A strong performance against Ka Ying Rising in Sunday’s Group One Centenary Sprint Cup (1,200m) is all Dennis Yip Chor-hong needs to see from Fast Network to confirm a trip to Dubai for the Group One Al Quoz Sprint (1,200m).

Third behind Ka Ying Rising in last month’s Group One Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m), Fast Network is on track for his first overseas mission after another clash with the world’s best sprinter at Sha Tin.

The five-year-old warmed up for the Centenary Sprint Cup with a barnstorming trial victory at Conghua last Friday.

“He’s in really good form. He trialled at Conghua and went really well,” Yip said.

“After this race we’ll see how he’s going – if he runs well, then we’ll go [to Dubai]. I think the straight is better for him. Right now it’s hard to beat Ka Ying Rising, so I think if we go to that race, it gives him a good chance.”

James McDonald will ride Fast Network on Sunday, but the champion jockey is yet to confirm whether he will be available for the Al Quoz Sprint.

Fast Network has been a straight-track specialist at Sha Tin, notching four of his six career victories over 1,000m.

The son of Wrote recorded the biggest win of his career up the straight in October when he rocketed home to claim the Group Three National Day Cup (1,000m) under Alexis Badel.

McDonald then hopped aboard for his impressive second to Ka Ying Rising in the Group Two Sprint Cup (1,200m) in November and the Hong Kong Sprint.

Fast Network will bid to become Hong Kong’s fourth winner of the Al Quoz Sprint. The Tony Cruz-trained California Spangle (2024), Ricky Yiu Poon-fai’s Amber Sky (2014) and Derek Cruz’s Joy And Fun (2010) have won the race, which is run for US$1.5 million (HK$11.69 million).

Prolific Group One winner Lucky Sweynesse has also been entered for the Al Quoz, but in an intriguing move, trainer Manfred Man Ka-leung will test his stable star over a mile for the first time in Sunday’s Group One Stewards’ Cup.

Hong Kong’s other Dubai World Cup entrants are for dirt features – Mark Newnham’s Talents Ambition in the Group Two Godolphin Mile and Man’s Self Improvement and the Chris So Wai-yin-trained Sing Dragon in the Group One Dubai Golden Shaheen (1,200m).

Meanwhile, Ka Ying Rising will bid to equal Silent Witness’ record of 17 straight wins fresh from being crowned Timeform’s Horse of the Year for 2025.

Ka Ying Rising’s peak Timeform rating of 135 – achieved in his Class One HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup (1,200m) triumph in September – was the highest mark for the year.

“I’ve always used Timeform and really respected it and it’s such a great honour to have a horse that can be rated this high, and to have him based out of Hong Kong is a double pleasure,” trainer David Hayes said.

“Silent Witness [is a] Hong Kong all-time great, to equal his record in a pretty short time really, so he’ll be favoured to do it and I’ll be relieved when it’s over.”

Ka Ying Rising was also crowned Timeform’s Champion Sprinter for 2025 and he could receive more accolades at Tuesday’s Longines World Racing Awards night in London.