Trainer David Hayes is optimistic about his chances at Sha Tin on Sunday, highlighting My Mars and Happy Promise as his strongest contenders. He aims to close the gap in the trainers' championship.
The Hong Kong trainers' championship hangs in the balance, with Happy Valley races set to decisively sway the title. Danny Shum leads with 54 wins, followed closely by Mark Newnham (52), Caspar Fownes (51), David Hayes (48), Francis Lui (47), and John Size (45).
David Hayes is hoping to mount a siege of Mark Newnham’s trainers’ premiership lead when he sends a squad of four last-start winners at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. Four winners behind Newnham in the table on 48, Hayes is squarely in contention for his first title since the 1998-99 season, when he went back to back after securing his maiden success in 1997-98. Only eight winners separate Newnham (52), Caspar Fownes (51), Danny Shum Chap-shing (51), Hayes, Francis Lui Kin-wai (46) and John...
There is a very simple fact that doesn’t seem as though European racing fans can accept – Ka Ying Rising does not need Royal Ascot, Royal Ascot needs him. Not just the world’s best sprinter any more, David Hayes’ all-conquering speedster is outright the world’s best horse according to Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings for the first four months of the year. 4lb clear of Romantic Warrior, another Hong Kong superstar, it is fair to say we are in the golden age of Hong Kong horses and...
Francis Lui Kin-wai secured a Sha Tin double with Turquoise Velocity and Baby Sakura, moving to 45 wins in fifth place in what is shaping as an exciting trainers' championship race. Mark Newnham leads with 51 wins from Caspar Fownes (50), Danny Shum Chap-shing (50) and David Hayes (48). Turquoise Velocity won the Class Three Beijing Clubhouse Handicap while Baby Sakura scored in the Class Three Shenzhen Centre Handicap. Hugh Bowman is booked to ride Japan's Rousham Park against Hong Kong champion Romantic Warrior in the Group One Champions & Chater Cup on May 24.
Ka Ying Rising's 20th consecutive victory in the Group One Chairman's Sprint Prize has positioned the Hong Kong champion sprinter for a rating surge to at least 130 in the next Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings. The David Hayes-trained superstar, currently rated 128 as the world's highest-rated horse, broke track records in both the Sprint Cup and Chairman's Sprint Prize, prompting Jockey Club officials to predict he will surpass his current mark when the interim rankings release on May 14.
A record-extending 20th consecutive victory for Ka Ying Rising on Sunday has left jockey Zac Purton with nothing but admiration for the world’s highest-rated sprinter. The David Hayes-trained superstar broke his own track record in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m), knocking 0.02 seconds off the previous mark to secure his ninth Group One win, taking his prize money to more than HK$150 million. “Well, he’s just a real-life unicorn, isn’t he?” Purton said. “It’s amazing to be a part of the...
Ka Ying Rising secured a record-extending 20th consecutive victory in the Chairman's Sprint Prize (1,200m) at Happy Valley, breaking his own track record by 0.02 seconds. The David Hayes-trained superstar claimed his ninth Group One win, taking his prize money to over HK$150 million. Jockey Zac Purton described the world's highest-rated sprinter as a 'real-life unicorn' and expressed how surreal it is to be part of the story.
Hong Kong horses swept the Group One races at Sha Tin on Sunday, with Ka Ying Rising setting a new track record in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize, marking his 20th consecutive victory.
David Hayes hailed Ka Ying Rising “one of the best horses I’ve ever seen” and “one of the all-time greats” after the champion sprinter smashed his own track record again in a 20th consecutive victory in Sunday’s Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m). Extending his record win streak with consummate ease, Ka Ying Rising exploded clear to beat Japan’s top sprinter Satono Reve by four-and-a-quarter lengths in 1:07.10 – 0.02 seconds quicker than his track record set earlier this month. “In the...
Ka Ying Rising secured a record-extending 20th victory at Sha Tin on Sunday, breaking his own previous mark by 0.02 seconds to set a new record time of one minute 07.10 seconds. Ridden by Zac Purton and trained by David Hayes, the world's highest-rated sprinter won by four and a quarter lengths ahead of Satono Reve, with his prize money now exceeding HK$150 million.
David Hayes remains confident Ka Ying Rising can extend his winning streak to 20 in Sunday's Group One Chairman's Sprint Prize despite weather concerns. The champion sprinter, currently atop the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings for 2026, has proven wet track credentials having won in heavy rain. Hong Kong Observatory forecasts showers through Saturday but clearing by Sunday.
