Best In The World
Monday, 26 January 2026Trainer David Hayes was recently presented with the Timeform Horse of the Year and Sprinter of the Year award for his awesome galloper, Ka Ying Rising.
Ka Ying Rising’s Timeform rating of 135 pegs him as Hong Kong’s highest-rated horse over any distance since the august institution started keeping figures for the “colony” about 30 years ago.
Among sprinters worldwide this century, he ranks him just a point behind Battaash, Timeform’s champion sprinter each year from 2017 to 2020, and the remarkable Australian mare Black Caviar (also TFR 136) who remained unbeaten in 25 starts.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Centenary Sprint Cup where his charge was on the cusp of winning 17 straight races, Hayes said, "It's very, very exciting. Silent Witness is a Hong Kong all-time great, to equal his record in a pretty short time... he'll be favourite to do it and I'll be relieved when it's over. But track work and trial suggest he hasn't gone backwards from his brilliant win the other day."
Hayes’’ preview proved spot on – Ka Ying Rising did his usual tour de force, racing handy at a high cruising speed, then accelerating away from toiling pursuers at the top of the stretch to match Silent Witness’’ record streak.
That is almost the universally optimal style for turf horse racing. Trying to beat a horse able to go so fast early and then still capable of flashing an unbelievable mid-race turn of foot (Ka Ying typically smashes in a couple of 10.4 second sectionals!) is practically impossible – hence the remarkable winning sequence.
My speed figure scale and methodology is different to Timeform. And the official international classification handicapper’s have probably underestimated Ka Ying Rising’s performance level for too long. But whatever ratings system is used, this living sprinting legend hits big numbers.
114;115;118;119 and 122 are some of the the escalating speed figs he has recorded and here’s the remarkable thing – that’s without ever being fully extended.
Sunday’s stroll in the park romp, which was worthy of 117 +++ saw him freewheel in the last 200m, with jockey Zac Purton again having the luxury of gearing him down once the race was already sewn up.
To put it in context, most SA G1 winners record scores of around 108. Some of the better thoroughbreds that have campaigned with success overseas might run 112’s and higher. That’s what One Stripe, narrowly pipped in the Pegasus Turf at Gulfstream Park on Saturday achieved during the peak of his SA campaign.
One Stripe is trained by Graham Motion, who also conditions the winner, Test Score. Of One Stripe, the erudite and savvy, Motion said,” He’s a really good horse, you’re going to hear a lot from him this year.”
