Ka Ying Sprint Rating in Nose Bleed Territory

Any argument about where Ka Ying Rising fits among the all-time sprinting elite now carries weight beyond Hong Kong. A world-topping Timeform mark of 135 –  higher than Silent Witness (129) and Sacred Kingdom (131), and within a whisker of Battaash and Black Caviar (both 136) – confirms the unbeaten run of this Sha Tin juggernaut is being met with growing international awe. A comfortable comeback victory under top weight at the weekend, following his demolition job in April’s Chairman’s Prize, has put the rest of the globe on notice. David Johnson, Flat editor for Timeform, declared the four-year-old gelding “better” than any sprinter previously based in Hong Kong. “Ka Ying Rising is rated 135 on the back of his comfortable win in the Chairman’s Prize in April (see below), where he beat Satono Reve by much further than Lazzat managed at Royal Ascot,” Johnson said. “He cemented that with a most impressive win under a big weight in handicap company at the weekend.” According to Timeform, his recent performance has done more than extend an unbeaten run dating back to January – it’s hinted at unexplored territory. The international comparisons are telling. Ka Ying Rising’s current rating places him 3 lb clear of Cox Plate heroine Via Sistina (132), now trained in Australia by Chris Waller, and 5 lb ahead of Europe’s top performers Field of Gold and Ombudsman (both 130p). The margin stretches to 11 lb over Lazzat, whose Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes win at Royal Ascot earned him a 124 rating, but who hasn’t gone close to matching that effort since. In raw numerical terms, it’s not even close. Anticipation is now shifting to Australia. Timeform believes Ka Ying Rising’s arrival for The Everest, the world’s richest turf race, could become a global moment for racing. “International competition has been a key feature of Flat racing for the best part of 40 years now,” Johnson said. “Ka Ying Rising heading to Australia to take on the best sprinters from Down Under is a prospect that racing fans from all areas of the globe can look forward to.” That journey – should it happen – could yet elevate his rating, and his legend, even further.