Helios Express takes another shot at overthrowing a seemingly unstoppable Ka Ying Rising in Sunday’s (19 January) HK$13 million G1 Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m) at Sha Tin – as two of eight entries for Hong Kong’s first Group 1 race in 2025.
Having effectively reverted to sprinting after a lucrative 2024 Four-Year-Old Classic Series campaign which saw him stretch to 2000m, Helios Express – a rapidly rising talent his own right – again occupies the role of lead antagonist to Hong Kong’s latest sprinting sensation.
Trained by John Size and to be ridden by Hugh Bowman, Helios Express has placed three times behind Ka Ying Rising this season, posting a career-best run by coming within half a length of David Hayes’ speedster – who holds the 1200m track record at Sha Tin (1m 07.43s) – in December’s HK$26 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m).
The Centenary Sprint Cup is set to also feature Victor The Winner, Howdeepisyourlove, Invincible Sage, Lucky With You, Beauty Waves and Magic Control. Ka Ying Rising will seek a ninth straight win in Sunday’s top-level dash.
“Ka Ying Rising is probably more inclined to be comfortable in a small field like this, so there’s two ways of looking at it – it is what it is – he’s obviously the one to beat,” Bowman said. “We’re the underdog and under no illusion of where we sit in the pecking order but Helios Express is certainly a capable horse and it’s a pleasure to ride him.”
The Centenary Sprint Cup kicks off the three-race Hong Kong Speed Series, which carries a HK$5 million bonus for owners if their horse manages to win all three races. The second leg is the HK$13 million G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m) on 23 February; the HK$22 million G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) concludes the tri-race challenge on 27 April.
