Brilliant Romantic Warrior edges closer to Triple Crown glory
An imperious Romantic Warrior (Acclamation) made light work of five rivals at Sha Tin on Sunday afternoon by winning a second Hong Kong Gold Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) for Danny Shum and James McDonald, following on from his success in 2024.
Sauntering to a four-length victory in the Triple Crown’s second leg, which follows his win in the Stewards’ Cup (Gr 1, 1600m) and will climax with the Champions & Chater Cup (Gr 1, 2400m) on May 24, Romantic Warrior won a record-extending 13th Group 1 – the most for a Hong Kong-trained horse.
McDonald said: “He’s just beautifully prepared. Danny’s just done a marvellous job, and each and every time I hop on him, I just cherish the moment. I feel so special every time and you look between his ears and he’s just so alert.”
The gelding broke smoothly from barrier four to settle third as Beauty Joy (Sebring) made the running. Turning into the home straight, McDonald peeled out aboard Romantic Warrior and the bay exploded to the front with ease. John Size’s Ensued (Lemon Drop Kid) held on for second, while Francis Lui’s Winning Wing (Preferment) was a closing third.
Shum said: “It’s a small field, and he’s very fit, actually. His condition is getting better and better. The 2000 metres is his best trip. I think he can handle it [2400 metres], but I don’t know if any overseas horses will come [in May], but I think they have a lot of potential.”
Boasting world-record earnings of HK$254.66 million (approx. AU$46.25 million), 2021 Hong Kong International Sale graduate, Romantic Warrior, clocked 1m 59.77s as he covered the final 400 metres in 22.52s. The eight-year-old was purchased for HK$4.8 million by owner Peter Lau, and has also won Group 1 races in Australia, Japan and the United Arab Emirates.
Shum indicated Romantic Warrior will chase a fourth QEII Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) after wins from 2022-2024 on Champions Day (26 April) before the Triple Crown’s last leg, the Champions & Chater Cup.
Beyond this season, Shum didn’t rule out returning to Saudi Arabia, the site of his famous close-up defeat to Forever Young (Real Steel) in last year’s Saudi Cup (Gr 1, 1800m).
“I think he will now go to the QEII Cup and then to the Champions & Chater before he finishes the season,” Shum said. “Maybe next season we will go to the Saudi Cup – we will keep everything open for now.”
The victory saw Romantic Warrior join Viva Pataca (Marju) (2008 & 2009), Military Attack (Oratorio) (2013 & 2014), Designs On Rome (Holy Roman Emperor) (2015 & 2016), Time Warp (Archipenko) (2018 & 2020) and Golden Sixty (Medaglia D’Oro) (2021 & 2023) as dual Hong Kong Gold Cup winners since the turn of the century.
The only Triple Crown winners in Hong Kong racing history are the trailblazing River Verdon (Be My Native) (1993/94) and Voyage Bubble (Deep Field) last season.