There was a sense of everyday normality around Sha Tin despite its stars readying for the weekend's three Group 1s, but not every horse was keeping its cool.
Danny Shum's shirt, shorts, and cap ensemble were as grey as the clouds that slowly brushed the tops of the verdant peaks surrounding Sha Tin racecourse Thursday morning.
Romantic Warrior's trainer was staying lowkey, apart from the crowd, within the sandy mounting yard where jockey Hugh Bowman was legged up for the champion's final fast work before James McDonald resumes riding duties in Sunday's G1 QEII Cup.
It was pushing towards 7am when Romantic Warrior worked down the back from the 1800m start, and a line of a score or more photographers assembled rail-side to watch and document. The champion moved across the turf smoothly, normally, under Bowman ahead of his tilt at what would be an incredible fourth win in the upcoming 2000m feature.
"He went well," Bowman told Idol Horse after his own work was done. "He's in good order, very healthy. As always, he's enjoying his work and no doubt he'll bring his A-Game on the weekend.
"I don't ride him a lot, it's probably the second time I've galloped him this season, and I ride him in the trials, but he's one of the best horses in the world so you'd expect a pretty athletic type of action."
The Australian believes Romantic Warrior is very much in the zone as April wanes.
"You can't see what's inside but he's a very strong horse, and I feel like he's in a frame of mind where he's not wasting his energy," Bowman said.
"We're now well into the season and early on he can get a bit warm, as in he wants to overdo it, but he's at the stage of the season now where he's got through that freshness and just doing things the way you want him to do them."
Hong Kong's biggest stars were all out on a morning when a couple of the best among their overseas challengers stayed indoors: Ka Ying Rising cruised the dirt track, as did Lucky Sweynesse, and Voyage Bubble went on the grass, capped elbow and all; but whereas Japan's Satono Reve also took a spin on the turf, Romantic Warrior's biggest threat, Japan's Masquerade Ball, relaxed stable-side along with Japan's champion miler, Jantar Mantar.
Just as the moisture-laden nimbus held onto all but a few spots of rain, so the morning's trackwork had a feel of restraint: the controlled calm before the storm of action breaks.
Lucky Sweynesse and Voyage Bubble worked without pressure in preparation for the G1 Champions Mile, and Ka Ying Rising, 'the big horse', showed in his easy spin around the dirt that he's ready for the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize.
"He just had a canter and he'll do a little bit of striding and probably run his last 400 (meters) in 28 (seconds) tomorrow and then we just keep him out of trouble," Hayes said of Ka Ying Rising.
Trouble almost came Ka Ying Rising's way the previous morning when another horse played up in the track tunnel "high-kicking and lashing out", as Hayes described it, going straight at Ka Ying Rising.
"Luckily the big horse just stood still and the little horse realized it was Ka Ying and stopped."
That minor drama aside, Hayes said his champion, shooting for a 20th straight win, has "Had a perfect prep. I think he's getting more dominant and the barrier doesn't really matter."
Satono Reve has not been able to match Ka Ying Rising in three past meetings but was impressive last time in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen. His turf gallop was solid without being flashy, but the fact that he had his off-fore shoe hanging loose for much of the home straight before it flew off completely, can't have helped his locomotion.
Compatriot Strauss galloped with vigor ahead of him down the turf straight under Joao Moreira. But as the greyness of the early shift gave way to bright hazy sunshine and a firm breeze, the sense of controlled containment was blown.
British raider Royal Champion entered the dirt track last of all, moving like a sidewinder ready to strike. He worked a circuit, put in a strong gallop down the home straight, but seemingly spooked, he fought his rider's attempt to pull him up and added another lap to his routine at a good clip.
This Week In Horse Racing History
The great Bill Shoemaker, at one time the world record holder for most wins by a jockey, nailed the first of his 8,883 race wins on April 20, 1949. The victory was achieved aboard Shafter V, at Golden Gate Fields, California.
West Australian won the 2,000 Guineas on April 26, 1853, defeating Sittingbourne by half a length as the 4-6 favorite. The John Scott-trained colt went on to win the Derby and St Leger, earning his place in history as the first 'Triple Crown' winner.
Sixty-three years later, across the Atlantic Ocean and over the Appalachian range in Lexington, Kentucky, the United States' first Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton, was foaled on April 26, 1916.
Reads of the Week
In this week's Idol Thoughts, Hong Kong racing expert and former top jockey Shane Dye goes through the three things any jockey needs to learn fast when they first arrive in Hong Kong to race-ride.
Ethan Brown had his first winner in Hong Kong on Wednesday night, but Michael Cox spoke to him when he was in the city a month ago and produced this excellent feature which shares the rider's journey from Australia's dusty, red heartland through the physical and mental trauma of terrible injury, to the bright-light cityscape of Happy Valley.
In Racing Roundtable, Idol Horse experts Luke Middlebrook, David Morgan and Michael Cox dig into four key questions around the stars lining up in Champions Day's three Group 1 features this Sunday.
Another excellent feature from Michael Cox has the Idol Horse editor and Zac Purton looking at two racebooks, 18 years apart, the tough lessons learned in those early days and the woman behind his rise to being Hong Kong's record-breaking champion.
Racing Pic of the Week
Young families are a regular sight at Japan Racing Association fixtures and Damian Lane's wife Bonnie and son Charlie were enjoying a relaxing moment at Nakayama racecourse last weekend when they came across Makiko and Hana Shimano, Umamusume voice actors for the characters of Sounds Of Earth and Victoire Pisa.
Global Blackbook
Accidental Bid is a stayer on the rise in Australia and one well worth noting if his win last week in a Benchmark 62 at Pakenham is any indication. That win still gives him a way to go to reach the top level, but there's no doubt the manner of success was well above this grade and he looks like a horse with real talent.
The grey colt has had just four starts, starting off with second place over a mile at Thirsk in England last August, before running down the field over 1400m in a big sales race at Newmarket in October.
Now in the Ciaron Maher stable, the three-year-old broke his maiden at Pakenham over a mile in March before his impressive second-up performance over 2000m that saw him draw more than seven lengths clear of his rivals under jockey John Allen.
Meanwhile, back in Britain, the well-bred Portcullis was an eye-catcher when winning The Wood Ditton for King Charles III and Queen Camilla. The race — a maiden for unraced three-year-olds at Newmarket's Craven meeting — can be hit and miss but the colt's racing manners were immature yet he still swept through from near the rear to win by five and a half lengths under Ryan Moore.
What's Coming Up? World racing calendar
Champions Day Sha Tin, Hong Kong, April 25
The focus shifts to Sha Tin and Champions Day, where the world's best sprinter Ka Ying Rising will go for a 20th straight win in the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize. He faces Japan's champion Satono Reve but not the UAE star Native Approach who is out of the race. In the QEII Cup, Romantic Warrior will attempt an historic fourth win in the race but must face the G1 Tenno Sho Autumn victor and G1 Japan Cup second Masquerade Ball. And in the G1 Champions Mile, Japan's champion miler Jantar Mantar will take on Hong Kong's Triple Crown hero Voyage Bubble, as well as the Hong Kong Derby winner Invincible Ibis.
South Australian Derby Day Morphettville, Australia, May 2
The South Australian Derby is a 2500m contest with a long history going back to 1860. Having said that, it is one of Australia's lesser Group 1 contests, albeit a big occasion in South Australia. Among recent winners, Russian Camelot progressed from his 2020 win to take the following season's G1 Underwood Stakes at Caulfield, while the 2009 winner Rebel Raider had already won the G1 Victoria Derby and went on to win the G1 Spring Stakes.
2,000 Guineas Day Newmarket, England, May 2
Bow Echo, last year's G2 Royal Lodge Stakes winner remains antepost favorite for the 2,000 Guineas, the first of the English Classics, after last week's key trials. Oxagon won the G3 Craven Stakes on Newmarket's straight Rowley Mile course, while Alperslan won the G3 Greenham Stakes at Newbury from Zavateri and Albert Einstein.
1,000 Guineas Day Newmarket, England, May 3
The G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and the G1 Fillies Mile winner Precise still heads the market for the 1,000 Guineas after last week's key trials went to outsiders. Sukyana won the G3 Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury at 16/1 and Azleet won the G3 Nell Gwynn Stakes at Newmarket at 50/1. The G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Diamond Necklace and the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes winner True Love, winner of the G3 Priory Belle Stakes at Leopardstown last weekend, as well as the Karl Burke-trained Venetian Sun, winner of the G1 Prix Morny last year, remain prominent in the market.
This story first appeared in Idol Horse as "World Racing Weekly: Romantic Warrior, Ka Ying Rising & Accidental Bid".
