Hong Kong’s three equine kings shine at Sha Tin

Romantic Warrior became the first horse to win four Hong Kong Cups, capturing the Grade 1 race at Sha Tin on Sunday as part of a dominant day for Hong Kong-based horses at the Hong Kong International Races.

Trained by Danny Shum and ridden by James McDonald, Romantic Warrior won in emphatic fashion and pushed his career earnings to HK$240 million. The victory capped a sweep of the three main races by what Hong Kong Jockey Club CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges called the jurisdiction's "three heavenly kings" – Romantic Warrior, Ka Ying Rising and Voyage Bubble – who repeated their Group 1 victories from last year's event.

"To see a horse in Romantic Warrior winning for the fourth time – it's never happened in history – in the Hong Kong Cup and in emphatic style is amazing," Engelbrecht-Bresges said. "Danny Shum and James McDonald are an incredible team with this champion horse."

Ka Ying Rising took the Hong Kong Sprint (G1) for trainer David Hayes and jockey Zac Purton, a performance Engelbrecht-Bresges described as historic.

"I call it poetry in motion. I call it the best horse I have ever seen at least in the sprinting distances," Engelbrecht-Bresges said. "He's not from this planet – the way he dominated from the gate and left other world-class horses trailing in his shadow was extraordinary."

Voyage Bubble won the Hong Kong Mile (G1) for trainer Ricky Yiu and Purton, becoming the third horse in Hong Kong racing history to complete the local Triple Crown. He rallied to catch Japan's Soul Rush, who had beaten Romantic Warrior in Dubai earlier this year, in the final 50 meters.

"The way he showed tremendous eagerness and determination to catch Soul Rush in the final 50 metres was remarkable," Engelbrecht-Bresges said. "I congratulate Zac and Ricky."

France's Sosie provided the lone international victory on the card, winning the Hong Kong Vase (G1) for trainer Andre Fabre, who celebrated his birthday earlier in the week. Last year's Vase winner Giavellotto finished second, with both horses replicating their finishing positions from the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

"We saw an outstanding Vase with the winner Sosie being a wonderful stayer," Engelbrecht-Bresges said. "I would like to send my appreciation and thanks to Andre Fabre, who had his birthday this week, and hopefully this is a little birthday present for him and his wife, who was here."

Engelbrecht-Bresges noted the success came from a Hong Kong horse population of 1,350 – representing 0.7% of the world's racing stock.

"For us, it is extremely satisfying to see that we have horses of this class," he said. "I would also like to congratulate our three trainers for their outstanding training performance. It is gratifying to see two home-grown talents able to be successful on the highest level."

The attendance of 48,494 included a record 13,370 international and Chinese Mainland visitors – double last year's total for the event. Nearly 10,000 Mainland visitors attended, an increase of more than 50% from 2023. Tourism to Sha Tin has exceeded 110,000 visitors this season.

"We believe this was one of the greatest days of Hong Kong racing," Engelbrecht-Bresges said. "The International Jockeys' Championship (on Wednesday, Dec. 10) was a wonderful prelude, but Sunday was the absolute pinnacle of what we could have hoped for."

Andrew Harding, executive director of racing for the Hong Kong Jockey Club, credited the organization's collaborative effort.

"We have a saying that Winfried coined some years ago of 'One club, one team and one vision,' and the Hong Kong International Races is the embodiment of that," Harding said. "This year has generated a level of international attention that has been quite exceptional."

Coverage of the entire Hong Kong Thoroughbred season at Horse Racing Nation is made possible through a sponsorship by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.