said William Buick, who should have known The romance of a rebel has become a “true international superstar” and few can dispute the latter Dubai The gelding dominated Hong Kong’s best in the Champions & Chater Cup (G1) on May 26 at Sha Tin Racecourse.
The two-length victory over Five G Patch, with La City Blanche third, was the fifth senior win for the Godolphin star, following on from the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1T) at Keeneland, two in Germany and one in Dubai. Rebel’s Romance completed the 2,400 meters (about 1/2 mile) in 2:25.62 in a course that was considered good despite a week of rain in Hong Kong.
Buick kept Rebel’s Romance second behind the early leader on the riverside backstretch, began closing things out with 600 meters to run and looked like a winner as he headed home in the straight. At 200 meters he was clear and none of the Hong Kong players were able to muster the best opposition.
La City Blanche and Five G Patch finished 1-2 in the Queen Mother Memorial Cup (G3) in their previous outing, also against the Hong Kong stayers. The five remaining finishers behind Rebel’s Romance include reigning Hong Kong Derby champions Massive Sovereign and Czar who are looking for a third consecutive win in the Champions & Chater Cup.
Doubly impressive, Rebel’s Romance became the first overseas-trained winner of the race, which was the final Group 1 event of the season in Hong Kong.
“He did it very well,” Buick said. “You always respect the local horses in Hong Kong and obviously he had to come through here and everything else.
“He’s a horse that likes to stride, he relaxes very well and gets into a nice rhythm,” Buick said. He may be under pressure sooner than I expected but really he’s just sorting himself out.”
“The race went the way I expected and it suited him. He’s become a very simple horse and a real international superstar.”
Coach Charlie Appleby celebrates his first win in Hong Kong.
“The whole idea of Godolphin is built around being an international stable and hopefully eating at the top like fortunately we have today. Hong Kong racing is a in the pinnacles of racing and to get here you have to have the right horse.” “, Appleby said.
“Having the right horse in Rebel’s Romance, we feel he is a horse that we can compete with and hopefully in the near future, certainly, we will look forward to finding horses to come here .”
Looking ahead, Appleby has said Rebel’s Romance will return to the United States, where a Breeders’ Cup victory in 2022 followed two disappointments in 2023.
In July at Saratoga, he slipped as he entered the track in the Bowling Green Stakes (G2T) and lost to jockey Richard Mullen. In October, he captured the turf giving way to the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Water racetrack and complete the fourth one-tempo section.
He has not lost since racing on the all-weather track at Kempton in England in December, the HH The Amir Trophy (G3) in Qatar in February, the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) at Meydan in March and now now in Hong Kong.
His two German Group 1 wins were in preparation for the Breeders’ Cup points.
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