Hong Kong’s top stayer ROMANTIC WARRIOR is poised to claim back-to-back Group Ones in Sunday’s Champions & Chater Cup over 2400m at Sha Tin.
The 10-time winner and two-time runner-up from 13 starts, ROMANTIC WARRIOR stretches to 2400m for the first time in his illustrious career, which has yielded three wins and two second placings at Group 1 level so far. ROMANTIC WARRIOR was last seen bouncing back to his winning ways after a couple of second placings, easily winning the G1 QEII Cup over 2000m over Japan’s Prognosis and the UK’s Dubai Honour.
Champion jockey Zac Purton will take the reins on ROMANTIC WARRIOR for the first time in a race on Sunday. With no international talent contesting the staying feature, ROMANTIC WARRIOR has local hopes, Straight Arron and Russian Emperor, to stave off.
Elsewhere on the card, four-year-old gelding SUPREME LUCKY is capable of bouncing back into the winner’s circle when he contests the Class 3 Handicap over 1200m at Sha Tin.
SUPREME LUCKY has been an impressive three-time winner from his seven career starts so far, and has often been up against it from wide barriers in five of those races.
Last start at this track and distance was the second consecutive time he had barrier 13 to navigate, and he was forced to race wide and without cover from the 800m in a slow-run race, but was still strong late into third-place, beaten two lengths.
Purton will be taking over Matthew Poon as the rider of SUPREME LUCKY, and the pair looked well in a recent trial. In what appears a race much weaker, the four-year-old can prove the one to beat.
