Romantic Warrior (, foaled: March 18, 2018) is a multiple Group 1 winning champion thoroughbred racehorse that was born in Ireland and trained in Hong Kong. After arriving in Hong Kong in June of 2021, he scored a five-race winning streak, including a championship of the Hong Kong Classic Mile. He was owned by Peter Lau Pak Fai and trained by Danny Shum Chap Shing.
In 2022, Romantic Warrior was named Champion Middle-Distance Horse, Champion Four-Year-Old, and Most Improved Horse. He is notable for winning the Cox Plate in 2023 and the Hong Kong Cup in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. He also won the Yasuda Kinen in 2024, being the first foreign-trained horse to win at Tokyo Racecourse since Bullish Luck in the 2006 Hong Kong Cup.
Romantic Warrior is the only racehorse to win four Hong Kong Cups. In 2026, Romantic Warrior became the third Hong Kong triple crown horse, winning all three of Hong Kong Stewards' Cup, Hong Kong Gold Cup, and Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup.
Racing career
Notable performances by Romantic Warrior include:
1st 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2000m, Sha Tin) beating Tourbillon Diamond and Panfield 1st 2022 Hong Kong Cup (2000m, Sha Tin) beating Danon The Kid and Money Catcher 1st 2023 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2000m, Sha Tin) beating Prognosis and Dubai Honour 1st 2023 Cox Plate (2040m WFA, The Valley) beating Mr Brightside and Alligator Blood 1st 2023 Hong Kong Cup (2000m, Sha Tin) beating Luxembourg and Hishi Iguazu 1st 2024 Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m, Sha Tin) beating Voyage Bubble and Nimble Nimbus 1st 2024 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2000m, Sha Tin) beating Prognosis and North Bridge 1st 2024 Yasuda Kinen (1600m, Tokyo) beating Namur and Soul Rush 1st 2024 Hong Kong Cup (2000m, Sha Tin) beating Liberty Island and Tastiera 1st 2025 Jebel Hatta (1800m, Meydan) beating Poker Face and Holloway Boy 1st 2025 Hong Kong Cup (2000m, Sha Tin) beating Bellagio Opera and Quisisana 1st 2026 Stewards' Cup (1600m, Sha Tin) beating Lucky Sweynesse and Voyage Bubble 1st 2026 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2000 m, Sha Tin) beating Masquerade Ball and Sosie 1st 2026 Champions & Chater Cup (2400 m, Sha Tin) beating Numbers and Deep Monster
2021: Coming to Hong Kong Foaled in Ireland in 2018, the son of Acclamation was sourced by the former top jockey Michael Kinane and sold at the Hong Kong International Sale in 2021 to Peter Lau Pak Fai for HKD 4.8M (AUD 814,236). Romantic Warrior was then sent to the Manton Estate in Wiltshire, England, for further training before coming to Hong Kong as a racehorse.
On 20 October 2021, he made his debut at the Happy Valley Racecourse winning a Group IV 1200m race ridden by Joao Moreira. He then won another four races at Happy Valley and Sha Tin.
2022: Reaching four years old Upon reaching four years of age in the second half of his first season, Romantic Warrior became eligible to participate in the Hong Kong Four-Year-Old Classic Series during Sha Tin's racing season, under a new jockey, Karis Teetan. His first stop was The Kong Classic Mile where he placed third behind Packing Victory and California Spangle. He won by half a length to extend his winning streak to five, but the sequence was terminated in the next race in the series the Hong Kong Classic Cup by California Spangle.
Danny Shum, Romantic Warrior’s trainer, remarked that he still had great potential to win the BMW Hong Kong Derby. Romantic Warrior and California Spangle dueled for a third time in the Derby with Romantic Warrior prevailing ahead to win the first and last jewel of the series. His triumph in the Derby was also Shum's first success in the race. He would continue to win more Group I races in 2022, including the Queen Elizabeth II Cup in April 2022, to conclude his first full season of racing. And at the end of 2022 his first win in the Longines Hong Kong Cup that December.
2023: Group I champion and overseas expedition Beginning in 2023, the Romantic Warrior team became more focused on joining Group I races as the 2nd best racehorse in the world according to Longines' World's Best Racehorse Rankings, with a rating of 123. He challenged Golden Sixty, three-time Hong Kong Horse of the Year, in the Steward's Cup and the Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup but narrowly lost to the title holder on both occasions.
In April 2023, having won the race in the previous year, Romantic Warrior raced in the Queen Elizabeth Cup for the second time. Against overseas challengers such as Prognosis, Danon the Kid, Geraldina from Japan, and Dubai Honour, Romantic Warrior finished the 2000-meter race with first place at 2:01:92. McDonald viewed his steed very positively.
After the race, which became Romantic Warriors' 10th win, Shum was interested in taking the steed overseas to prestigious competitions. The first one he had in mind was the Tenno Sho (Autumn) in Japan. His ex-boss Ivan Allan won the Yasuda Kinen with Fairy King Prawn and he wished to emulate the success.
Despite success in previous matches, Romantic Warrior under Zac Purton in the Chater Cup lost to the Russian Emperor, returning to Hong Kong after an expedition to Qatar. After more than a month-long hiatus, Shum confirmed in early July that Romantic Warrior would not be going to Japan. Instead, it would prepare to run in Australia, with the Cox Plate in October being the biggest target.
The path to Cox Plate champion With a two-month hiatus following the end of the 2022/23 racing season, the Romantic Warrior team was fully prepared for the steed's first overseas expedition as it safely arrived in Australia in mid-September. There, Romantic Warrior would have 2 assignments. The first was participating in the Group I Turnbull Stakes at Flemington, and the second would be the ultimate objective, the W. S. Cox Plate at Moonee Valley.
Romantic Warrior finished 4th behind Gold Trip in the Turnbull Stakes on 7 October 2023 over 2000m, despite being the favorite. After the race, the trainer Shum was "not happy but not disappointed." Shum's biggest goal was always on the Cox Plate and the Turnbull Stakes was just a lead-up race to see how the left-turn and the Melbourne surface could be managed. McDonald also believed that the horse would be brought to the most suitable condition for the Cox Plate.
The Cox Plate was run on 28 October 2023, on a sunny Saturday at Moonee Valley. Romantic Warrior starting from the 7th barrier had a smooth start and managed to stay in the 4th place just behind the leaders. He stably remained in that position until the final curve when he galloped and beat Mr Brightside by a nose with Alligator Blood third. Romantic Warrior was declared the champion of the Cox Plate, making him the first winner from Hong Kong. It was James McDonald's second win in the race, having won the previous year with Anamoe.
The Cox Plate champion: victor of the Hong Kong Cup Hong Kong's victory in Australia was a great inspiration to many citizens in the city. In December, Romantic Warrior would race in the Hong Kong International Races on 12 December, particularly in the clock-wise Group I 2000m-long Hong Kong Cup. As expected, the race invited rivals from other countries to compete with the local competitors. Some of the renowned horses included Luxembourg from Ireland and Prognosis from Japan.
With a smooth start, McDonald closely followed the leading horses and stably positioned himself in 4th place behind Nimble Nimbus, Champion Dragon, and Sword Point, who was in the lead. Meanwhile, Luxembourg positioned itself behind the center. After the last curve, McDonald galloped 400m before the goal. The finale was a showdown between Romantic Warrior, Luxembourg, Nimble Nimbus, and Prognosis. Despite Luxembourg's final struggle to surpass Romantic Warrior in the final 50 meters, the latter still emerged victorious, winning by a nose.
The Hong Kong Cup was Romantic Warrior's other victory after winning the Cox Plate. As told by McDonald, it might have been the toughest racehorse he has ever sat on. “He’s got a heart as big as a lion. His courage, his will to win is something I’ve never felt before. I’ve ridden some fantastic racehorses – unbelievable ones – and he’s right up there.” The success in the HK$36 million (~US$4.6 million) Hong Kong Cup catapulted Romantic Warrior's earnings to above HK$100 million and marked his 12th win.
Racing statistics Date Race Track Class Distance (Condition) Weight(lbs) Result Time Winning(Losing)Margin Jockey Winner (2nd Place) Ref2021-22 season – Three-year-old season20 Oct 2021Tiger Prawn HandicapHappy ValleyC4Turf 1200 m (Good to Firm)1261:09.48 lengths(A Smile Like Yours)24 Nov 2021Murrayfield HandicapHappy ValleyC4Turf 1200 m (Good)1331:09.411 length(Melbourne Hall)18 Dec 2021F-Style Pt in StyleCollection HandicapSha TinC3Turf 1200 m (Good)1221:09.00 lengths(Armour Eagle)16 Jan 2022Hoi Lai HandicapSha TinC3Turf 1400 m (Good)1301:21.39 lengths(Lucky With You)30 Jan 2022Hong Kong Classic MileSha TinLTurf 1600 m (Good)1261:33.80 length(California Spangle)27 Feb 2022Hong Kong Classic CupSha TinLTurf 1800 m (Good)1264th1:47.38( lengths)California Spangle20 Mar 2022Hong Kong DerbySha TinLTurf 2000 m (Good)1262:00.23head(California Spangle)24 Apr 2022Queen Elizabeth II CupSha TinG1Turf 2000 m (Good to Firm)1262:00.132 lengths(Tourbillon Diamond)2022-23 season – Four-year-old season20 Nov 2022Jockey Club CupSha TinG2Turf 2000 m (Good to Firm)1281:59.23 lengths(Tourbillon Diamond)11 Dec 2022Hong Kong CupSha TinG1Turf 2000 m (Good)1261:59.70 lengths(Danon The Kid)29 Jan 2023Stewards' CupSha TinG1Turf 1600 m (Good)1261:34.15(1 length)Golden Sixty26 Feb 2023Hong Kong Gold CupSha TinG1Turf 2000 m (Good to Firm)1262:00.02(head)Golden Sixty30 Apr 2023Queen Elizabeth II CupSha TinG1Turf 2000 m (Good)1262:01.922 lengths(Prognosis)28 May 2023Champions & Chater CupSha TinG1Turf 2400 m (Good)1262:26.92(neck)Russian Emperor2023-24 season – Five-year-old season7 Oct 2023Turnbull StakesFlemingtonG1Turf 2000 m (Good)1304th2:02.24(4 lengths)Gold Trip28 Oct 2023W. S. Cox PlateMoonee ValleyG1Turf 2040 m (Good)1302:03.16nose(Mr Brightside)10 Dec 2023Hong Kong CupSha TinG1Turf 2000 m (Good)1262:02.00short head(Luxembourg)25 Feb 2024Hong Kong Gold CupSha TinG1Turf 2000 m (Good)1262:00.31neck(Voyage Bubble)28 Apr 2024Queen Elizabeth II CupSha TinG1Turf 2000 m (Yielding)1262:01.02neck(Prognosis)2 Jun 2024Yasuda KinenTokyoG1Turf 1600 m (Good)1281:32.30 length(Namur)2024-25 season – Six-year-old season17 Nov 2024Jockey Club CupSha TinG2Turf 2000 m (Good)1281:59.70 lengths(Ka Ying Generation)8 Dec 2024Hong Kong CupSha TinG1Turf 2000 m (Good)1262:00.51 lengths(Liberty Island)24 Jan 2025Jebel HattaMeydanG1Turf 1800 m (Good)126 lengths(Poker Face)22 Feb 2025Saudi CupKing AbdulazizG1Dirt 1800 m (Fast)1261:49.14(neck)Forever Young5 Apr 2025Dubai TurfMeydanG1Turf 1800 m (Good)1261:45.84(nose)Soul Rush2025-26 season – Seven-year-old season23 Nov 2025Jockey Club CupSha TinG2Turf 2000 m (Good to Firm)1282:03.72 lengths(Voyage Bubble)14 Dec 2025Hong Kong CupSha TinG1Turf 2000 m (Good)1262:02.29 lengths(Bellagio Opera)25 Jan 2026Stewards' CupSha TinG1Turf 1600 m (Good to Firm)1261:32.60 lengths(Lucky Sweynesse)1 Mar 2026Hong Kong Gold CupSha TinG1Turf 2000 m (Good)1261:59.774 lengths(Ensued) 26 Apr 2026Queen Elizabeth II CupSha TinG1Turf 2000 m (Good to Firm)1262:00.64 1 length(Masquerade Ball) 24 May 2026Champions & Chater CupSha TinG1Turf 2400 m (Good to Firm)1262:26.67 length(Numbers)
in the chart and the time written in red indicates the horse finished in record time.
Retirement Romantic Warrior's retirement from racing was announced on 2 September 2026. According to a statement released by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, his retirement came after imaging scans indicated an injury to his right front leg. Romantic Warrior already had screws inserted into his left front leg the previous year.
Pedigree
References