Romantic Warrior has no trouble with Hong Kong Gold Cup

Very Romantic, yes, but not a whit of drama Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong, where Romantic Warrior overwhelmed five foes in the Group 1 Hong Kong Gold Cup.

No horse in Hong Kong can touch Romantic Warrior save, perhaps, Ka Ying Rising, who just last weekend won his 18th race in a row, but Ka Ying Rising’s brilliance extends to only seven furlongs, while Romantic Warrior rules the middle-distance division. He won the 1 1/4-mile Hong Kong Gold Cup by four lengths despite jockey James McDonald asking the great gelding for next to nothing through the homestretch.

While Romantic Warrior can get a mile in top company, his trainer, Danny Shum, deemed 1 1/4 miles his charge’s ideal trip. On May 24, in the Champions and Chater Cup, Romantic Warrior will try and stay 1 1/2 miles and complete a sweep of Hong Kong’s Triple Crown.

The Hong Kong Gold Cup was the second race in the series, which began with the one-mile Stewards Cup on Jan. 25. Romantic Warrior has tried 1 1/2 miles – a rarely run distance in Hong Kong – just once, setting the pace but finishing second behind Russian Emperor in the 2023 Champions and Chater Cup.

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“I think he can handle it, but I don’t know if any overseas horses will come,” Shum said.

McDonald settled Romantic Warrior in third for much of the Hong Kong Gold Cup trip, sidling into contention past the 600-meter marker. Romantic Warrior turned for home and quicky put the race to bed.

Romantic Warrior increased his all-time record earnings to $32.55 million while running his career mark to 28-21-5-0. By Acclamation out of Folk Melody, by Street Cry, Romantic Warrior has won Group 1 races in Australia and in Dubai, and two Februarys ago nearly defeated the great Japanese horse Forever Young in the Saudi Cup, a 1 1/8-mile dirt race.

Remarkably, Romantic Warrior looks as good as ever at age 8 and after having surgery last year to repair a relatively minor injury. His connections never, ever have shied away from international challenges, and Shum after Sunday’s romp hinted a second Saudi Cup try could happen in 2027.

And as things currently stand, the only way Romantic Warrior can find a horse who might plausibly beat him is to leave Hong Kong.

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