“He's the best – forget the rest.” So jockey James McDonald summed up Romantic Warrior after his record-breaking three-peat in the Hong Kong Cup (G1).

Runner-up to now-retired legend Golden Sixty in last year’s Hong Kong Mile (G1), Voyage Bubble duly proved to be his successor in Sunday’s renewal at Sha Tin.

Hong Kong champion Romantic Warrior had already established his credentials as a globetrotter by winning Australia’s Cox Plate (G1), but Sunday’s Yasuda Kinen (G1) at Tokyo confirmed his entry into the pantheon.

By demolishing an international cast in Sunday’s Hong Kong Cup (G1), Romantic Warrior completed a rare treble at Sha Tin.

Star power was on full display when the five-day Royal Ascot meeting opened in England on Tuesday. Baaeed and Nature Strip were among the first to shine.