Just when the race in Hong Kong seems to need a new star, it always seems to find one — or more.
Such was the case leading up to the Hong Kong Longines International Races on 11 December at Sha Tin Racecourse, and the familiar pattern played out again. With 7 years old, twice Horse of the Year sixty . gold 4 years old baby Sparkling California in the Longines Hong Kong Mile (G1), it seems suddenly there is accommodation at the top.
The California Spangle can help fill that void, but the hearts of the roughly 45,000 fans packed into the giant stands are beating because Romance Warriorfavorite in the race right after Mile, Longines Hong Kong Cup (G1).
4 years old Welcome gelding pushed for promotion in the 2021-22 season, winning the BMW Hong Kong Grand Prix, beating the California Spangle and ending the term with a crisp victory in the FWD Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) in the first place. your first bet. That earned him the title of the most progressive horse of the season.
The Derby is the race most coveted by relations in Hong Kong and fans follow it too, giving the winner instant support. Romance Warriors only bolstered fan devotion by returning for their first win of the new season, the BOCHK Jockey Club Cup (G2) in November, in preparation for the local HKIR day.
The fan support was evident as James McDonald, newly named earlier in the week as “Longines’ Best Equestrian King,” sped up the Romance Warriors for the long haul. 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) Cup. Cheers rang out as the gelding began to overtake his opponents with ease, and the noise turned into a roar as he headed.
Not done yet, and with a little encouragement from McDonald’s, the Romantic Warriors quickly took a huge lead and went home first in 4 and a half minutes, stopping the timer at 1:59.70.
Racer James McDonald waves to the crowd after winning the Hong Kong Cup with the Romantic Warriors
“This shows how much he has improved over the years,” McDonald said. “He’s got everything a good horse has and he’s got it in the pieces. I didn’t think he’d win like that, but the quality of this horse is amazing. The swing of his legs. That’s amazing.”
Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, pointed to the Romantic Warriors performance as a highlight of a day where local athletes won three of the four group 1 races.
Engelbrecht-Bresges said: “The Romantic Warrior produced the best 2,000 meter performance I’ve seen in a long time against world-class opponents.
HKJC adopter Nigel Gray, who ran at his last HKIR before retiring, said he will “have an interesting conversation with my international colleagues” about the ratings for the performance. performance of the Romantic Warrior.
“I would expect it to be somewhere between 123 or 124,” he said. “In terms of numbers, you can go higher.”
Romance Warrior’s rise to stardom is of special significance to HKJC and its CEO, as he is a product of the Hong Kong International Sales programme. That project saw the Club buy young prospects at some of the world’s top sales, then put them up for auction to local owners.
Romance Warrior, out Road of Crying mare Folk Melodies. He was originally selected for HKJC during the Tattersalls October 2019 Five-Year Sale by former Irish jockey champion Michael Kinane for $396,948.
Shum said after the Derby win that the Romantic Warrior was the only horse that caught his eye when it was sold.
“I would also like to thank the Hong Kong Jockey Club for putting this horse in the international auction,” said Shum. “Actually, the CEO (Engelbrecht-Bresges) also told me in the stables that ‘This is the right one,’ so we chose the same horse.”
Romance Warrior’s Connection at the Hong Kong Cup Presentation Ceremony
Several quality horses finished in the Romance Warrior wake in the Cup. Danon boy came in second, with locals filling in the next two spots. Two highly-rated competitors cause heavy disappointment when Japan Panthalassa group 1 winner in Dubai, and Australian orders 2020 FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile winner presented by PDJF (G1T), 10th and 11th place respectively.
Driver Yutaka Yoshida said Panthalassa “started slower than expected”. “I thought he would grab the pie on the first turn but he didn’t. The pace was slow and he didn’t react.”
Ryan Moore, who has ridden the Order of Australia for trainer Aidan O’Brien and Coolmore partners, said this is not his horse’s day.
“He was disappointing. He wasn’t at his best today,” Moore said.
The race has created a potential future star for Japan as Geoglyphs finished sixth with a nice effort for jockey William Buick.
Buick said: “He was tested right away and lost a bit of momentum.
