Romantic Warrior stands alone as four-time Hong Kong Cup hero

Already a champion for the ages as the world’s richest racehorse, Romantic Warrior carved out another historic niche for himself by winning Sunday’s $5.1 million Hong Kong Cup (G1) for the fourth consecutive year.

Peter Lau’s outstanding globetrotter thereby became the first horse ever to win four Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin’s premier meeting. The only ones near him in the record book are Hong Kong Mile (G1) three-peater Good Ba Ba (2007-09) and Golden Sixty, who also won the Mile a total of three times (2020-21 and 2023).

Love was the overriding emotion after Romantic Warrior easily held off Japan’s Bellagio Opera by 1 3/4 lengths, boosting his bankroll north of $30.5 million. 

“He’s so special, he’s so special,” regular rider James McDonald enthused. “He’s just a freak. I don’t know what to say. I just love him. I love him.”

Trainer Danny Shum regards Romantic Warrior as a family member. 

“He always gives me a lot of happiness,” Shum said. “Not only me, but my stable, owners, my family and in Hong Kong, even racing fans or non-racing fans, they all love Romantic Warrior.

“He’s part of my family, I love him. My son says I love Romantic Warrior more than him!”

Romantic Warrior completed his Cup grand slam despite a setback in late spring. After his Mideast swing, when he was just denied by Forever Young in an epic Saudi Cup (G1) on dirt, and foiled by Soul Rush in the Dubai Turf (G1), he underwent a surgical procedure on his left front ankle. 

With his hardware upgrade – the addition of a screw – Romantic Warrior has been unbeatable. The seven-year-old made a triumphant return in the Nov. 23 Jockey Club Cup (G2) over this course and about 1 1/4-mile distance, and Shum applied the finishing touches to have him spot-on for the main event.

Breaking alertly from post 2, the heavy odds-on favorite secured a good stalking position as the front runners sorted themselves out. First Bellagio Opera and then Chancheng Glory went forward, but the projected pacesetter, Galen, finally mustered his speed to take over entering the backstretch.

Romantic Warrior traveled with his usual zest to advance into third, as Bellagio Opera eased back off the pace. Turning for home, Bellagio Opera got shuffled further behind, and in coming out for room, he interfered with French mare Quisisana.

Meanwhile, Romantic Warrior ambled up to Galen and Chancheng Glory, and the superstar put the race away in a matter of strides. Bellagio Opera persevered in pursuit, but the Hong Kong faithful never had an anxious moment as the winner was in well in hand.

An Irish-bred son of Acclamation and the Street Cry mare Folk Melody, Romantic Warrior clocked 2:02.29.

“I’m very proud of Romantic Warrior and our stable team, they work really hard,” Shum said. “It’s a big relief.

 “To be honest, there was a lot of pressure. He had his surgery, but he is such a good, calm, lovely horse. 

“He’s very easy to train. He doesn’t need too much work and his body weight will tell you, his appetite will tell you, how fit he is.”

Bellagio Opera crossed the wire 3 1/2 lengths clear of Quisisana, who recovered from her trouble to collar Galen for third. Rousham Park tried to get involved with a premature move but flattened out in fifth, followed by Chancheng Glory and Straight Arron.

Quisisana’s rider, Christophe Soumillon, cited the incident with Bellagio Opera.

“She ran very well, but unfortunately the Japanese jockey (Kazuo Yokoyama) completely messed us about turning into the straight. He wanted to follow Romantic Warrior and completely cut me off,” Soumillon said, “so I lost two or three lengths just as the race got serious. It took a while to get her balanced again, but she finished very strongly.”

The stewards noticed Bellagio Opera’s infraction and handed Yokoyama a two-day suspension along with a HK$100,000 fine. 

Yokoyama believed that Bellagio Opera did his best.

“I think he gave everything he had and really showed his ability,” Yokoyama said. “The winner was a truly outstanding horse. Of course, it’s frustrating to lose, but I’m grateful to this horse for allowing me to compete on a stage like this.”

Romantic Warrior’s stellar record stands at 27-20-5-0. While his local exploits also include a three-peat in the spring feature, the QEII Cup (G1) (2022-24), three Jockey Club Cups, the 2024 Hong Kong Gold Cup (G1), along with the 2022 Hong Kong Derby and Classic Mile, his international trophies put him in rarefied air. Romantic Warrior traveled to take Australia’s weight-for-age championship, the 2023 Cox Plate (G1), as well as Japan’s Yasuda Kinen (G1) in 2024 and Dubai’s Jebel Hatta (G1) in January. 

In his bold dirt experiment in the Saudi Cup, Romantic Warrior trounced all but Forever Young, the future Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner. A rematch with Forever Young in the 2026 Saudi Cup, on Valentine’s Day, has long been on the cards, but the ultimate decision rests with Lau.

“The plan is always made by the owner, Peter,” Shum said. “He has wisdom, we all trust him. 

“If he says, ‘Danny, go to Saudi Arabia,’ I’ll go to Saudi Arabia. If he says, ‘Danny, stay in Hong Kong,’ I'll stay in Hong Kong. We’re a good team, I trust Peter a lot.”