Zac Purton is confident Ka Ying Rising’s sheer talent and versatility will enable the crack sprinter to overcome another challenging barrier in the HK$13 million G1 Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (19 January) as history beckons for the seven-time Hong Kong champion jockey.

Needing only three more wins to equal Douglas Whyte’s record of 1,813, Purton has seven rides across the 11-race card, headed by Ka Ying Rising and Beauty Eternal in the HK$13 million G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m).

Purton, 42, will bid to land the Centenary Sprint Cup for the third time after victories on Aerovelocity (2016) and Lucky Sweynesse (2023) as Ka Ying Rising chases a ninth consecutive win from the outside barrier in the eight-horse field.

The 128-rater has drawn barriers nine, 10 and 11 at his past three outings, winning on each occasion, but Purton sounded a note of caution ahead of Sunday’s contest.

“Obviously he (Ka Ying Rising) has got good gate speed, so that’s an asset. There’s a little bit of speed inside him. Being drawn outside in a small field is always tricky because the runners to the inside generally try to hold a more prominent position than they might normally in a bigger field,” Purton said.

“So, I would expect a few horses to do that and it might not be easy to get across, so I’ll need a little bit of luck.

“He’s got a really good brain, so that certainly helps. I just hope there’s a spot for me to get in behind Victor The Winner (barrier one) or Magic Control (barrier four) and I can get the one off. We’ll see how we go early.”

Purton believes Ka Ying Rising’s effort to contest the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) last month was a feat in itself – much less comfortably defeating a world-class field.

“I think people forget that he’s only a young four-year-old and that’s he’s come a long way in only a short period of time,” Purton said.

“It was not only a year to the day that he had his first start, and first win, to then lining up in an international sprint, so he did a really good job just to get there – he did an even better job to win, drawing out (barrier 11) that day as well.

“He’s the only horse in history to come from barrier 11 to win the (LONGINES Hong Kong) Sprint, so he had that against him. He was a little bit slow to step and he was taken on by Victor The Winner, sitting outside him, eye-balling him in front so he never got a chance to relax and he still gave a good kick and won.

“There was a lot of merit to the win and I think he will continue to get better as well.”

Ka Ying Rising will be challenged this weekend by Victor The Winner, Helios Express, Howdeepisyourlove, Invincible Sage, Lucky With You, Beauty Waves and Magic Control.

The Centenary Sprint Cup marks the start of the three-race Hong Kong Speed Series, which carries a HK$5 million bonus for any horse which wins all three races. The HK$13 million G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m) on 23 February and the HK$22 million G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) on 27 April complete the series.

Purton has also drawn barrier eight in the Stewards’ Cup on Beauty Eternal, who is bidding to return to winning form against Voyage Bubble, California Spangle, Beauty Joy, Galaxy Patch, Chancheng Glory, Red Lion and Patch Of Theta.

“He (Beauty Eternal) beat Golden Sixty last season and he’s come back this season and been really disappointing. He’s been his own worst enemy, pulling himself into the ground and he wouldn’t relax at all,” the Australian said.

“Last time, he had the ear plugs and the Norton bit on and he relaxed much better and gave himself a chance but didn’t perform. He continues to trial well, but he’s just not producing it on race day.

“He won’t be able to lead this race because California Spangle is in (barrier) two, so I’ll probably have to sit outside him. Voyage Bubble looks like he’s going to be in the right spot and he’s going to have the race at his mercy.

“He (Voyage Bubble) is not over the line because there are some handy horses in it and Galaxy Patch is obviously one of those. Galaxy Patch could jump out of the ground on his day, but Voyage Bubble is going to be in the right spot.”

The Stewards’ Cup is the first leg of the Triple Crown series with a HK$10 million bonus on offer to any horse who can also win the HK$13 million G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) on 23 February and HK$13 million G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2400m) on 25 May.

Sunday’s (19 January) Sha Tin card starts with the Class 4 Beat The Clock Handicap (1200m) at 12.30pm.