Hong Kong superstar Ka Ying Rising smashes his own track record in Group 1 romp at Sha Tin

Hong Kong superstar Ka Ying Rising produced yet another breathtaking performance when smashing his own track record in the Group 1 Centenary Sprint Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday.

The electric four-year-old was a class apart from his seven rivals after breaking quickly in the 6f contest. He peeled off the home turn in the lead before powering home to win by three and a quarter lengths. 

Not only did the 3-20 favourite win impressively, but his 1min 7.2sec time also broke his own track record achieved in the Group 2 Jockey Club Sprint in November. 

• Watch Ka Ying Rising's Centenary Sprint Cup success

The success was the ninth on the bounce for Ka Ying Rising and a second Group 1 victory in a row following a half-length win in last month's Hong Kong Sprint. 

Trainer David Hayes was bullish beforehand and connections remained so afterwards, with jockey Zac Purton joking a new record of 1min 6sec was next on the cards.

"We went too slowly in December and it allowed the horses to be too close, so today I made sure the man was going to take care of the boys," said Purton.

"He can run sectionals comfortably and you need to have a horse who can do that. When you go too slowly, it hands the other horses a bit of an opportunity, so today we made a statement."

That statement was delivered in emphatic fashion and brought Purton to 1,812 wins in Hong Kong, one shy of Douglas Whyte's record.

Voyage Bubble: claimed his second Stewards' CupCredit: Edward Whitaker

He was unable to tie the record in the Group 1 Stewards' Cup, with the £1.3 million contest going the way of last year's winner Voyage Bubble. 

The six-year-old hit the front entering the home straight and kept on well to complete a hat-trick following wins in the Jockey Club Mile and Hong Kong Mile this winter. 

"He's superb," said winning jockey James McDonald. "He's just bombproof. He jumped fast, put himself in a good position and quickened up – I reckon it's the best he's felt since I've ridden him. 

"He strode down to the start with real purpose and he's such an easy horse to read. When he's got a pep in his step, he's on song and a privilege to ride." 

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