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| Staff Writer |
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Romantic Warrior's impressive win in the Gr.1 Yasuda Kinen secures him a guaranteed spot in this year's US $2 million Gr.1 FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In.
Under the training of CS Shum for Peter Lau, the 6YO Acclamation gelding made history as the first overseas winner of the race in 18 years, following in the footsteps of Bullish Luck, another representative of Hong Kong, who claimed victory in 2006.
Romantic Warrior's triumph at Tokyo Racecourse also marked only the fourth time a foreign horse has won the race, following the successes of Godolphin's Heart Lake and Fairy King Prawn in 1995 and 2000, respectively.
During the mile contest, Koshiro Take's Dobune set the pace, closely followed by Win Carnelian, with Romantic Warrior strategically positioned at sixth by jockey James McDonald. Although they initially struggled to find space, once McDonald guided Romantic Warrior through, the duo comfortably surged ahead, seizing the lead with just over 200m to go. A confident McDonald celebrated as they crossed the finish line.
Namur, ridden by Yutaka Take, finished half a length behind, while Soul Rush, ridden by Joao Moreira, came in just behind, according to Tomokazu Takano.
Expressing his pride, owner Peter Lau shared, "I had been working on finding the right horse to bring here to race in Japan, so it was really exciting and a happy moment."
“I have had connections with Japan both in business and also within the racing circle, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to race here this time. The track here is wide and very fair and beautiful. I heard from my friends in Hong Kong about the big fan base in Japan, but it was even more than I expected.”
Winning rider McDonald said: “I’m just extremely proud, very honoured to be traveling with such a good horse and to showcase him to such passionate racing fans.
“The race went perfectly as planned. We had a plan of being in the first half of the field, and he enabled us to sit in a very comfortable position throughout. Before the start, he was a bit fresh and above himself, so I felt that he was definitely on the job, and as always, he was there when I asked him for a supreme effort.
“Once he hit the front with 200m to run, it was going to have to be a good horse to go past him because there’s not many who can pass him when he’s in full flight with a furlong to go. He’s a proven champion. He’s won one of the toughest races in Australia in the Cox Plate, he’s won two Hong Kong Cups taking on strong opposition, and now has come to Japan and won a mile race, a little bit shorter than his best distance. He always rises to the occasion, and that’s the beauty of this horse—he’s got the heart of a lion and tremendous ability.”