Hiroyuki Uemura is relishing the chance to pit Bellagio Opera against the mighty Romantic Warrior in the HK$40 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (14 December).

The back-to-back winner of the G1 Osaka Hai (2000m) is considered to be the most likely candidate to prevent Danny Shum’s champion from landing the race for an unprecedented fourth time in a row.

Uemura is highly respectful of Romantic Warrior, but insists that he would not have brought Bellagio Opera to Sha Tin unless he thought he was capable of claiming first prize.

“It’s a big challenge,” he said. “I understand Romantic Warrior is a very big rival but I think our horse has a lot of quality and has the level to compete against him. As a trainer, that’s why we have brought him – to beat him.”

What marks the 52-year-old out as different to his contemporaries is that he is a former jockey whose biggest success came aboard Sleepless Night in the 2008 G1 Sprinters Stakes (1200m).

Although retired from the weighing room for 11 years, Uemura has been riding Bellagio Opera in exercise since before his winning debut in a newcomer race at Hanshin towards the end of 2022.

He has continued to be in the saddle during trackwork at Sha Tin this week.

Asked when he knew Bellagio Opera might be a special horse, he said: “Even before his debut. I selected him myself from the Chiba Thoroughbred Sale. I rode him before his debut myself, and I’ve been riding him since then.

“I understand that exercise riders and other riders should also ride him, but as I said, I’ve been riding him myself for a very long time.

“I know how he is, even detailed things. I can feel even very small differences in him.”

Bellagio Opera, who was fourth in the 2023 G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, 2400m), became Uemura’s first top-level winner as a trainer when taking out last year’s Osaka Hai in late March.

Also third in the G1 Takarazuka Kinen (2200m), and second in that same race again on his most recent outing in June, he is a horse of great significance to the thoughtful trainer who sent out his first runners in 2019.

It has been suggested that this will be Bellagio Opera’s final start, as the five-year-old son of Lord Kanaloa has the credentials to be a stallion, but Uemura said he was unsure of what the final decision by his connections would be.

Asked how important Bellagio Opera was to him, Uemura said: “Not only joining the competition, but winning the big races has a lot of meaning to me.

“This time we’ve got a very big opponent in Romantic Warrior, but if we beat him, it’s going to mean a lot.”