ROMANTIC WARRIOR, THE HEIR APPARANT TO GOLDEN SIXTY'S CROWN, BIDS FOR A HAT TRICK IN THE QE11 CUP

By Darren Winningham | Monday, April 22, 2024

With the imminent retirement of Golden Sixty, the new pin up champion for Hong Kong racing will be the Danny Shum trained Romantic Warrior who will contest the $Hk28 million FWD QEII Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Romantic Warrior is looking to post a hat trick of wins in the race after winning it in 2022 and then again last year. This will be the first time in the race’s history that one horse has won the race three consecutive times.

Trainer Danny Shum has kept Romantic Warrior fresh after his last start win in the Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (Group 1) on 25 February. He returned to the track on 9 April with a solid barrier trial at Sha Tin. On that occasion he was ridden by Hugh Bowman. Shum has indicated he will have another barrier trial prior to his run in the FWD QEII Cup.

James McDonald will make his way back to Hong Kong to reunite his association with the Hong Kong champion. Mc Donald has ridden him for his last five Group1 wins.

Danny Shum has planned another international assault. This time in Japan in the Group 1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo Racecourse on June 2 and this will be the end-of-season goal for the six-year-old, who has posted six Group 1 wins in his 18-start career – five of them in Hong Kong - and has amassed $HK127 million in prize money.

Will we see the changing of the guard as Golden Sixty bows out of racing in the FWD Champions Mile.

The HKJC has branded the 2024 FWD races 'WHERE CHAMPIONS TRIUMPH.' It might be appropriate that a new Hong Kong champion is crowned – Romantic Warrior.

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