Ka Ying Rising (NZ)

HONG KONG, CHINA - Hong Kong International Races day began under gray skies and chilly temperatures, but heated up quickly with an opening performance from K-Pop legend RAIN, who brought out the sun for a legion of fans lined up outside the paddock with signs bearing his name and had even HKJC CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges bopping along to his performance. The day's expected headliners and hometown heroes Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) and Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) delivered in spades, but the quartet of international races opened with...

Superstar sprinter Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) wasn't the only one to break new ground at Royal Randwick Saturday as The Everest itself set a new record for World Pool turnover on a single race and eclipsed the previous all-time high by over HK$16-million, the organization announced via press release. The Everest attracted HK$83,024,693 (£8-million/AU$16.4-million) in wagering, shattering the prior mark of HK$66,197,958 set in 2023 for the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot. Ka Ying Rising became the first international winner of the G1 The Everest on...

by Tom Baddock Hong Kong champion Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) delivered on the weight of expectation at Randwick on Saturday, producing a high-pressure, high-class performance to claim the AU$20 million G1 TAB Everest and in doing so, confirmed his status as the world's best sprinter. Ridden by Zac Purton, Ka Ying Rising jumped cleanly from barrier seven and settled in his trademark on-speed position. As Overpass (Aus) (Vancouver) cut out a brutal early tempo, Purton kept his mount poised just behind the leaders as Jimmysstar (NZ) (Per Incanto...

Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) further cemented his status as the world's best sprinter with a 2 1/4-length victory in the 1200-metre G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize at Sha Tin on Sunday. Sent off the heavy 1-20 crowd's pick, the bay gelding duly made it a dozen wins in a row with the closing Satono Reve (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) a neck ahead of third-place finisher Helios Express (Aus) (Toronado {Ire}), who also rallied from the rear of the field. In touch with the leaders in a tracking fifth through...

No G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner has ever won the G1 FWD QEII Cup over 2000 metres at Sha Tin, but on Sunday, Goliath (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) will attempt to become the first. And with the absence of three-time QEII Cup hero Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), there is no better time to try. Co-owned by Resolute Racing's John Stewart, the likeable Goliath was a 2 1/4-length victor over subsequent G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Bluestocking (GB) (Camelot {GB}) at Ascot in July. Given...

Goliath (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}), the fourth highest-rated horse in the world in 2024, will spearhead the European challenge on FWD Champions Day at Sha Tin on Sunday, April 27, with a record HK$74 million (£7.4m) on offer across three Group 1 races. Goliath will add a fourth jurisdiction to his record as Resolute Racing's globetrotter lines up in the HK$28 million (£2.8m) G1 FWD QEII Cup. Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard, the five-year-old made the breakthrough at the top level when winning last year's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes...

A total of 28 Group/Grade 1 winners have been entered for the HK$74-million FWD Champions Day at Sha Tin on Apr. 27 which features a trio of Group 1 races. There are 95 horses vying for starts in the 2000-metre HK$28-million G1 FWD QEII Cup, 1600-metre HK$24-million G1 FWD Champions Mile and 1200-metre HK$22-million G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize. The local defense is anchored by Sprint Prize entrant Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) and miler Voyage Bubble (Aus) (Deep Field {Aus}), as well as the winners of the 2024 Mile...

The world's highest rated sprinter, Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) added his third Group 1 on the bounce and 10th victory in a row in Sunday's 1400-metre HK$13-million Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup at Sha Tin. Missing in action was his regular jockey Zac Purton, who has been sidelined with a foot injury. Step forward Karis Teetan, and the show went on. Keeping a close eye on last year's winner California Spangle (Aus) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) from the bell, the 1-5 favourite never let his rival have a moment's ease. He...

Hong Kong sprinter extraordinaire Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) headlines the HK$13-million G1 Queen's Silver jubilee Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday. Trained by David Hayes for the Ka Ying Syndicate, the likeable gelding is operating on a nine-race winning streak, and had the re-opposing Helios Express (Aus) (Toronado {Ire}) and Howdeepisyourlove (Aus) (Deep Field {Aus}) second and third when he took the G1 Centenary Sprint Cup last month over his pet distance of 1200 metres. The world's highest rated turf sprinter in 2024, the gelding will be partnered...

A total of 69,916 racegoers flooded Sha Tin, with Happy Valley drawing an additional 10,775, to bring the total attendees for the Longines Hong Kong International Races to 80,691. It is the highest attendance number since 2018. "I personally think it was one of the best, if not the best, Longines Hong Kong International Races and an incredible week," said the HKJC's chief executive officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges. "Starting with the Longines International Jockeys' Championship, it was an amazing success. Today, we hoped to create a highlight and I personally think...

A total of 1,088 lots have been catalogued for the 2025 New Zealand Bloodstock (NZB) National Yearling Sale, which is scheduled to take place at Karaka from January 26-30. The catalogue, which is now available to view online, features 661 yearlings in Book 1 and another 427 in Book 2. Previous graduates of the sale include Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars {Aus}), an eight-time Group 1 winner in Australia, in addition to Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) (Sweynesse {Aus}) and Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {Aus}), both top-class sprinters in Hong Kong. A...