Romantic Warrior completed Hong Kong racing's Triple Crown in sweltering conditions at Sha Tin on Sunday, digging deep in the Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup to consolidate his place among the greats.
The grandstands were a sea of blue banners and Romantic Warrior plushies but the race was no walkover. The eight-year-old champion and 1.1 favorite needed every meter of the Sha Tin straight to reel in Numbers before scoring by half a length.
Romantic Warrior joins River Verdon, who swept the series in 1993-94, and last season's winner Voyage Bubble as the only horses to claim the Triple Crown – the Stewards' Cup at 1,600 meters, the Hong Kong Gold Cup at 2,000 meters and the Champions & Chater Cup at 2,400 meters in the same campaign. The victory earned connections a HK$10 million bonus on top of the race's prizemoney, with the bonus and first-place check of HK$7,280,000 lifting world-record career earnings beyond HK$288 million. It was his 15th Group 1 victory in a career that has produced wins at the highest level in four countries.
The victory completed a perfect six-for-six season and carried an extra edge – Romantic Warrior's last home defeat came in this race three years ago, his only previous start beyond 2,000 meters.
For trainer Danny Shum Chap-shing, the emotion was raw.
"I am such a lucky guy – a lucky trainer – because I can train Romantic Warrior," Shum said. "Before the race, we already set up the plan – put him to sleep, get him to relax and let him hit the line. James did a great job; he is a top-class jockey."
It was a plan that required patience. James McDonald settled Romantic Warrior well back behind the early speed of stablemate Romantic Thor, who set slow fractions under Zac Purton. Derek Leung Ka-chun made a bold move on the four-year-old Numbers more than 600 meters from home, sweeping past Romantic Thor and winding up in a sustained sprint designed to outstay the champion.
Numbers led turning for home and held the advantage deep into the straight, but Romantic Warrior's trademark finishing burst and determination arrived when it mattered.
Deep Monster, having his first start in Hong Kong for trainer Yasutoshi Ikee, ran on well under Joao Moreira for third, two lengths behind the winner – but he could be considered not to finish closer after being cut out of a run by Romantic Warrior late. McDonald will face some time on the sidelines for careless riding.
The heat took its toll. Romantic Warrior was photographed with his head buried in a bucket of water after the race, gulping down relief after the effort required to chase down Numbers.
Shum said Romantic Warrior is likely to return next season – his next start will not be until October at the earliest – and was considering sending him to the Conghua training facility over the upcoming off-season.
"Mr. (David) Hayes says Ka Ying Rising has done fantastic there, so I might send him to Conghua," Shum said.
Rousham Park, a two-time previous visitor to Sha Tin who chased home Rebel's Romance at the 2024 Breeders' Cup Turf, finished sixth under Hugh Bowman.
