Danny Shum remains pleased with Romantic Warrior’s progress ahead of Sunday’s (20 November) HK$5 million G2 BOCHK Jockey Club Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin, however, the handler admits that going into this weekend’s traditional trials day for next month’s LONGINES Hong Kong International Races first-up is not the ideal plan.
“The only concern is that he has missed the run. This is a big challenge, first-up over 2000 metres, it’s a big challenge – it’s not easy,” Shum said.
Romantic Warrior has proven to be the ultimate professional across his eight-start career, winning seven times with victories in the 2022 Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m), 2022 BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) and 2022 G1 FWD QEII Cup (2000m).
The four-year-old boasts a rating of 122 and was expected to initially step out in last month’s G2 Oriental Watch Sha Tin Trophy Handicap (1600m) but setbacks curtailed that with last season’s Champion Four-Year-Old, Champion Middle-Distance Horse and Most Improved Horse set to reappear first-up this weekend following a pair of first-past-the-post trial efforts.
“He has very good racing manners, his racing manners are amazing,” Shum said.
The 2021 Hong Kong International Sale graduate shot up 70 rating points last season to reach a career-high mark of 122 after joining Vengeance Of Rain (2005), Ambitious Dragon (2011), Designs On Rome (2014) and Werther (2016) as victors of the Hong Kong Derby-QEII Cup double in the same season.
“The horse is going well – his trials have been good, his gallops too. He’s ready to go and he’s improving – Zac (Purton) trialled him and he said the horse is getting better and better,” Shum said.