Hong Kong sprint star Ka Ying Rising has been officially crowned the world’s best sprinter after being awarded a career-high rating of 128 in the 2025 LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings, making him the highest-rated Hong Kong-trained horse in the history of the rankings.
The David Hayes-trained gelding ranked joint-second overall on the global list, alongside Japanese pair Forever Young and Masquerade Ball, Britain’s Ombudsman, and American runner Sovereignty, trailing only France’s Calandagan (130) at the top.
The recognition caps an extraordinary 2025 for Ka Ying Rising, who went unbeaten throughout the calendar year, highlighted by victory in Australia’s AU$20 million G1 The Everest at Royal Randwick before defending his title in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin. Those performances formed part of five Group 1 wins during the rating period from January to December.
Partnered by champion jockey Zac Purton for all but one of his eight wins in 2025, the New Zealand-bred speedster earned a rating higher than modern Hong Kong greats Able Friend (127), Beauty Generation (127) and Golden Sixty (126).
The timing of the announcement adds further significance, with Ka Ying Rising set to line up this Sunday in the G1 Centenary Sprint Cup at Sha Tin, where he will attempt to equal the long-standing Hong Kong record of 17 consecutive victories, first achieved by Silent Witness in 2005.
Hong Kong Jockey Club Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said Ka Ying Rising’s rise represented a landmark moment for the jurisdiction.
“Ka Ying Rising’s elevation to a career-high rating of 128 is a historic milestone for Hong Kong racing and establishes him as the highest-rated Hong Kong-trained horse in the history of the LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings,” Engelbrecht-Bresges said. “His recognition as the world’s best sprinter underlines the global strength of Hong Kong’s sprint program.”
The rankings also reinforced the standing of Romantic Warrior, who finished joint-seventh with a rating of 127, despite an injury-affected year. Already the world’s highest-earning racehorse with HK$240.11 million in prize money, Romantic Warrior extended his record with a fourth win in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup and a victory in Dubai’s G1 Jebel Hatta.
His mark makes Romantic Warrior the second-highest rated Hong Kong-trained horse in history, behind only Ka Ying Rising.
Overall, Hong Kong enjoyed a standout year on the global stage, with 10 locally trained horses rated 115 or higher, despite the city having a racing population of approximately 1,350 horses – less than one percent of the world’s active thoroughbred population.
That depth was mirrored in the World’s Top 100 Group 1 Races, where 11 Hong Kong races were included, up from eight in 2024. Among them, the Centenary Sprint Cup ranked third globally among turf sprint races for older horses, behind only Australia’s The Everest and Hong Kong’s Chairman’s Sprint Prize.
As Hong Kong prepares for another defining weekend at Sha Tin, Ka Ying Rising carries not just a record-equalling target, but the weight of global recognition – as the world’s best sprinter heading into one of the most significant races of his career.
