Season’s unbeaten star Ka Ying Rising claims Horse of the Year title at Hong Kong’s Champion Awards

Ka Ying Rising’s outstanding performance during the 2024/25 racing season saw the record-breaking speedster earn the Horse of the Year title at a special presentation held at the Grand Ballroom of the Rosewood Hotel in Hong Kong tonight (Friday, 11 July). In addition, he was also named Champion Sprinter and Champion Four-Year-Old at the ceremony.

Owned by Ka Ying Syndicate and trained by David Hayes, last season’s Champion Griffin improved sharply in his sophomore season, scoring one of his biggest wins of the season in the HK$26 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m), and completing a record-equalling season with a commanding victory in the HK$22 million G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) in April to secure this season’s Champion Sprinter mantle.

His triumph in the G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize not only left him unbeaten with eight wins from eight starts during the season, but also took his unbeaten streak to 12 consecutive races. The four-year-old Shamexpress gelding completed a clean sweep of the Hong Kong Speed Series and collected a HK$5 million bonus, emulating the feats of Mr Vitality (1995/96), Grand Delight (2002/03), Silent Witness (2003/04 and 2004/05) and Lucky Sweynesse (2022/23).

Ka Ying Rising broke Sacred Kingdom’s Sha Tin 1200m record with a gallop of 1m 07.43s in the G2 BOCHK Private Banking Jockey Club Sprint (1200m), lowering a mark which had stood since 2007. He broke his own record just two months later in a time of 1m 07.2s in the G1 Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m). He is currently the world’s highest-rated sprinter, with the international rating of 126, sitting joint fourth alongside Romantic Warrior in the latest LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings at 126 behind joint top-rated horses Field Of Gold, Forever Young and Ombudsman (127). He was also named the Champion Four-Year-Old based on his brilliant performance throughout the season.

The Ricky Yiu-trained Voyage Bubble also enjoyed a stellar season, especially when he  rewrote Hong Kong racing history with an impressive victory in the HK$13 million G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2400m) in May to become only the second horse in Hong Kong racing history after River Verdon in 1993/94 to complete the Triple Crown by winning the HK$13 million G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m), HK$13 million G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) and Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup in the same season, snaring a HK$10 million bonus.

Voyage Bubble has dominated this season’s mile and stayer divisions, winning this term’s HK$36 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m) and consecutive HK$13 million G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m) and, with these outstanding performances, the six-year-old Deep Field gelding was crowned Champion Miler as well. His LONGINES Hong Kong Mile win was further boosted by seven runners, including himself, from that race who subsequently achieved Group one successes. He also scored in the HK$5.35 million G2 BOCHK Private Wealth Jockey Club Mile (1600m) and in total won five races, including four Group 1s, from seven starts this term. Based on his outstanding achievements, he was named Champion Miler and Champion Stayer for the 2024/25 racing season.

Romantic Warrior secured a fourth straight title as Champion Middle-Distance Horse, following his outstanding wins in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m), G1 Jebel Hatta (1800m) and G2 BOCHK Jockey Club Cup (2000m). The Danny Shum-trained globetrotter also finished gallant second in the G1 Saudi Cup (1800m, dirt) and G1 Dubai Turf (1800m), taking his career earnings to a world record-extending HK$214.7 million.

The seven-year-old Acclamation gelding clocked a sensational record-breaking time of 1m 45.10s to beat a group of global top middle-distance runners with more than four lengths to spare in the G1 Jebel Hatta and became the first Hong Kong-trained horse to achieve Group 1 successes in four different racing jurisdictions, namely Hong Kong, Japan, Australia and Dubai.

The Mark Newnham-trained My Wish is this season’s Most Improved Horse. After starting the campaign rated 54, the Flying Artie gelding soared 51 points to 105 after achieving four wins, two seconds, two thirds and a fourth from nine starts in his second season, including his career-best performance when winning the Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) in January.

My Wish ran well in the other two legs of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series, finished second in both the Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) and BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m).

Zac Purton is now an eight-time Hong Kong Champion Jockey. The Australian rider enjoyed another remarkable season of dominance, including reaching 1,800 career wins in Hong Kong and breaking Douglas Whyte’s all-time record for Hong Kong win. He also reached 700 and 1,000 career wins on Happy Valley races and Sha Tin turf events respectively in the term.

This season’s Most Popular Jockey and Most Popular Horse will be announced at the conclusion of Sunday’s (13 July) 87th and final Sha Tin meeting this season. The presentation ceremony for the 2024/25 Hong Kong Champion Trainer will also be held this Sunday following the races should any trainer gain an unassailable lead ahead of Wednesday night’s (16 July) 88th and final fixture of the racing season, while this season’s Champion Griffin and Tony Cruz Award will be announced at the conclusion of Wednesday’s (16 July) 88th and final fixture this season at Happy Valley.

The Champion Awards Judging Panel announced the winners for the 2024/25 season during this evening’s presentation ceremony as follows:-