Trainer Danny Shum indicated his delight with the world’s highest-earning racehorse Romantic Warrior as the six-year-old gelding gets familiar with new surroundings at the Dubai Racing Club – his base for an exciting three-run Middle Eastern campaign.
“He’s good. Our team has sent videos of him swimming and at the track with Romantic Charm (companion horse). The horse is very happy – the facilities are great, it has a huge training track and the stables are very good,” Shum said. “They’ve been very good; we even had a police escort.”
Global champion Romantic Warrior’s raid is expected to encompass three runs, likely starting with the G1 Jebel Hatta (1800m) at Meydan on 24 January, putting him on a collision course with the 1800m track record-holding Measured Time – who races for Godolphin.
“I will go to Dubai on the 19th (of January) after the races at Sha Tin to get ready for the 24th of January,” Shum said. “James McDonald comes, too, after the races we will go together. Romantic Warrior will gallop on the Tuesday (21 January) on turf and run on the Friday.
“Measured Time looks very strong – he broke the track record.”
Measured Time became the first two-time winner of the G2 Al Rashidiya (1800m) last Friday (20 December) when he lowered Just A Way’s 1800m course record (1m 45.52s set in 2014) at Meydan to 1m 45.11s for trainer Charlie Appleby and jockey William Buick.
Nine-time Group 1-winning Romantic Warrior will ship to Saudi Arabia for the G1 Saudi Cup (1800m, dirt) on 22 February at Riyadh before contesting either the G1 Dubai World Cup (2000m, dirt) or G1 Dubai Turf (1800m) on 5 April at Meydan.
“Every night my team takes a photo of him for me. They go back to the stables and check on him – every night we get an update,” said Shum of Romantic Warrior, twice a winner outside of Hong Kong in the 2023 G1 W.S. Cox Plate (2040m) and 2024 G1 Yasuda Kinen (1600m).
A 17-time winner from 22 starts, Hong Kong International Sale graduate Romantic Warrior boasts earnings of HK$177.32 million (approx. US$22.82 million). His last start returned an unprecedented third HK$40 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m) win this month. He also has three HK$28 million G1 FWD QEII Cup (2000m) triumphs.
Looking to Happy Valley’s 10-race fixture on Thursday night (26 December), Shum saddles Nordic Dragon (133lb) – a fellow Hong Kong International Sale graduate – for the HK$1.86 million Class 3 Uranus Handicap (1200m) with jockey Alexis Pouchin booked.
“He’s going well, but he’s just not in his own form yet, we need to see how he goes,” Shum said.
Beauty Destiny (124lb) has been a revelation since Frankie Lor switched up his racing style and the trainer is eager to test the chestnut sprinter in Class 3 this week from barrier one with Andrea Atzeni up in the hotly contested Uranus Handicap.
“He looks like a different horse when he can relax in behind – he always has a strong finish. I think Class 3 is still ok for him if he can do the same thing,” Lor said. “The change of racing pattern has made a big difference.”
The Star Turn gelding broke through at his ninth start in Hong Kong. He has since won twice across his next five outings – each time in Class 4 over 1200m at the city circuit.
“Before he always jumped fast and then when the jockey asked him you could see his tail start swishing and his head would go up, but now he looks better. At least you can save his energy behind horses and he has a strong finish. I think this is good for him,” Lor said.
Trainer David Hayes saddles twice-placed Ka Ying Resilience in the HK$1.17 million Class 4 Venus Handicap (1000m) with jockey Zac Purton engaged, eyeing a first win with the three-year-old gelding by Blue Point.
“He’s a very natural, precocious speed horse. I think he’s going well enough and I think he’ll end up going through the grades pretty well,” Hayes said.
The bay faces 11 rivals in his bid for a first win. Hayes has six entries at Happy Valley as he aims to enhance his 21 wins after 31 of the season’s 88 scheduled fixtures.
Pierre Ng’s trio Galaxy Patch, Beauty Waves and Taj Dragon trialled on the Sha Tin dirt this morning (Tuesday, 24 December), finishing fourth, second and seventh in their respective heats. Howdeepisyourlove finished first in the same hit-out as Beauty Waves.
Happy Valley’s 10-race card on Thursday (26 December) kicks off at 6.10pm with the Class 5 Mercury Handicap (1200m).
By Declan Schuster
