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| Sumita Pawar |
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Romantic Warrior, potentially one of the world's finest middle-distance racehorses, faces a significant challenge in the upcoming Gr.1 Turnbull Stakes. While Hong Kong-trained runners have struggled in Australian races recently, Romantic Warrior must overcome this trend in order to achieve victory on Saturday.
Romantic Warrior aims to become just the second Hong Kong-trained runner to secure Australian victory in the Gr.1 W.S. Cox Plate on 28 October. 47 previous attempts from 18 individual horses have failed to achieve this feat.
Cape Of Good Hope is Hong Kong's only winner in Australia, having secured the (now known as the William Reid Stakes) 2005 Gr.1 Australia Stakes and placed in three other top-level contests Down Under. Super Kid finished second twice, while Lucky Nine narrowly missed out on victory in the 2013 Gr.1 Manikato Stakes to a rampaging Buffering.
Romantic Warrior's crusade ends an 8YO dry spell for Hong Kong horses travelling to Australia. However, for trainer Danny Shum and his team, travelling is nothing out of the ordinary.
“There are a lot of challenges, especially to Australia. I’ve travelled to Dubai, England, Singapore, Japan, and it’s not as difficult as Australia. The quarantine, even his schedule changes in Hong Kong before he leaves,” said Shum, who also had to source new feed for Romantic Warrior in Australia.
Alongside Ivan Allan, Shum campaigned horses to Japan, Dubai and more. He also famously won at Royal Ascot with Little Bridge as a fully-fledged trainer in 2012.
“But it makes me and my team tougher; we will solve the problems and we are working very hard to ensure the horse is in the right spot. Ben, Gary, the mafoo – they are all looking after the horse very good, it’s a good team,” he said.
When it comes to Hong Kong-based horses, travelling long distances is not a common occurrence. Most horses tend to stay close to their stables in Sha Tin, with the occasional trip to Happy Valley for midweek races.
However, the Conghua training centre, located roughly four hours north, has provided opportunities for travel experiences. Even though Romantic Warrior has remained at Sha Tin for most of his racing and training, the centre has accommodated many elite horses, including those from Hong Kong.
While it might be a new frontier for Romantic Warrior to race abroad, plenty of international rivals have come to Sha Tin to challenge him. With victories over a number of competitors, including Danon The Kid, Geoglyph, and Jack D'Or, it's clear that Romantic Warrior is a force to be reckoned with. And with a two-and-a-half length victory over dual Australian Group One winner Dubai Honour, there's no doubt that Romantic Warrior is a top contender. On Sunday morning, Romantic Warrior had a turf gallop at Flemington, alongside stablemate Romantic Charm.
“He should improve after his gallop, and he should improve after this weekend. We have a good jockey. That’s it this week for him, he’ll just keep cantering,” Shum said.
This weekend, James McDonald will be chasing a fourth win on the 5YO gelding during Sunday's gallop, and his third at the Group One level. The Turnbull Stakes offers A$750,000 (approx. HK$3.789 million) in prize money, with the first-place winner taking home A$450,000 (approx. HK$2.236 million).
Among the competitors are 2022 Gr.1 Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip, Smokin' Romans, Lindermann, Francesco Guardi, West Wind Blows, Osipenko, Soulcombe, and more.
If Romantic Warrior wins, he will join Cape Of Good Hope as a winner in Australia, as well as fellow Hong Kong horses who have campaigned successfully in Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Great Britain, South Korea, Singapore, and the United States of America.