In the Hong Kong Sprint, which features three Japanese horses in Lugal, Toshin Macau and Satono Reve, there is one horse that has attracted a lot of attention in Hong Kong. Although he has never won a G1 race, Ka Ying Rising is the clear favourite with the major bookmakers, beating many of the best horses in the field. We asked Zachary Purton, the horse's leading jockey, what kind of horse Ka Ying Rising is.

Ka Ying Rising has won eight races from ten starts. In the races he has not won, he has finished second in all of them. In his most recent race, the G2 Jockey Club Sprint, he put in an impressive performance that convinced Parton he was going to win.

I immediately asked Purton what kind of horse he was and he showed me his white teeth and said, "He's a very fast horse. He used to be a bit of a roughneck, but he's a very hard-working horse. He's settled down and once he's learnt how to work, he's been very calm in the paddock and at the gate and his final stretch has improved a lot. He has become a very good horse."

He continued, "I have ridden a lot of horses in the past, including horses with slow gates like Lucky Sweynesse, but he is one of the most mature horses I have ever ridden. I find him very easy to ride. He is no slouch compared to last year's Hong Kong Sprint Champion."

Finally, Purton added, "I am very confident. He has to do his job. But if he runs like he did in the last two races, I have no problem at all. What kind of performance will this remarkable horse, who has made a famous local jockey in Hong Kong say so much, give us in his first G1 race?