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
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 Reaching four years of age in second half of his first season, Romantic Warrior was now old enough to participate in the
Hong Kong Four-Year-Old Classic Series the premiere domestic races during Sha Tin's racing season, under a new jockey, Karis Teetan. His first stop was The Kong Classic Mile where he went off as third choice 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, the trainer of Romantic Warrior after the race 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 to by a head to win the first and last jewel of the series. His triumph in the Derby was also Shum's first success in the race. But he would continue to win more Group I races in 2022, such as 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 Since the start of 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 the three-time Hong Kong Horse of the Year Golden Sixty respectively in the Steward's Cup and the Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup but narrowly lost to the title holder in 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. {{Blockquote 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's worth of 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 the 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==