Zac Purton and David Hayes were left to scramble for adequate superlatives following another imperious performance from Ka Ying Rising in Monday's HK$5.35-million G2 Sprint Cup, with the son of Shamexpress once again lowering the 1,200-metre track record at Sha Tin on his way to a record-extending 19th consecutive victory.
Ka Ying Rising, who was conceding 5lb to each of his six rivals, spreadeagled the field when first asked to quicken by Purton, leading by almost 10 lengths at one stage, before being eased down in the final 100 metres. At the line he was still 4 1/4 lengths clear of Helios Express (Toronado), with another 1 1/4 lengths back to Raging Blizzard (Per Incanto) in third.
Clocking a rapid time of 1:07.12, Ka Ying Rising bettered his own record of 1:07.20 which he'd set when winning the G1 Centenary Sprint Cup in January last year. Going further back in his remarkable winning sequence, he'd first shattered Sacred Kingdom's long-standing track record of 1:07.50 in November 2024, when winning the G2 Jockey Club Sprint in a time of 1:07.43.
“I wasn't out there to run time today,” said Purton. “Of course, Stellar Express ran along and that set it up. I just got my horse into a lovely rhythm and he let down so beautifully. It's the best he's accelerated at the top of the straight, so it was there for him to do it [run even faster], but I wasn't looking for him to do it.”
He added of the performance, “It is right up there, for sure. The way the track is today, with the strong headwind down the back straight, every horse that's been uncovered around the circle has just fallen in a hole. That wind has really gassed them.
“So, he had to absorb that and I suppose a few other horses had to as well. Things were there to try and unsettle him a little bit, with the extra weight to carry and coming back in distance, but he's just different.”
Ka Ying Rising will now attempt to claim a second Hong Kong Speed Series clean sweep – and bonus of HK$5 million – with victory in the HK$24-million G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize at Sha Tin on Sunday, April 26. Beyond that, all roads lead back to Australia and his bid to emulate Redzel as a back-to-back winner of the G1 The Everest.
“I think he'll be a better horse when he goes down for The Everest,” said a bullish Hayes in the aftermath of this latest triumph for his stable star. “Just behind the gates and everything he does, he's taking it in so well. To saddle him up he's a quieter horse – he's just really maturing.
“It's been a golden year this year, but I think that he'll have another one next year. We'll just keep on doing what we're doing, because it's working so well. It's not stressing our horse and we're hoping to have him for another couple of seasons. He's nearly two and a half years undefeated and, in Zac's words, he said, 'I think he's getting better.'”
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KA YING RISING makes it nineteen on the spin with an effortless success in the Group 2 Sprint Cup… pic.twitter.com/61LHCgCrbH
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) April 6, 2026
Elsewhere on the card, Lucky Sweynesse (Sweynesse) triumphed for the first time in 729 days when stepping up in distance to win the HK$5.35-million G2 Chairman's Trophy for jockey Derek Leung and trainer Manfred Man.
Lucky Sweynesse broke from stall 10 as Chancheng Glory (Mor Spirit) and Storm Rider (Dracarys) led the 14-strong field in the early stages of this 1,600-metre contest. Positioned behind the pacesetters, Lucky Sweynesse peeled wide turning for home, before hitting the front with 250 metres to run and sticking to his task well from there to beat the fast-finishing My Wish (Flying Artie) by a short head.
Lucky Sweynesse, who was crowned Hong Kong's champion sprinter in 2022/23, spent over a year on the sidelines due to an injury found following his Sprint Cup success in 2024. This was only his second start over the 1,600-metre distance.
Man said, “He makes me feel surprised. When he was young, he was a sprinter, but now as a seven-year-old, he can go to one mile. In my lifetime, this horse is the perfect one. We'll keep his training normal. His age is seven, so I don't want to push him too hard.”
The four-time Group 1 winner Lucky Sweynesse is likely to make his next appearance in the HK$24-million G1 FWD Champions Mile on Sunday, April 26.
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