Ka Ying Rising makes it 20 in a row with record-setting Chairman's Sprint Prize win

The brilliant sprinter Ka Ying Rising and the versatile Romantic Warrior set records with wins in Group 1 races at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong on Sunday.

Ka Ying Rising, recognized as the world’s leading sprinter, extended his winning streak to 20 races, a record for a Hong Kong-based runner, while lowering the six-furlong course record for the fourth time with a victory in the $3.06 million Chairman’s Sprint Prize.

Ka Ying Rising, who paid a mere $2.10 in American pools, was timed in 1:17.10, winning by 4 1/4 lengths over 89-1 Satono Reve, the champion sprinter in Japan in 2025. Raging Blizzard finished third in a field of eight. Aside from Satono Reve, all other runners were listed at 100-1 or greater in American pools.

Ka Ying Rising, ridden by Zac Purton for trainer David Hayes, was always near the front and took the lead with a furlong remaining before cruising to a comfortable win.

“His speed was nice, he was in a good rhythm, and it was just a matter of him turning up and doing what he has all season, and he did that,” Purton told Hong Kong Jockey Club publicists.

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A 5-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding, Ka Ying Rising broke the course record in November 2024 by winning the Group 2 Jockey Club Sprint in 1:07.43. He lowered the mark to 1:07.20 with a win in the Group 1 Centenary Cup in January 2025 and went even quicker, in 1:07.12, with a win by 4 1/4 lengths in the Group 2 Sprint Cup on April 6.

The winning streak includes 19 races in Hong Kong and the Group 1 Everest Stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia, last October. The Everest Stakes on Oct. 17 is a long-range goal for Ka Ying Rising, Hayes said.

Ka Ying Rising has won 21 of 23 career starts.

Queen Elizabeth II Cup

Romantic Warrior won the $3.8 million Queen Elizabeth II Cup at 1 1/4 miles for an unprecedented fourth time. Romantic Warrior won the Queen Elizabeth Cup from 2022 to 2024 but did not start in the race last year after finishing second by a nose in the Dubai Turf in the United Arab Emirates in early April.

On Sunday, Romantic Warrior ($2.60) won his fifth consecutive start and fourth straight Group 1 in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup. Ridden by James McDonald for trainer Danny Shum, Romantic Warrior stalked the pace in a field of eight. He took the lead with more than a furlong remaining and won by a length over 9-2 Masquerade Ball, the winner of the Grade 1 autumn running of the Tenno Sho at Tokyo Racecourse last November.

“He’s been in good form this season,” Shum said of Romantic Warrior. A mile and a quarter “is his best distance in Hong Kong. I was quite confident he could win this. He’s a super, super champion.”

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Sosie finished third in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup, beaten 1 1/2 lengths. Trained in France by Andre Fabre, Sosie won the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase at 1 1/2 miles at Sha Tin last December and was third in the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris last October.

Romantic Warrior, an 8-year-old Irish-bred champion, pocketed $2.1 million for the Queen Elizabeth II victory and extended his record career earnings to over $34.5 million. He is expected to have his next start in the Group 1 Champions and Chater Cup at 1 1/2 miles at Sha Tin on May 24.

The $1.6 million Champions and Chater Cup is the third leg of a Triple Crown for older horses that includes two Group 1 races Romantic Warrior won earlier this year – the Stewards’ Cup at a mile in January and the Hong Kong Gold Cup at 1 1/4 miles in March. A sweep of that Triple Crown carries a bonus of $1.28 million.

Champions Mile

Heavy favorites did not win all the Group 1 races at Sha Tin on Sunday. My Wish ($10.40) ended a five-race losing streak with a neck victory over 36-1 Cap Ferrat in the $3.08 million Champions Mile.

Ridden by Hugh Bowman, My Wish closed from the back of a field of 14 to lead in the stretch. Cap Ferrat closed from well off the pace and overcame traffic issues with a quarter-mile remaining to be nearest the front at the wire, catching eventual third-place finisher Docklands, an 18-1 chance.

My Wish gave trainer Mark Newnham his first Group 1 in Hong Kong. Newnham, 58, had Group 1 success in Australia before moving to Hong Kong for the 2023-2024 season.

My Wish was fourth by a length in the 2025 Champions Mile. He later won two minor handicaps last September and October at Sha Tin but lost his next five starts, including a second in the Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy at a mile at Sha Tin on April 6.

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