Sha Tin - Ka Ying Rising Goes for 18
Ka Ying Rising Goes for 18
The G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup will be run on Sunday, February 22 at Sha Tin Racecourse. Contested at seven furlongs (1400m) and worth HK$ 13 million (approximately US$ 1.66 million), it is the second leg of the 2025/26 Hong Kong Speed Series and will be part of the World Pool wagering which enables bettors in over 27 different jurisdictions to watch and wager on it. Big mutuel pools are guaranteed!
The series was swept last year by Ka Ying Rising and he has already dominated this year’s first leg last month with a handy win in the G1 Centenary Sprint Cup. It was his 17th straight win and tied him with the immortal Silent Witness. Sunday, he goes for the record. The series concludes on April 26 in the HK$ 24 million (approximately US$ 3.06 million) G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize going six furlongs.
The Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup is interesting in that it is run at seven furlongs (1400m) and might pose a challenge for the true six-furlong(1200M) specialists but Ka Ying Rising answered the seven-furlong question a year ago in this race when he romped by 1 ½ lengths in 1:20.33 seconds. In fact, the way that Ka Ying Rising finishes all his races, seven furlongs might be his best distance. A sub 1:20 second final time is not out of the question.
Ka Ying Rising’s barrier trial on the all-weather track at Sha Tin on February 10 was legendary and a bad sign for his rivals. He broke well, as usual, was gathered up by Zac Purton and was two or three wide after a first quarter mile run in 24 seconds. He cruised around the turn in 22 seconds flat then Purton imperceptibly asked him to quicken and the result was another 22-second quarter mile. His final time was 1:08.03 seconds but as impressive as that was, his gallop out was even better.
Looking like a Bob Baffert Kentucky Derby trainee, Ka Ying Rising gave the impression that races even farther than the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup could be in his target zone. But don’t worry, he will stay at sprint distances with another trip Down Under in October to defend his title in the G1 Everest Stakes as his main goal.
Helios Express once won the Hong Kong Classic Mile then the Hong Kong Classic Cup going 1 1/8 miles (1800m). He came up short in the BMW Hong Kong Derby at 1 ¼ miles (2000m) and went to the sidelines until October 2024 when John Size turned him back to a sprinter. He has run a series of strong races with a win and six second-place finishes. Unfortunately, he has faced Ka Ying Rising too many times and at level weights, he is a gallant underdog.
Galaxy Patch is one of my favorite horses in Hong Kong. Always making up ground no matter what the distance of the race, his best performance might have been a close second in the 2024 BMW Hong Kong Derby when his late lunge fell a nose short behind Massive Sovereign despite drawing post 14. He’s won three group stakes races at a mile and a group two stakes race going 1 1/8 miles. He’ll drop out of it at the start then commence his rally.