Official - Sacred Kingdom is world's best sprinter

17th December 2007

The brilliant Sacred Kingdom (4g Encosta De Lago-Courtroom Sweetie, by Zeditave) is officially the world’s best sprinter after receiving a rating of 123 following his victory in the G1 Hong Kong Sprint earlier this month.

After that success jockey Gerald Mosse described his mount as "quite simply one of the best I have ever ridden".

The 123 ranking means that the Ricky Yiu-trained Sacred Kingdom is the highest-rated sprinter for two years and the equal of Hong Kong legend Silent Witness.

"It’s great that the world’s leading sprinter is once again trained in Hong Kong and it’s a remarkable achievement for such a lightly-raced horse to be on top of the world," said Bill Nader, executive director of racing in Hong Kong.

Sacred Kingdom, who was bred in Australia by the Calvert family, was sold for AUS$200,000 at the 2005 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.