David Hayes’ outstanding sprinter Ka Ying Rising must overcome a challenging outside barrier in Sunday’s (8 December) HK$26 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) at Sha Tin if he is to continue to push his claim as potentially the world’s best speedster.

The Sha Tin 1200m track record holder drew barrier 11 in the 14-horse field for the Group 1 feature – a barrier that no horse has won from in the past 18 runnings.

Hayes conceded the barrier was not favorable but said Ka Ying Rising normally draws wide but his only fear is being caught three-wide.

“You’d prefer to be closer to the rail but he is probably no chance of getting boxed in,” he said. “At a $1.20 chance, it’s one of the ways to get beat.

“So, I think Zac (Purton) will be able to appear when he wants and he has got great gate speed and a lot of those inside of him haven’t, so he should cruise across into quite a good spot.

“Hopefully he doesn’t get caught three-wide, that’s all.”

Hayes has compared the extraordinary stride of the New Zealand-bred Ka Ying Rising to champion Australian mares Winx and Black Caviar.

Winx won 37 of her 43 races, including her last 33 in succession, while Black Caviar went through her career undefeated in all of 25 races.

Hayes said Ka Ying Rising, who broke Sacred Kingdom’s long-standing track record at his last start in the G2 BOCHK Private Banking Jockey Club Sprint (1200m), could have lowered the record by more but was switched off by Zac Purton in the last 50m.

“Zac doesn’t often kiss the camera with 100m to go and he was really switched off for the last 50m, so it was probably as times go probably a little bit more opportunity to lower it,” Hayes said.

“He has got a wonderful temperament and he is easy to train and is very sound, a massive stride length and I call it an extra action.

“When you watch a lot of gallops and race horses, you see very few horses with what I see as the extra action and the extra action I have seen in my career just recently is of course Winx and Black Caviar.

“I think it is well documented they have that have a huge stride and I’m sure if you measured this horse when he let’s go, he has got one of those extra strides.

Despite the accolades, Hayes said he wasn’t saying his horse is as good as Winx and Black Caviar and he has got to be around for probably four years and not lose.

“But he has got an action like them and a raw talent that is pretty exciting,” he said.

Purton said everyone wanted the answer to the question of how good Ka Ying Rising could be as his career progresses to tackle his first Group 1 feature.

“He doesn’t need to be any better than he has been at his last two starts this weekend,” Purton said.

“He has just got to come out reproduce that same performance and hopefully it is a fast run race where every horse gets their chance. The track is in great order, it’s riding very well and the weather this week is perfect, so we are looking forward to it.”

Purton said the fact that the gelding had never raced at Group 1 level before always poses a question, but his performances had been at a Group 1 level.

“So, it’s just a matter of him doing it on the big day when it matters, everyone is here and I think that’s what people want to see,” he said.

“Hopefully that’s what happens.”

After running some very quick times on the track, Purton said the scary thing is you don’t feel you’re going that quick.

“It feels like he is only going three quarter, half pace,” he said. “He is certainly a different horse to sit on than all the rest of the them.”

Purton said Ka Ying Rising deserved to break the track record in the BOCHK Private Banking Jockey Club Sprint after going close the start before.

Opposition trainers in the Hong Kong Sprint have all but conceded the race to Ka Ying Rising and are hoping to grab some of the minor prize money in the HK$26 million feature.

Before Pierre Ng’s Beauty Waves had drawn the extreme outside barrier, the trainer said they were running against Ka Ying Rising and were hoping for second.

“That’s our target and hopefully it goes that way,” he said.

Ng said Beauty Waves, who finished fourth at his last start to Ka Ying Rising, had been brilliant and he still believes there is a little bit of improvement as he becomes more professional.