Horse racing news: Romantic Warrior ready for first leg of Triple Crown clash with Voyage Bubble
Romantic Warrior worked smoothly through his final piece of serious trackwork on Tuesday morning (20 January) under the cover of darkness at Sha Tin in preparation for Sunday afternoon’s (25 January) HK$13 million (approx. £1.2m) G1 Stewards’ Cup (1 mile/1600m).
Gearing up for the Triple Crown’s first leg at Sha Tin, Romantic Warrior clocked an untested 1m 16.6s (27, 25.7, 23.9) under Hugh Bowman on the turf course alongside stablemate Romantic Thor, and it was much to the satisfaction of trainer Danny Shum.
Romantic Warrior backed to ‘run well’
“He’s good. He’s done his final gallop on the turf. Hugh Bowman rode him and he gave me a very positive report. He’s happy with him. Of course, Voyage Bubble is a very strong competitor over the mile, but Romantic Warrior will run well,” Shum said.
This weekend, Romantic Warrior returns to 1600m for the first time since winning the 2024 G1 Yasuda Kinen. The Hong Kong International Sale graduate has raced over a mile three times in his career, winning the 2022 Hong Kong Classic Mile before his second to Golden Sixty in the 2023 Stewards’ Cup.
Middle-distance supremo Romantic Warrior – racing’s highest-earner (HK$240.11 million) – is a 12-time winner over 2000m at Sha Tin, headlined by a record-setting four G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup successes in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
The Acclamation gelding makes his third start this term after an injury-interrupted 2024/25 during which he raced in the Middle East and won the G1 Jebel Hatta before two seconds in the G1 Saudi Cup on dirt and G1 Dubai Turf.
Shum said: “Whatever he does is a bonus already. I just want him to try his best, but most importantly, he is happy, healthy and comfortable. He is very well after December and everything is under control.”
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Other contenders wait in the wings
Last season’s Triple Crown champion Voyage Bubble leads the assault against Romantic Warrior alongside Straight Arron for trainer David Hayes, who said: “I think his run in December was a complete forgive run. He over-raced a little bit and was stuck on the inside. The run before that was a very good run, and that’s the one to look at.”
Straight Arron has won five races in Hong Kong, and Hayes is eyeing the HK$4.2 million G3 Centenary Vase Handicap on 8 February for the galloper.
Hayes said: “I’d be surprised if he can beat the champions, but if he can earn place money then I’ll be very happy, and it’ll put him in good stead for the Centenary Vase.”
Derek Leung is aboard four-time Group 1 winner Lucky Sweynesse in Sunday’s Stewards’ Cup when Manfred Man’s gelding rises to a mile for the first time.
Leung said: “We can’t beat Ka Ying Rising over 1200 metres, so it’s worth trying. You can see him over the last 100 metres last start – he was getting stronger and stronger.
“I think 1400 metres is his best distance at the moment, but there are no options for him. We’ll try to switch him off and then see how he finishes off the race. He feels good in the mornings. The stable looks after him very well – he is happy.”
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Ka Ying Rising highest-rated horse ever
Hong Kong sensation Ka Ying Rising, who is set to line up in Sunday’s HK$13 million (approx. £1.2m) G1 Centenary Sprint Cup (6f/1200m) at Sha Tin, has been recognised as the world’s best sprinter and the highest-rated Hong Kong–trained horse ever by LONGINES, with a rating of 128.
The dual G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint winner ranked joint-second in the 2025 LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings (WBRR), while Romantic Warrior, ranked joint-seventh, was listed among the world’s top 10 horses for a second year in a row.
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