Karis Teetan has high hopes Ka Ying Rising will continue his rapid rise when the exciting sprinter faces his biggest test in Sunday’s Group Three Sha Tin Vase (1,200m).

The Mauritian jockey picked up the prized ride from Zac Purton, who has ridden Ka Ying Rising in all six starts but is in Japan to ride Voyage Bubble in Sunday’s Group One Yasuda Kinen (1,600m).

A brilliant winner on debut last December, the David Hayes-trained three-year-old then ran two close seconds behind Wunderbar before an emphatic run of three straight victories.

He handled his first crack at Class Two with ease, demolishing a field of seasoned campaigners by two and a half lengths when starting a raging $1.4 favourite last start.

With a rating of just 96 – the lowest of the nine Sha Tin Vase runners – Ka Ying Rising races eight pounds out of the handicap when he takes on a field headed by Group One winners Invincible Sage and Victor The Winner.

Invincible Sage, who is fresh from a strong Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m) victory on Champions Day, poses a big threat in the eyes of Teetan.

“He’s progressed rapidly in the ratings and he’s done nothing wrong,” Teetan said of Ka Ying Rising.

“His last win was really good. He’s out of the handicap a bit against a Group One winner in Invincible Sage, but David [Hayes] and the connections think really highly of him.

“He does have a light weight [115 pounds] which will be to his benefit. I think that will make a big difference compared to the horses carrying big weights. I think he’ll be competitive.”

Hayes is also bullish Ka Ying Rising will rise to the occasion and expects his emerging star to handle a rain-affected track, if Hong Kong’s wet weather continues over the weekend.

“Ka Ying Rising is a promising young horse taking on [Invincible Sage], so we’ll see if he’s up to it at this stage or not,” Hayes said.

“We’ve probably got to this level one race quicker than ideal, but he’s in such good form, we’re sacrificing probably one race. That’s the way I’m looking at it and the race is worth two or three [regular races in prize money].

“He seems to handle rain-affected ground, but so does David Hall’s horse [Invincible Sage]. He’s done everything right, he’s had a nice trial in between runs, he’s eating all his food and he’s 1,100 pounds, so I’m expecting a good run.”

The highlight of the first twilight meeting of the season, the Sha Tin Vase also features the return of Stoltz, who – like Ka Ying Rising – will chase a fourth straight win.

The Francis Lui Kin-wai-trained gelding last raced when winning the Group Three National Day Cup (1,000m) last October, with a humeral bone injury forcing him out of action.

John Size’s veteran sprinter Sight Success will also line up in his first start since running fifth to California Spangle in the Group One Al Quoz Sprint (1,200m) at Meydan in March.

Hayes identified Awesome Treasure as the best of his other Sha Tin runners, with the last-start winner set to carry top weight of 135 pounds in the Class Four Shing Mun River Channel Handicap (1,200m).

“I think Awesome Treasure will run well again. He handles rain-affected ground, he’s still in the right class, he’s got a bit of weight but he’s an older horse, so I expect him to handle it,” Hayes said.

Teetan said Lucy In The Sky, an impressive winner for Me Tsui Yu-sak in April, was the pick of his other rides.

“Last start I thought the winner [Glory Elite] just got away from me,” Teetan said of Lucy In The Sky’s last-start second. “He’s one of my rides that stands out.”