3 minute read

A ratings review of Caulfield and Hong Kong, where we can officially say there's a new world's best sprinter.

Hong Kong

World's Best Sprinter

Ka Ying Rising was electric winning the Group 2 Jockey Club Sprint and announced himself as the best sprinter in the world with a huge rating.

He broke the track record eased up and has run to 128 on the international Timeform scale and on the Racing & Sports ratings, which makes him the best sprinter in the world.

Compared to Australian sprinters, our top-rated sprinter at the moment is the consistent and outstanding mare Bella Nipotina who is rated 123 by Timeform and on the RAS ratings, which she ran to when winning The Everest.

Ka Ying Rising is still improving and really looks capable of breaking the 130 mark come December in the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint (1200m), and perhaps even more exciting for Australian fans is that he's looking likely to come here next year for The Everest.

If he does break the 130 mark in December and comes to Australia, he'd be the highest rated horse ever to come here.

In terms of comparing Ka Ying Rising to star Australian sprinters in recent times, 128 is right up there. Black Caviar is still the absolute best the world has seen over a sprint trip, rated 136, while we've seen the likes of Nature Strip touch 131, with another four ratings at 130.

128 equals the peak rating of horses like Santa Ana Lane in his 3.5 length Group 1 T J Smith Stakes (1200m) win, Bivouac in his 3.3 length win over Nature Strip in the Group 1 Darley Sprint Classic (1200m), now the Champions Sprint, and Classique Legend in his dominant Everest win.

That's the sort of level Ka Ying Rising now sits amongst and while he doesn't have the CV of some of those stars, he's still on an upward trajectory.

In the process of his win on Sunday, he broke Sacred Kingdom's 1200m Sha Tin track record, who ran to a rating of 127 and set that record when winning this race in 2007.

He went on to win the Hong Kong Sprint as his next start, running to a world-class rating of 131, and went even better again a few months later in the Group 1 Chairman's Sprint Prize (1200m) with a peak Timeform rating of 133.

Ka Ying Rising still has a bit to get to that sort of level but if Sunday's win is any indication, he's firmly on track to do so and establish himself as one of the best sprinters we've ever seen.

Romantic Warrior & Voyage Bubble

While Ka Ying Rising stole the show a bit, Romantic Warrior was ultra-impressive again, putting a big space on his inferior opposition and running to 125, which is his modal rating.

This 4.25 length win was the second biggest margin of his career, just eclipsed by a 4.5 length win in the Group 1 Hong Kong Cup (2000m) in 2022, where he also rated 125.

He's clearly come back as well as ever and might even be able to run a new peak in December. If he does that, and edges towards the 130 mark, his profile and body of work would have to say he's the best horse in the world, which he could still reasonably claim now.

Voyage Bubble was good winning the Mile with a Timeform rating of 124 which is the same rating he ran at the weights when second to Galaxy Patch fresh. There's very little between them, and Antino has now run to 124 at his past two starts which has him firmly in the mix come December if he can produce his best.

Caulfield – Thousand Guineas

The wind certainly had an impact on how races were run and this was one that they really went slowly and ripped home, with Another Prophet the beneficiary of the perfect run with cover but as close to the lead as possible.

There's no doubt Aeliana was the better run, and the splits here are enormous. When adjusting for sectionals, her time comes out nearly 10 pounds faster than the winner, and hitting the flat spot she did cost her the win.

The winner has run to a RAS rating of 110 which is the second-lowest Thousand Guineas winner in the past ten years. Yearning ran to 109 in 2021 while Joliestar ran to 112 last year and Madame Pommery 111 in 2022.

Aeliana will relish 2000m and should be early favourite for the Vinery and Oaks when those markets come out.

Rupert Clarke

Kimochi has run to a new peak rating winning the Rupert Clarke, coming in at 118 having held a previous peak rating of 113, achieved when winning the Light Fingers and also when finishing third in the Coolmore Classic.

Unlike the Thousand Guineas there aren't really any obvious excuses.Another Wil had an outstanding run and looked the winner but was beaten fair and square. Southport Tycoon and Tuvalu were good and the latter isn't far off his best which bodes well fresh.

This is a fairly standard winning rating for a Rupert Clarke, one pound below last year's winner Magic Time at 119, which is also the rating run by Stratum Star and Behemoth. Jungle Cat at 120 tops the last ten years.

The other mare to win in that time is Sierra Sue who ran to 115 in 2021.