Ka Ying Rising Targets 18th Straight Win in Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup

Ka Ying Rising arrives at Sha Tin Racecourse aiming to break Silent Witness’ Hong Kong record when he contests the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (G1) over about 1,400 m for a HK$13 million purse on Feb. 22, trainer David Hayes said: “I’m very excited about the opportunity to try and break Silent Witness’ record. His gallop was good: it was just his usual Ka Ying Rising gallop, and he’s very much in his routine, and it seems to suit him.”

The Cup is carded as Race 8 on the programme, with Horse Racing Nation reporting a Race 8 post time of 3:30 a.m. EST and Ka Ying Rising drawn to break from barrier three. Paulick Report lists a 10-horse field and confirms all runners are assigned 126 lb. Named rivals include Lucky Sweynesse, Helios Express, Red Lion, Galaxy Patch, Sunlight Power, Copartner Prance, Patch Of Theta, Raging Blizzard and Packing Hermod.

Ka Ying Rising is a New Zealand-bred bay gelding by Shamexpress out of Missy Moo, trained by David A. Hayes and regularly ridden by Zac Purton. Wikipedia’s snapshot lists his official record as 20 starts: 18 wins, 2 seconds, 0 thirds and earnings of HK$135,575,900. The horse has collected seven Group 1 wins in his unbeaten run and holds seasonal honors including Hong Kong Champion Griffin 2023-24, Hong Kong Champion Sprinter 2024-25, Hong Kong Champion 4-Year-Old 2024-25 and Hong Kong Horse of the Year 2024-25.

Preparation has been routine and sharp. Horse Racing Nation reported Purton in the plate for a Feb. 10 barrier trial, clocking an easy six-furlong 1:08.03 with fractions of 24.0 seconds, 22.0 seconds and 22.0 seconds, and gallops on Sha Tin’s dirt were timed at 24.2 seconds one report day and 28.0 seconds another. Hayes acknowledged the pressure and market expectation: “Zac (Purton) is very uncomplicated on him. I’m excited and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll be a bit nervous on the day as I always am, but it’s a very surreal feeling in a Group 1 saddling a horse who is a one-dollar favourite. Not many trainers get to do that, and I can tell you it’s not as easy as it looks.”

Distance remains the key talking point. BloodHorse notes Ka Ying Rising is fundamentally a 1,200 m specialist, with 16 of the 17 races in his streak coming at that trip, and warns that the step up to about 1,400 m could open the door: “If Ka Ying Rising were to produce a subpar effort, the most likely beneficiaries could be Lucky Sweynesse or Helios Express.” BloodHorse also detailed Lucky Sweynesse’s comeback form after an injury-shortened 2024-25 season, when he led into mid-stretch in the Jan. 25 Stewards’ Cup before fading to second.

The narrative coming into Sha Tin is stark: Ka Ying Rising equalled Silent Witness’ benchmark with an effortless triumph in the Group One Centenary Sprint Cup last month, Purton easing him down over the final 100 m to win by a length and a half, and Paulick Report notes connections plan to target The Everest again later this year after the gelding’s 2025 success in the AU$20 million race at Royal Randwick. Hayes summed the emotional weight: “It means a lot to the whole stable and the ownership group and everyone. That’s a bit of pressure,” and added he would be relieved when the task is done: “The Everest with all the doomsayers in Australia was probably more pressure, but I’m really excited for the race and I’ll be glad when it’s over.”

Tomorrow’s card will settle whether Ka Ying Rising can convert overwhelming market certainty into history at Sha Tin or whether Lucky Sweynesse, Helios Express or another of the nine rivals will exploit the extra 200 m and upset a surge toward a Hong Kong record.