Spare a thought for Greg Carpenter, the HKJC’s Head of Racing Product, for whom part of his job description over the last few months essentially boils down to:
“Convince the world’s best horses to fly halfway across the globe… to get beaten by Romantic Warrior, Voyage Bubble or Ka Ying Rising.”
Good luck with that.
Hong Kong’s top-tier horses have become so strong and so widely respected that they’ve created a strange new problem: they scare away the opposition. It is harder than ever to lure serious internationals when the home team is this good. It’s the price of excellence – wonderful for fans, but stressful for the man tasked with filling fields for the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races on December 14.
Carpenter admitted as much at Happy Valley on Wednesday night when discussing Romantic Warrior’s pursuit of a fourth Hong Kong Cup, even after a seven-month break following surgery.
“Before and since his break from racing, it’s the same with him,” Carpenter said. “I’ve tried to tell people he hasn’t raced since April and that he might be vulnerable, and they just won’t have a bar of it.”
Can you blame them?
Romantic Warrior has won three straight Hong Kong Cups, already a record, knocking off Group 1 opposition from around the world along the way. He has won at the top level in Australia, Japan and Dubai. The aura is real.
Despite the difficulties, the signs ahead of Wednesday’s HKIR runner announcement are encouraging – and, as usual, thank goodness for the Japanese and their spirit of competition.
In contrast, Australia has become almost impossible to recruit from. With 70-plus Group 1s, more than 100 races worth over A$1 million (HK$5.04 million), and brutal quarantine restrictions, most Australian trainers look at HKIR and reasonably conclude: Why leave home? Especially when Ka Ying Rising flies to Australia and beats their top sprinters on their own turf.
Japan, however, remains the opposite.
The country has far fewer Group 1s – just 25 overall – the prize money gap is narrower, travel is shorter and culturally they want to test themselves internationally.
It’s worth remembering the Japan Cup was created for exactly that purpose – to raise domestic standards by attracting the best from abroad. In the race’s early years, foreign horses found it relatively easy. But as Japanese stars improved, international participation dwindled.
Sound familiar?
Hong Kong isn’t at that point – not yet – even as lucrative options open in the Middle East early in the year. HKIR offers visitors far more than a pay check. As pleasant as a late-autumn Tokyo trip may be, the Japan Racing Association cannot match the HKJC’s ability to host, entertain and elevate the international experience. Plus, Hong Kong offers four Group 1 targets, not one.
And the Japanese are coming.
Satono Reve is being sent for round three with Ka Ying Rising, despite being beaten soundly at Sha Tin twice before, and he is expected to be joined by 2025 Sprinters Stakes winner Win Carneilian in the Sprint.
Bellagio Opera, Rousham Park and Lord del Rey are all in the frame for the Hong Kong Cup. In the Vase – traditionally the safest landing zone for visitors, given Hong Kong’s lack of staying races – depth is building: last year’s winner Giavellotto is in there and Al Riffa seems likely. Urban Chic, last year’s Japanese St Leger champion, will be there to take them on.
Even the Hong Kong Mile, once a graveyard for foreign raiders, suddenly looks more welcoming with Voyage Bubble stepping up to 2,000m to spar with Romantic Warrior. But here too, the Japanese will bring real ammunition: Embroidery, winner of the 2025 Oka Sho and Shuka Sho, and Soul Rush, Romantic Warrior’s 2025 Dubai Turf nemesis – provided he comes through this weekend’s G1 Mile Championship at Kyoto unscathed.
Hong Kong’s dominance has made Carpenter’s job harder – but the sport is healthier for having champions worth challenging and visitors brave enough to do it.
And as long as Romantic Warrior, Voyage Bubble and Ka Ying Rising keep emptying planes, at least the Japanese are happy to keep filling them.
