Zac Purton and David Hayes hailed Ka Ying Rising’s rousing return at Sha Tin on Sunday as one of his finest victories as the world’s best sprinter tuned up for his first overseas target in scintillating style.

Last season’s Hong Kong Horse of the Year turned the Class One HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup (1,200m) into a one-act affair, but it was the manner in which the raging $1.05 favourite disposed of his rivals under top weight of 135lb that impressed his rider and trainer the most.

“To carry that weight against those horses at that speed first up and do what he did – it’s probably the equal of any performance he’s put up, I think,” Purton said.

“He’s come back in really good order. I said to David before the race that he just looks a different horse. He’s furnished really nice and that’s what we wanted before we get on the plane and go down to Sydney.”

Pushed forward to stalk pacesetter Bottomuptogether early, Ka Ying Rising took control passing the 300m and exploded clear under quiet riding late from Purton.

He became the first horse to win the Chief Executive’s Cup twice when scoring by two and a quarter lengths from Lucky Sweynesse, who ran on strongly to indicate he is on track for the Group One Sprinters Stakes (1,200m) at Nakayama racecourse on September 28. Divano also made an encouraging return, flashing home from last to grab third.

Notching his 13th consecutive triumph, Ka Ying Rising clocked 1:07.63 – just 0.43 seconds shy of the track record he set in January.

“We got into a nice spot and Beauty Waves on my inside got fired up a little bit and got keen and Alexis [Badel] was looking to edge out, so I just felt my horse back on the bit and travelling, thinking about it,” said Purton.

“But then Bottomuptogether, he went and it had my bloke having to chase him mid-race, which was not what I wanted.

“I wanted to have him travelling within himself but what it did – because he’d used a bit more energy mid-race – he actually changed his leg for the first time in a long time when he came into the straight. Hopefully it’s taught him something. When he did that, I thought ‘game over’ and away he went.”

Hayes said Ka Ying Rising would enter quarantine just hours after the first-up success ahead of his much-anticipated tilt at the A$20 million (HK$102 million) The Everest (1,200m) at Randwick on October 18.

“He’ll have a nice, cold bath this afternoon and he has an easy week in quarantine next week, then he’ll be doing work probably consistently the week after and then he’ll arrive in Canterbury two weeks from today,” Hayes said.

“The worry with this prep was running with 135lb at the start, but I didn’t want to go six months between runs, first up in an Everest. I think now I know we’ve got him there, we just maintain him and he holds form for a long time. That’s why he’s a champion.”

Hayes has no concerns about the four-time Group One winner handling his first international trip.

“We’ve been practising going to Conghua about 10 times last year and he didn’t swim here [from Australia], he flew. He’s a pretty good traveller and I’m very confident travelling him,” Hayes said.

“We’ve been saying privately that we think he’s better than last year and I think that showed – the time he ran, the way he did it and the weight he carried.

“He’s 35lb above last year’s weight, but that’s not because he’s fat. It’s because he’s bigger and stronger and probably better.

“He’s always physically been a backward-looking horse and now I think he looks like a complete sprinter. So, yeah, he’s the best I’ve had.”