Ka Ying Rising breaks record

Nov 18, 2024 12:39 am

HONG KONG Ka Ying Rising’s surge towards Group 1 glory continued at Sha Tin on Nov 17 when David Hayes’ emerging champion sprinter won the Group 2 BOCHK Private Banking Jockey Club Sprint over 1,200m, breaking Sacred Kingdom’s long-standing record.

Clocking 1min 07.43sec, despite being eased over the last 100m, Ka Ying Rising eclipsed Sacred Kingdom’s mark of 1min 07.50sec, set in the same race on Nov 17, 2007.

Ka Ying Rising could have recorded a faster time had Purton ridden out the four-year-old, and not instead taken time to celebrate with a kiss to a camera.

With eight wins and two seconds from 10 starts, the son of Shamexpress has now taken a stranglehold on the HK$26 million ($4.49 million) Group 1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m) at Sha Tin on Dec 8.

“I knew it was a track record, so I thought I would seal it with a kiss,” Purton said of his celebration.

“It’s getting scary now how good he’s becoming and how easily he’s doing it. It’s a nice top-up run for the big one next month.”