He’s a globetrotting hero whose achievements live up to his name. Romantic Warrior’s travels have taken him throughout the Far East, Middle East, and Down Under, earning glory and unsurpassed riches. He’s excelled for five seasons on a journey that’s taken him to Hong Kong, Japan, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and Australia.
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The all-time leading thoroughbred earner has amassed $27,683,474 in a 19-for-26 career that includes 10 Group 1 wins. Three came at Sha Tin, where this weekend the 7-year-old bay gelding will be heavily favored to take the $5.14 million Hong Kong Cup (G1) for an unprecedented fourth consecutive year.
The 1¼-mile turf event on the sweeping, righthanded course is the marquee event of the four-race Hong Kong International festival. Also featured are the 1½-mile, $3.3 million Hong Kong Vase (G1); the 6-furlong, $3.6 million Hong Kong Sprint (G1); and the $4.6 million Hong Kong Mile (G1). Post time for the Cup is 5:50 a.m. ET Sunday.
The Ireland-bred Romantic Warrior is trained by Hong Kong-based Danny Shum. He’s ridden by New Zealand native James McDonald, recently named Longines World’s Best Jockey for the second consecutive year and third time overall.
“He’s got a heart as big as a lion,” said McDonald, who’s also going for his fourth straight Cup. “His courage, his will to win, is something I’ve never felt before. I’ve ridden some fantastic racehorses, and he’s right up there.
“He’s so special. It’s an absolute privilege to ride him.”
Among Romantic Warrior’s biggest victories is the 2023 Cox Plate (G1), one of Australia’s most prestigious races. Another is Japan’s 2024 Yasuda Kinen (G1), in which he became the first foreign-trained winner in 18 years.
Romantic Warrior was a world beater at age 6 last year, when he went 5-for-5. He’s won twice and finished second twice in four starts this year, but the runner-up efforts were at the top level – his dirt debut in the Saudi Cup (G1) (a neck behind eventual Breeders’ Cup Classic champion Forever Young) and the Dubai Turf (G1).
After competing in those races, Romantic Warrior underwent surgery on his left front leg on May 28. In his only race since then, he won his Cup prep, the 1¼-mile BOCHK Jockey Club Cup (G2) Nov. 23 at Sha Tin, without being asked for his best.
“If you really want me to put a figure on it,” Shum said, “I will say he was 85 percent fit.”
On Wednesday, McDonald galloped Romantic Warrior and said, “He's oozing confidence, that's for sure. He's prepping well.”
If Romantic Warrior isn’t his usual self, which would be a shock, then Japan’s Bellagio Opera, a two-time Group 1 winner, is given the best chance to pull the upset.
“It's a big challenge,” trainer Hiroyuki Uemura said. “I understand Romantic Warrior is a very big rival, but I think our horse has a lot of quality, and that's why we brought him -- to beat him.”
Ed McNamara is an award-winning racing writer who has covered the sport since 1981 for The Bergen (N.J.) Record, Newsday, ESPN, Thorocap, and USRacing. He is the author of Cajun Racing: From the Bush Tracks to the Triple Crown and Racing Around the World, and a contributor to The Most Glorious Crown and The Racetracks of America. He has also written for racing publications in France and Italy.
