O’Sullivan puts Ka Ying Rising alongside Black Caviar after 119 rating
Ka Ying Rising’s record-breaking Sha Tin return lifted his peak for a third consecutive start, placing him in rare company before his defence of The Everest.
Ratings expert Daniel O’Sullivan has placed Ka Ying Rising alongside Black Caviar after assessing the Hong Kong sprinter’s record-breaking return at Sha Tin at 119 on a weight-for-age basis.
The figure is one point above O’Sullivan’s peak assessment of 118 for Black Caviar, although he cautioned that the ratings were produced under slightly different methodologies.
“Ka Ying Rising is every bit as good as Black Caviar in terms of the performances he’s putting on the track,” O’Sullivan said on social media.
“There’s no point splitting hairs over numbers and arguing that one is definitively ahead of the other. What we can say is that, based on his performances, it’s reasonable to place Ka Ying Rising alongside her.”
Ka Ying Rising’s latest figure continues a rapid rise from ratings of 113.5 and 114 at his previous two starts. O’Sullivan based the 119 assessment on the race time and sectionals, measured against the five other 1200-metre races held at Sha Tin on Sunday and the established ability of the horses involved.
The six-year-old won the HK$4.2 million Group 3 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup in 1 minute 6.11 seconds, lowering his own Sha Tin 1200-metre record by almost one second.
Carrying 135lb and conceding most rivals 20lb, he led throughout under Zac Purton, with Copartner Prance finishing seven and three-quarter lengths back. It was his 21st consecutive victory, extending his Hong Kong record, and took his career tally to 22 wins from 24 starts.
“The clock leaves no doubt that this was clearly his best performance,” O’Sullivan said. “We’re witnessing one of the all-time great racehorses.”
The performance followed an injury scare earlier in the week, when bruising to Ka Ying Rising’s left hind foot required several hours of veterinary examination under sedation.
Ka Ying Rising entered quarantine less than two hours after Sunday’s win. He is scheduled to travel to Sydney and trial before defending his title in the A$20 million Group 1 The Everest over 1200 metres at Randwick on October 17.
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