Romantic Warrior moved a step closer to another major target after an impressive trial at Sha Tin on Tuesday, with Hugh Bowman pleased by the champion’s condition as attention turns to Champions Day later this month.
Danny Shum’s star performer, chasing a fourth consecutive QEII Cup triumph, finished an unpressured second in a 1600m barrier trial on turf. Numbers came home first, with Rubylot in third, while Romantic Warrior clocked 1min 36.13sec in a smooth piece of work under Bowman.
The seven-year-old, already one of the modern greats of Hong Kong racing, looked composed throughout and finished off strongly without being asked for maximum effort.
Bowman said the trial delivered exactly what connections had hoped to see.
“He was great. He went through his paces, and he was nice and relaxed,” Bowman said. “He can have a tendency sometimes to be a bit fresh and overdo it, but he was really relaxed, so that’s very encouraging for the team going into the main event.
“He went to the line really well and he had a good blow to finish him off from a fitness perspective.”
Romantic Warrior will bid to extend his remarkable QEII Cup record after victories in 2022, 2023 and 2024. His career has already yielded 13 top-level wins across Hong Kong, Australia, Japan and the United Arab Emirates, along with record earnings of HK$254.66 million.
This year’s renewal is expected to provide another stern examination, with overseas Group 1 winners Masquerade Ball, Royal Champion and Sosie among the likely challengers.
While James McDonald is set to partner Romantic Warrior on race day, Bowman has strong opportunities of his own across the feature programme.
He will ride the progressive My Wish in the Champions Mile after the five-year-old went down by only a short head to Lucky Sweynesse in the Chairman’s Trophy earlier this month.
Bowman believes the gelding is reaching peak form at the right moment.
“He’s going well. I thought his run was excellent in the recent Group 2 race,” he said. “I think he’s really going to peak at the right time.
“The barrier draw will be crucial as to where we end up in the run, but I don’t think he has to improve to win the race on what he did last start. He’s just going to need the circumstances of the race to suit him.”
My Wish had earlier secured a notable success this season when landing the Sha Tin Trophy Handicap over a mile.
Bowman is also booked for Helios Express in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize, where the dependable sprinter again meets the formidable Ka Ying Rising, with Japanese raider Satono Reve adding extra intrigue.
“He’s such a consistent horse and a pleasure to ride,” Bowman said. “It’s going to be an interesting race. We all know Helios Express and his pattern, and again, barriers will determine where we settle. His lead-up run was excellent.”
Away from the Champions Day build-up, attention switches to Wednesday evening’s nine-race Happy Valley card.
Win Method seeks a hat-trick in the Hong Kong China Rugby Cup Handicap after two strong mile victories. Lyle Hewitson expects the rise in class to test him but feels the gelding remains in excellent order.
Take Action, placed in three of his last four starts, will attempt to convert consistency into victory for trainer John Size, while Fatal Blow returns after a freshen-up for trainer Mark Newnham and rider Jerry Chau.
The programme begins at 6.35pm with the Celebrating 50 Years Of The HK Sevens Handicap over 1000m, with several in-form runners set to feature through the evening.
For more stories, results, and updates from the world of horse racing, stay tuned to racebuzz