Ka Ying Rising takes out top Timeform gong
Everest-winning sprinter Ka Ying Rising has been crowned Timeform’s 2025 Horse of the Year, adding another major honour to a remarkable Hong Kong career.
Trained by David Hayes, last season’s Hong Kong Horse of the Year also claimed Timeform Champion Sprinter status after a campaign that consistently pushed elite international benchmarks.
A modern Sha Tin phenomenon, the New Zealand-bred five-year-old has earned HK$122.57 million and won 17 of his 19 starts, including a 16-race winning streak that matches Golden Sixty and sits just one shy of Silent Witness’s all-time city record.
Timeform highlighted five separate performances rated 130 or higher in 2024, a sequence that included five Group 1 victories and two at Group 2 level during his unbeaten run.
Ka Ying Rising puts that streak back on the line in Sunday’s HK$13 million Group 1 Centenary Sprint Cup over 1200 metres at Sha Tin, a race shaping as another defining chapter.
“He’s the best horse I’ve trained and he’ll be the best horse I’ve seen if he keeps going the way he is,” Hayes said, citing the gelding’s high cruising speed and devastating late acceleration.
Timeform’s remaining 2025 awards saw Calandagan crowned Champion Middle-Distance horse, Field Of Gold named Champion Miler, Minnie Hauk take Champion Filly or Mare honours, and Trawlerman secure Champion Stayer status.
