Ka Ying Rising is currently the joint-third highest-rated sprinter since Timeform records began over 75 years ago.
The sprint sensation is set to return on the opening day of the new Hong Kong season in the Group 3 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup (Handicap) at Sha Tin on Sunday, a contest he was successful in last year.
In winning 12 months ago, David Hayes’ star shouldered top-weight of 9st 9lb, giving Group 1 winner Lucky Sweynesse 9lb in the handicap and was only briefly shaken up when cruising to a two-and-a-quarter-length victory.
It was a performance that Timeform ranked as one of his best, and last season he went on to win all seven of his subsequent starts, including the Group 1 The Everest in Australia and a further four Group 1s.
The six-year-old son of Shamexpress recorded his 20th straight win in the Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize in April with another effortless victory which saw him awarded a Timeform rating of 137, exceeding that of Australian wonder mare Black Caviar (136).
Ka Ying Rising currently occupies a rarified position as the joint-third highest-rated sprinter since Timeform records began in 1948, alongside Dayjur, Moorestyle, Princely Gift and Right Boy.
Were he to increase his rating this season, he would become the highest-rated sprinter since 1955, with only greats of the 1950s Pappa Fourway (139) and Abernant (142) rated higher.
Timeform’s Kieran Clark said: “Ka Ying Rising is already in rarified air when it comes to sprinters. He must concede 20 lb to five far inferior rivals this weekend so even at the weights it should be a straightforward task.
“This year is set to be another exciting one and he remains with the potential to edge ahead of Dayjur and become the highest-rated Timeform sprinter in the modern era.”
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