”
That “extra action” Hayes refers to is the exact trait that allowed Ka Ying Rising to breeze past his rivals in what appeared to be only a matter of strides when he first lowered Sha Tin’s 1200m record under Zac Purton in November’s G2 Jockey Club Sprint.
On that afternoon at Sha Tin, Purton was happy to stalk the fast early pace set by Victor The Winner, who covered the first 400m in a brisk 23.12s, and remained unperturbed as the leader continued to pile on the pressure from the 800m marker to 400m out.
Derek Leung Ka-chun, keen to drag Ka Ying Rising out of his comfort zone aboard Victor The Winner, stamped his intent with a 21.97s second section as they turned for home.
But as Ka Ying Rising’s rivals began to come off the bridle one by one at the top of the straight, Purton sat motionless in the saddle. That ability to travel at a high speed and still find more was about to be emphasised.
With a shake of the reins, Ka Ying Rising exploded clear of his labouring rivals with another 10.90s furlong from the 400m to the 200m – a move perfectly illustrated by the Jockey Club’s brand new camera positioned on a four-wheel-drive following the field from the inner track.
The devastating burst even provided Hong Kong’s seven-time champion jockey ample time to seal the track record with a kiss, which he blew towards the new camera as he eased Ka Ying Rising down in a final 200m time of 11.24s.
It was a spectacular display of Ka Ying Rising’s ability to take rivals into deep water with sustained speed through the middle stages and then leave them gasping for air late with that “extra action”, a characteristic that Hayes believes his star shares with the legendary Black Caviar.
“Black Caviar was probably more imposing walking around the parade ring and she was probably a better individual, but when Ka Ying Rising moves in a race his action looks like hers,” he says. “She had a bigger and better way of moving compared to 99 per cent of horses and he is just like that.”
Hayes, who boasts a hall of fame career that includes wins in the Japan Cup (1990), the Cox Plate (1990, 2006), and the Melbourne Cup (1994), is no stranger when it comes to spotting greatness.
So while Ka Ying Rising’s achievements may still be in their infancy compared to Black Caviar’s unbeaten career, the bold comparison to the legendary sprinter speaks volumes about how high this star could reach.
“He’s done exactly what Black Caviar did in the first 12 months, if not more, but she did it for four years in a row.
“He has to stay sound and he has to race well for another 12 months to be up there with the greats, but I think it’s fair to say he’s definitely on target for that.”
Ka Ying Rising will take in another Group 1 assignment in Sunday’s Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup when he steps up to 1400m for the first time. While he will be without regular rider Zac Purton, who is sidelined with a broken toe, Hayes is confident he will make his presence felt under Mauritian jockey Karis Teetan.
“Karis knows the horse well and he won on him in June so it’s a great opportunity,” Hayes says. “I always thought Ka Ying Rising was a miler when he first came to Hong Kong and I suppose we’ll find out more soon because I think he’ll be pretty explosive over 1400m.”
Looking further into the future, Hayes makes it clear that Australia’s $20 million Group 1, The Everest, will be Ka Ying Rising’s first overseas mission after he attempts to scoop Hong Kong’s Speed Series this season. The trainer also says he would be open to another potential target Down Under before returning to Hong Kong.
“The first target is to win all three legs of the speed series, which is a really good test for him, and then he’s off to The Everest,” he says. “The Hong Kong sprint programme is so good, so my vision would be to have one overseas trip a year and I think Australia is the place to go.
“If he pulls up well after The Everest, maybe the Champions Sprint at Flemington is something we’d consider on the way back for the Hong Kong International Races in December. If that works, we can copy and paste it but if not, I won’t.” ∎
