Romantic Warrior one leg away from Triple Crown

HONG KONG – An imperious Romantic Warrior made light work of five rivals at Sha Tin on March 1 by winning a second HK$13 million (S$2.1 million) Group 1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2,000m) for trainer Danny Shum and jockey James McDonald, following on from his success in 2024.

Sauntering to a four-length victory in the Triple Crown’s second leg, which follows his win in the first leg, the Group 1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m) on Jan 25 and will climax with the Group 1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m) on May 24, Romantic Warrior ($5.30) won a record-extending 13th Group 1 – the most for a Hong Kong-trained horse.

“He’s just beautifully prepared. Danny’s just done a marvellous job, and each and every time I hop on him, I just cherish the moment,” said McDonald.

“I feel so special every time and you look between his ears and he’s just so alert.”

The Acclamation gelding broke from barrier four to settle third as Beauty Joy (Brenton Avdulla) led. Turning into the straight, McDonald peeled out aboard Romantic Warrior and the bay exploded to the front with ease.

Romantic Warrior clocked 1min 59.77sec as he covered the final 400m in 22.52sec.

John Size’s Ensued (Dylan Browne McMonagle) held on for second, while Francis Lui’s Winning Wing (Dylan Mo) was a closing third.

“It’s a small field and he’s very fit, actually. His condition is getting better and better,” said Shum.

“The 2,000m is his best trip. I think he can handle it (2,400m), but I don’t know if any overseas horses will come (in May), but I think they have a lot of potential.”

Purchased for HK$4.8 million by owner Peter Lau, the eight-year-old now boasts world-record earnings of HK$254.66 million. The 2021 Hong Kong International Sale graduate has also won Group 1 races in Australia, Japan and the United Arab Emirates.

Shum, 65, indicated Romantic Warrior will chase a fourth Group 1 FWD Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2,000m) after wins from 2022 to 2024 on FWD Champions Day on April 6 before the Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup.

Beyond this season, Shum did not rule out returning to Saudi Arabia, the site of his famous close-up defeat by Forever Young in the 2025 Group 1 Saudi Cup (1,800m).

“I think he will now go to the QEII Cup and then to the Champions & Chater before he finishes the season,” said Shum. “Maybe next season we will go to the Saudi Cup – we will keep everything open for now.”

Victory sees Romantic Warrior join Viva Pataca (2008 and 2009), Military Attack (2013 and 2014), Designs On Rome (2015 and 2016), Time Warp (2018 and 2020) and Golden Sixty (2021 and 2023) as dual Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup winners since the turn of the century.

The only Triple Crown winners in Hong Kong racing history are River Verdon (1993/94) and Voyage Bubble last season.

Later on, Stormy Grove delivered a sensational run at long odds ($111) to score an upset and claim the second leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic series, the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Cup (1,800m).

Ridden by Harry Bentley, the son of Toronado made it two wins in a row and landed the Hong Kong Classic Cup with a performance reminiscent of his explosive 1,600m showing at Sha Tin on Feb 14, when he surged from last to first to claim his first Hong Kong win.

This time, the four-year-old enjoyed a problem-free passage at the rear before swooping home on the outside in a race-fastest final 400m sectional of 23.04sec, finishing a length clear of the fast-closing Invincible Ibis (Hugh Bowman), with Patch Of Cosmo (Browne McMonagle) in third.

“This feels extremely special,” said Bentley, who has been in the saddle for each of Stormy Grove’s seven Hong Kong runs. “I’ve liked this horse throughout and I’ve struck up a good partnership with him. I was extremely impressed with the way he won last time.

“I had to come into this race with a certain level of expectation and hope. But to do it the way he did was pretty breathtaking.”

It was Stormy Grove’s first run over 1,800m and he will need to break new ground again when he goes for the BMW Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) glory on March 22.

Frankie Lor felt a suitable pace aided his charge and said a similarly run race on BMW Hong Kong Derby day might lead to further glory for the Australian-bred.

“I thought if the pace was suitable for him, he could do the same thing as at 1,600m,” he said.

“Next is 2,000m, and I think if the pace is suitable for him, then he can do the same thing. I think if he can settle, like today – he settled real good, and also the jockey – he knows the horse, he can have a very strong finish.” HKJC