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| Staff Writer |
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The connections of Romantic Warrior are hoping that the number seven will prove to be lucky for them this weekend. The Hong Kong galloper's owner, Peter Lau Pak-fai, drew barrier seven for Sunday's Group One Longines Hong Kong Cup. This brought back memories of last year's edition of the city's richest race and this year's Cox Plate in Australia, both at the highest level.
Romantic Warrior won the Hong Kong Cup last year after exiting gate seven and settling six lengths off pacesetting Japanese raider Panthalassa before making a mess of his rivals in Sha Tin's home straight. He also won a Class Three sprint from gate seven in December 2021 and went on to become the first Hong Kong-based winner of Australia's most prestigious race, the Cox Plate, after jumping from barrier seven at Moonee Valley.
With most of Sunday's Hong Kong Cup speed influences drawn to his outside, the title holder should get every opportunity to become the contest's first back-to-back champion since California Memory (2011 and 2012). Meanwhile, Aidan O'Brien wants his high-class runner, Luxembourg, to lead the Hong Kong Cup at a genuine tempo, so Ryan Moore is expected to be positive aboard the three-time Group One winner from barrier 10 in the 11-horse field.
On the other hand, Thursday's proceedings in the Sha Tin parade ring may have hurt Golden Sixty's chance of winning his third Mile. The HK$148 million earner suffered the biggest losing margin of his four career defeats when he contested the 2022 Group One Hong Kong Gold Cup from barrier 10 in the 10-runner line-up, and Russian Emperor thrashed the US$1.4 third placegetter by five and a half lengths. Golden Sixty will face his widest career gate in the Hong Kong Mile this Sunday, and the speed map is not in his favor.
Lim's Kosciuszko (two) possesses the pace to lead, but Damien Lane is expected to take a sit on Singapore's versatile sprinter-miler, so California Spangle (three) is likely to get his own way in front. This means that Golden Sixty will have to contend with a challenging speed map as he faces off against Victor The Winner (four) and other top speedsters in the Hong Kong Sprint.
Lucky Sweynesse and Wellington, Hong Kong's premier speedsters, drew Sprint gates five and three, respectively. In the 2,400m races at Sha Tin, barriers are not of great importance, although O'Brien's three-year-old filly, Warm Heart, must become the first Group One Hong Kong Vase runner to win an edition from the inside gate if he wants to make it four victories in the mile-and-a-half test. Several horses, including Encountered (Mile), Beauty Eternal (Mile), Hishi Iguazu (Cup), and Prognosis (Cup), have drawn bogey barriers.