Warrior creates more romance with record fourth QEII Cup
HISTORY was made at Sha Tin Racecourse on Sunday when Romantic Warrior, one of the finest to ever grace the Hong Kong turf, won a fourth FWD QEII Cup.
First winning this Group One prize in 2022, the only reason he wasn’t going for a fifth was because connections chose to target the Saudi Cup and Dubai World Cup last year.
This was one of the strongest renewals of this 1m2f contest in recent memory with Japan Cup second Masquerade Ball, Hong Kong Vase winner Sosie and Neom Turf Cup hero Royal Champion taking on Hong Kong’s superstar.
They finished in that order with Romantic Warrior proving too strong for the international competitors and pushing his career prize money above the £27 million mark.
Jockey James McDonald has always loved the son of Acclamation and said: “He’s bulletproof!”
“This was touted to be his toughest test,” said the Kiwi. “I’ve got to pay Danny [Shum] and his team so much admiration for how they’ve got this horse ready.
“He’s a dream come true for us. I’m the lucky one to be riding him, this is what dreams are made of.”
Danny Shum, who has trained Romantic Warrior to 23 wins from 30 career starts, knows how special a racehorse he is and the unique bond that McDonald has with the eight-year-old.
“He’s (McDonald) the number one jockey in the world. He loves Romantic Warrior and Romantic Warrior loves him,” Shum said.
“I’m thankful I have Romantic Warrior, and Romantic Warrior is also thankful for me. My team has done a lot of hard work with him. He’s been in good form this season – it (2000m) is his best distance in Hong Kong. I was quite confident he could win this.
“I don’t tell him he’s eight years old, I always keep telling him he’s five only – that is a joke, but he races very easily and he’s very good. He’s a super, super champion.”
It wasn’t just Romantic Warrior who created history, though, as the world’s best racehorse Ka Ying Rising made it 20 wins on the bounce with a facile success in the Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize, breaking his own track record in the process.
Jockey Zac Purton was emotional after the win. “It was pretty painless,” said Purton.
“His speed was nice, he was in a good rhythm, and it was just a matter of him turning up and doing what he has all season, and he did that.
“It was nice to break the track record again, albeit just slightly.
“When I let him go he quickened, but he did take a couple of strides to balance up a little, but once he quickened, he quickened extremely well and a long way out he felt very comfortable and very confident.”
Trainer David Hayes has maintained for some time that Ka Ying Rising is the best horse he has ever trained, but he may now be starting to consider his five-year-old the best he has ever seen.
Talking after the race, Hayes said: “I definitely think he’s the best horse I’ve trained but now I’m really starting to think he’s one of the best I’ve seen. I’m a massive Black Caviar fan, and I never thought you could even say it, but I think he’s up there in that legendary status.”
Ka Ying Rising is likely to be aimed at retaining The Everest in Australia later in the year, but Hayes didn’t rule out the possibility of heading to Royal Ascot in 2027.
“We shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves, but we’re definitely doing The Everest again – it was the experience of a lifetime,” Hayes said. “Royal Ascot, for me to train a winner there would be wonderful – it’s one of the great carnivals. If it’s right, it’s possible, because he’s done it all here now and I’d just like to showcase him around the world maybe as a six or seven-year-old.”
Turnover on the Chairman’s Sprint Prize was colossal, with nearly HK$196 million (approx. £18.5m) staked in all pools on the race, with Ka Ying Rising returning at a price of 1.05 on the UK Tote.
Hong Kong Jockey Club CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges was delighted with the success of FWD Champions Day, both from a sporting and a commercial perspective with turnover up 18.3 percent on last year and commingling turnover 16.5 percent up.