Highly respected British ratings agency Timeform believes that Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress) could end up as the best sprinter we’ve seen this century.
The David Hayes-trained superstar currently has a Timeform rating of 135, meaning that he’s currently the world’s best racehorse and has also surpassed other Hong Kong sprinting greats like Silent Witness (El Moxie) and Sacred Kingdom (Encosta de Lago) on their ratings.
Ka Ying Rising’s figure of 135 also places him just behind Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) and former top British sprinter Battaash (Dark Angel), who are Timeform’s joint highest-rated sprinters this century on a mark of 136.
The winner of his past 13 starts, Ka Ying Rising is currently the hot favourite for The Everest next month and returned from a spell to record a dominant win in the Chief Executive’s Cup at Sha Tin last weekend.
“Hong Kong has been home to some world-class sprinters down the years, with the likes of Silent Witness and Sacred Kingdom both rated top-class by Timeform at their peak, but in Ka Ying Rising, it looks to have produced one even better than that pair,” said Timeform’s Flat Racing Editor David Johnson.
“Ka Ying Rising is rated 135 on the back of his comfortable win in the Chairman’s (Sprint) Prize in April, where he comfortably beat Satono Reve (Lord Kanaloa) by much further than Lazzat (Territories) was able to do at Royal Ascot and he cemented that with a most impressive win under a big weight in handicap company at the weekend.
“International competition has been an important feature of flat racing for the best part of 40 years now and Ka Ying Rising heading to Australia to take on the best sprinters from Down Under in The Everest, the most valuable race on turf, is a prospect that racing fans from all areas of the globe can look forward to.”
Like Timeform, Ciaron Maher has also been impressed by Ka Ying Rising. The Melbourne Cup-winning trainer will take on Ka Ying Rising in The Everest with his sprinter Jimmysstar, but was left in awe of what the Shamexpress gelding was able to do at Sha Tin last Sunday.
“It was certainly a phenomenal performance,” Maher said. “I’m sure David will be keen to get back here and fly the flag, I’m sure he’ll have him pretty right to go. If he arrives in that sort of form and travels well, he’s going to be mighty hard to beat but it’s looking like a good race.”
WATCH: Ka Ying Rising in the Chief Executive’s Cup
The world’s best as of September 2025, according to Timeform:
135 – Ka Ying Rising
132 – Via Sistina
130 – Field Of Gold
130 – Ombudsman