Romantic Warrior can tough it out in QEII Cup

HONG KONG – Champion jockey James McDonald has conceded Hong Kong superstar Romantic Warrior will be confronted by one of the toughest tests of his celebrated career in the HK$30 million (S$4.87 million) Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II (QEII) Cup (2,000m) at Sha Tin on April 26.

Romantic Warrior, a three-time winner of the QEII Cup in 2022, 2023 and 2024 – he missed it in 2025 through injury – goes up against Japan’s outstanding Masquerade Ball.

Trained by Takahisa Tezuka, Masquerade Ball has not raced since he stretched the world’s best racehorse, French superstar Calandagan, in a memorable Group 1 Japan Cup (2,400m) last November.

The Francis-Henri Graffard-trained Calandagan needed to run the 2,400m in a scarcely believable 2min 20.3sec to edge past Masquerade Ball in a thrilling finish.

McDonald noted the Japanese raider’s brave second in the 2025 Japan Cup and admitted the upcoming QEII Cup will be challenging for Romantic Warrior.

“Masquerade Ball is a proper horse. He went down by a head to Calandagan in the Japan Cup,” he said.

“He’s an extremely good horse and apart from (dual Group 1 Saudi Cup winner and Grade 1 US Breeders’ Cup winner) Forever Young, this would be Romantic Warrior’s toughest test to date.

“It will be a good clash between those two, but you have to throw in Royal Champion, who has gone to a new level since he has gone back home (in England) and won in Saudi Arabia (Group 1 Turf Cup) like an aeroplane.

“This race will be no pushover, that’s for sure.”

Trained by Danny Shum, Romantic Warrior is the world’s leading prize-money earner. With an unbeaten four-race season so far, the Acclamation eight-year-old gelding has improved his race record to 22 wins and five placings from 29 starts.

He goes to the QEII Cup after successive Group 1 wins in the Longines Hong Kong Cup (2,000m), Stewards’ Cup (1,600m) and the most recent Hong Kong Gold Cup (2,000m) on March 1.

McDonald, who is aiming for his 12th Group 1 win on Romantic Warrior, said “time” has not caught up with the veteran galloper.

“He’s an eight-year-old now and he’s going as well as ever,” he said.

“But he’s such a champion racehorse and they can do things that others can’t.”

McDonald has rides in all three Group 1 races at Sha Tin on April 26, including Fast Network in the HK$24 million Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m) against Hong Kong’s sprint phenomenon, Ka Ying Rising, who is aiming for his 20th win in succession.

The Mark Newnham-trained Invincible Ibis, a last-start winner of the Hong Kong Derby (2,000m), is McDonald’s mount in the HK$24 million Champions Mile (1,600m).

The three-time Longines world’s best jockey will ride in Adelaide on April 25 in two Group 1 races for Sydney’s premier trainer Chris Waller, who landed both the Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1,400m) with Beiwacht and the Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1,600m) with Fireball at Royal Wandwick on April 18, before he catches an overnight flight to Hong Kong.

The New Zealand-born hoop will partner Panova in the Australasian Oaks (2,000m) and Generosity in the Robert Sangster Stakes (1,200m).

Champion jockey Craig Williams will be looking to end a busy weekend with a Group 1 victory in Hong Kong as he partners 2025 Hong Kong Derby victor Cap Ferrat in the QEII Cup.

Trained by Francis Lui, Cap Ferrat secured his only career victory in the Hong Kong Derby, but showed it was not a fluke with strong efforts in the Group 1 Champions and Chater Cup (2,400m) and the Group 3 Premier Plate (1,800m) late last season.

The five-year-old son of Snitzel bled in the Group 2 Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse (1,800m) on Nov 9, 2025, but returned in good order when closing strongly for seventh in the Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy (1,600m) on April 6.

Williams picked up the ride after putting out some feelers following his Chairman’s Trophy effort.

“His first-up run last preparation was enormous and then all of a sudden, he’d come through with health issues, and then subsequently to see him back, I was taken and pleased by his first-up performance,” he said.

“I touched base on Sunday last week. I rang up Francis and said, ‘Oh, how’s Cap Ferrat? Where’s he going?’

“He said, ‘he’s going to go to the Champions Day on the 26th’. I said, ‘I’ll be keen to ride him’.

“The next morning, I got a message to say that I was confirmed to ride him and I was delighted to be re-associated with him.”
RACING AND SPORTS