Hong Kong locally trained horses Ka Ying Rising and Romantic Warrior secured the top two spots in the March edition of the LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings.
Ka Ying Rising, trained by David Hayes, maintained his standing as the world’s top-rated horse in training, boasting an impressive international rating of 128. Not far behind, Danny Shum’s Romantic Warrior claimed the second spot with a rating of 124.
Japan’s Forever Young, a dirt specialist trained by Yoshito Yahagi, placed third with a rating of 123. Britain’s Royal Champion, the eight-year-old under Karl Burke, followed in fourth at 122, while American contender Nysos, trained by Bob Baffert, rounded out the top five with a 121 rating.
Hong Kong boasts four entries in the top 20 of the March edition of the LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings. Manfred Man’s Lucky Sweynesse is ranked joint-11th with an international rating of 118, while John Size-trained Helios Express is joint-15th with a rating of 117.
Ka Ying Rising, racing for the Ka Ying Syndicate, made headlines on February 22 by notching his 18th consecutive win in the G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m)—a new record for a Hong Kong-trained runner. The five-year-old has now amassed eight Group 1 victories, six of them this season alone.
Romantic Warrior, owned by Peter Lau, continued his stellar run by claiming a record-extending 13th Group 1 victory in the G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) on 1 March, further solidifying his status as one of the sport’s legends.
Both horses are focused on domestic glory for the remainder of this season: Ka Ying Rising is aiming to retain his Hong Kong Speed Series honours with victory in April’s G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m), while the world’s highest-earning horse Romantic Warrior is looking to complete the Triple Crown with a win in the G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2400m) on 24 May.
Ka Ying Rising’s next challenge comes on Easter Monday, April 6, in the G2 Sprint Cup (1200m) at Sha Tin, where he will attempt to extend his winning streak to 19 races.
