Romantic Warrior camp confident ahead of audacious dirt test in Saudi Cup
James McDonald and Danny Shum Chap-shing are optimistic Romantic Warrior will handle his first test on dirt as Hong Kong's champion galloper bids for another slice of history in the world's richest race, the US$20 million Saudi Cup (1,800m).
Run at 1.40am Hong Kong time on Sunday morning, the Group One feature represents a new challenge for Romantic Warrior as he heads into unknown territory racing on a dirt track for the first time.
Many greats of the turf have failed on dirt surfaces, but superstar jockey McDonald maintains full confidence in Romantic Warrior after riding the 10-time Group One victor in trackwork at King Abdulaziz Racecourse this week.
'He's worked on the dirt and obviously that's the big question mark and we won't know until race day,' McDonald said.
'I've got a feeling that he will be successful on the dirt. He's just a very good racehorse, so he'll adapt well. The main thing is that his well-being is spot on. He looks great and he feels great, so we can't do any more.
'I haven't ridden on too many dirt tracks so I can't really compare too many, but he seemed to handle it OK. It's a real powdery sort of track and the kickback was there but it wasn't coarse or anything.'
The winner of a world record HK$179.66 million in prize money, Romantic Warrior is fresh from a four-and-a-half-length victory in track-record time in the Group One Jebel Hatta (1,800m) in Dubai last start.
The globetrotting galloper, who has also won Group Ones in Hong Kong, Australia and Japan, will be the city's first horse to race in Saudi Arabia.
Shum has left no stone unturned in search of Saudi Cup glory, applying special 'grip shoes' designed to help Romantic Warrior handle the dirt while also enlisting the services of renowned Australian horse physio, Tom Simpson.
'It's a great opportunity to be here and run in the most valuable race in the world. It's a great honour for Hong Kong and my stable and we really appreciate it,' Shum said.
'You never know until you're past the winning post, but he's very fit and physically he's the best he's been in his career.
'I'm confident he'll handle the dirt, but I don't know whether he'll handle the kickback.'
Shum was also pleased when Romantic Warrior drew barrier three in the 14-horse field.
A 19th career victory at the weekend will elevate Romantic Warrior to a new level of greatness as Hong Kong's most successful Group One winner of all time. He currently shares that title with the retired Golden Sixty.
Japan's Forever Young is expected to be his biggest threat despite drawing wide in barrier 14. He boasts an exceptional dirt record including wins in the Group One Tokyo Daishoten (2,000m) last start and last year's Group Three Saudi Derby (1,600m).
The Saudi Cup is one of seven races at King Abdulaziz Racecourse to be simulcast by the Jockey Club.
Five races from Caulfield, headlined by the Group One Futurity Stakes (1,400m), will also be beamed live for betting on Saturday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTHK
a day ago
- RTHK
O'Brien wins record-extending 11th Derby with Lambourn
O'Brien wins record-extending 11th Derby with Lambourn Jockey Wayne Lordan rides Lambourn to victory at the Epsom Derby. Photo: AFP Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien won a record-extending 11th Epsom Derby as Lambourn put up an astonishing performance to lead from start to finish on Saturday. For O'Brien it completed an extraordinary two days as Minnie Hauk won the Oaks on Friday and his Jan Brueghel won the other Group One race the Coronation Cup. It is not the first time the 55-year-old has achieved the Oaks/Derby double, last doing it in 2020 with Love (Oaks) and Serpentine. Jockey Wayne Lordan was never challenged in winning his first Derby on his ninth ride in the race considered to be the 'blue riband' of flat racing. None of the other fancied horses landed a blow and it was two outsiders that were closest at the finish – Lazy Griff (50/1) was second with 28/1 chance Tennessee Stud, trained by O'Brien's son Joseph, third. "I knew I'd gone a good gallop, his ears were pricked and I knew he had plenty left," said Lordan. "He's a horse that we've always felt stays well so I just thought anybody that gets to me will have to stay well and it'd be tough for them." Lordan's career was in doubt a couple of years ago after a dreadful fall in the Irish Derby in which he suffered a fractured leg and elbow. Saturday, though, represented his biggest ever victory. "It's one of the greatest races," said the 43-year-old. "For any jockey that wants to start out, all they ever want to do is win the Derby and I work for Aidan, Ballydoyle, Coolmore so I'm in a lucky position that I get to ask for a horse like this." (AFP)
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Soul Rush back at the races for the first time since humbling Romantic Warrior
Soul Rush (outside) pips Romantic Warrior in the Group One Dubai Turf (1,800m) at Meydan in April. Photo: Kenneth Chan Two months after humbling Romantic Warrior in the Group One Dubai Turf (1,800m), Soul Rush headlines the 75th running of the Group One Yasuda Kinen (1,600m) at Tokyo Racecourse on Sunday, contesting the prestigious contest for the fourth time. Third behind Romantic Warrior in last year's Yasuda Kinen, Soul Rush has posted two wins, two seconds and a third from his past five races and looks like he is improving with age. The seven-year-old son of Rulership will be ridden by Suguru Hamanaka. The 36-year-old jockey breezed the horse over 1,200m on May 29 in a time of 1 minute 21.5 seconds with a final 200m of 10.5 seconds. On June 4, under a trainer's assistant, Soul Rush worked solo up the Ritto hill course over 800m, switching gears to extend powerfully over the final 200m. His overall time over the slightly heavy going was 52.3 seconds with a final 200m of 11.8 seconds. 'He was pretty much ready last week,' trainer Yasutoshi Ikee said. 'So, I figured working alone up the hill this week was sufficient. His movement was good and it looks like he's in about the same condition as he has been for his races up to now.' Oh, my .... 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇 dramatically lowers the colours of 𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐂 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐑 in the @DPWorldUAE Dubai Turf! 🇯🇵#DWC25 | @emirates — Dubai Racing Club (@RacingDubai) April 5, 2025 Ikee, who won the Yasuda Kinen with Satono Aladdin in 2017, added: 'I really want him to win over the Tokyo 1,600m, which would help spur on his career at stud. He's in excellent shape – nowhere is he coming up short.' Seen as one of Soul Rush's biggest rivals is Jantar Mantar, a two-time Group One winner over 1,600m with victories in the 2023 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes for two-year-olds and the 2024 NHK Mile Cup for three-year-olds. Like runner-up Soul Rush, he contested the 2024 Group One Hong Kong Mile and, with added traffic problems in the stretch, finished 13th of 14 runners behind Voyage Bubble. HK Racing News Get updates direct to your inbox Sign up Best Bets Racing News By registering you agree to our T&Cs & Privacy Policy Error: Please enter a valid email. The email address is already in use. Please login to subscribe. Error, please try again later. THANK YOU You are one the list. On June 4, under an assistant to trainer Tomokazu Takano, Jantar Mantar clocked 11.7 seconds over the final furlong of his work. 'He looked fantastic and he used his body extremely efficiently,' Takano said. 'He has proven himself over the Tokyo 1,600m and it's a venue where he can run with confidence. No Golden Sixty this year! 😏 Second in the 2023 renewal, Voyage Bubble takes the @LONGINES Hong Kong Mile with @mcacajamez for Ricky Yiu! #HKIR | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) December 8, 2024 'There was too much time off before he went to Hong Kong and I've been putting the pressure on myself to help him get the results he deserves.' Three-time Group Two winner Sixpence returns from a seventh-placed finish in the Group One Osaka Hai (2,000m) under Takeshi Yokoyama. With all of the colt's five victories coming over 1,600m and 1,800m, the Osaka Hai proved a stretch at 2,000m and a return to 1,600m bodes well. The Kizuna colt looked in excellent condition in trackwork on May 28 working under Christophe Lemaire and, in final work on June 4, he worked with another horse on the flat. 'His movement was good,' trainer Sakae Kunieda said. 'He was in good shape for his last race too but he wasn't able to keep something in reserve for the finish. Lemaire knows this horse very well and they work well together.' Lemaire has ridden four of Sixpence's five career wins.
HKFP
2 days ago
- HKFP
Hong Kong hails ‘overwhelming support' for legalising basketball betting, proposes 50% levy on profits
The Hong Kong government has hailed 'overwhelming support' from scholars, athletes, and youth groups for its plan to legalise basketball betting in the city, following the conclusion of a one-month public consultation last month. Ninety-four per cent of the 1,063 submissions received by the government between April and May 'expressed support or positive views' on the proposal to regulate basketball betting under the Betting Duty Ordinance, according to a paper submitted by the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau to the Legislative Council on Thursday. Those who supported the legal amendment said public demand for basketball betting has 'increased significantly,' and a regulatory regime can protect bettors' rights and interests. The government proposed in April to amend the ordinance to grant the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs the power to issue a basketball betting license to the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC). The regulatory regime will mirror the existing one for football betting, the government said. In the paper released on Thursday, the government proposed imposing a 50 per cent levy on the net profits from basketball betting. Citing responses from supporters of the legislative proposal, the government said the HKJC may donate its additional revenue to welfare and charitable purposes. The tax revenue generated may also help the government allocate more resources on social welfare, supporters said, according to the government. Financial Secretary Paul Chan first unveiled the government's intention to regulate basketball betting during his 2025 budget speech in February. He said the legalisation could tackle illegal gambling and raise tax revenue amid the city's estimated deficit of HK$87.2 billion. The finance chief projected that regulating basketball betting could generate HK$1.5 billion to HK$2 billion in tax revenue. The government acknowledged on Thursday that 36 submissions – or 3.4 per cent of the responses collected – opposed the proposal. Those who objected raised concerns about the adverse impact of basketball betting on the youth, adding illegal gambling still existed after football betting was legalised. Responding to the concerns, the government said in the paper that the impact of betting activities on young people has been 'steady' in recent years. The proportion of bettors aged between 18 and 21 also 'consistently remained below two per cent,' the government said quoting the HKJC. Some suggested the government to prohibit individuals aged between 18 and 25 from placing bets online, while others proposed imposing restrictions on the amount and number of bets that can be placed by young people. The paper submitted on Thursday is set to be discussed by lawmakers on the Legislative Council's Panel on Home Affairs, Culture and Sports on Monday. 'Disastrous move' In February, the Hong Kong Committee on Children's Rights criticised the government's plan to regulate basketball betting, saying that giving a green light to basketball betting was a 'disastrous move.' The group said popularising sports betting could 'lure' young people to bet with their limited financial resources that should otherwise go to other needs. Gambling loss may also result in psychological pressure and guilt, which may deter individuals from seeking help, it said, warning that gamblers could enter a 'vicious cycle' where they turn to lending agencies or engage in criminal activities.
