McDonald to ride Bubble on big weekend, while Warrior is in good shape
by Jack DawlingJay Rooney on Sunday, January 26, 2025 8:42 PM James McDonald will partner Romantic Warrior and Voyage Bubble in the space of 48 hourse. Photo: Kenneth Chan
Ricky Yiu Poon-fai has confirmed superstar Kiwi James McDonald will partner Voyage Bubble in next month's Group One Gold Cup (2,000m) despite the logistical challenges involved in getting the rider to Sha Tin on February 23.
McDonald will chase another success in the Middle East with Romantic Warrior in the Group One Saudi Cup (1,800m) late on February 22 before flying back to Hong Kong to hop aboard Voyage Bubble in the Gold Cup the following afternoon.
While the five-hour time difference means McDonald will be cutting it fine to get to Sha Tin for the HK$13 million Group One, Yiu said the Kiwi will arrive during the meeting and partner his stable star in the second leg of the Triple Crown.
'He will arrive fairly late on for the meeting but he will be here for that particular race,' Yiu said. 'Maybe he'll be at Sha Tin by race two or three, let's hope it all goes to plan.'
Yiu did not confirm whether the 2024 Longines World's Best Jockey will take the Cathay Pacific flight which departs Riyadh at 12.45am on the Sunday morning and lands in Hong Kong at 1.40pm, or find other means of travel to return in time such as a private plane. — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) January 19, 2025 The Warrior marches on
Danny Shum Chap-shing said Romantic Warrior is in tip-top shape following his emphatic Group One Jebel Hatta (1,800m) success under McDonald as the trainer looks ahead to next month's audacious Saudi Cup bid.
Romantic Warrior claimed his 10th Group One win in fine style in the early hours of Saturday morning Hong Kong time, with the seven-year-old continuing his globe-trotting domination on the Meydan turf in Dubai.
Shum, who was in good spirits at Sha Tin on Sunday as he watched Gorgeous Win collect a Class Two win for his stable, confirmed his star galloper was in good condition following the four-and-a-half-length success.
'He's pulled up well and everything is fine,' Shum said. 'He dropped a bit of weight of course – about 18 pounds – but that is expected and this morning he is back to normal.'
While Shum admitted he wasn't able to celebrate and reflect on Romantic Warrior's maiden Dubai success, the trainer hopes there will be another chance to pop the champagne.
'I celebrated by going to the airport after the race for my flight at 3.30am and then the plane was delayed until 4.15am,' Shum said with a laugh. 'Then it was just back to work as normal at the stable and preparing for today's race meeting.
'But hopefully there will be more celebrations to come soon, we will see.' Wong strikes with career-best success
Britney Wong Po-ni celebrated the biggest success of her fledgling Hong Kong career at Sha Tin on Sunday, booting Fast Responder to a comfortable Class Three win.
Wong racked up her eighth victory this term when she capitalised on Fast Responder's outside draw in gate 13 down the 1,000m straight in the Class Three Wheelchair Fencing Handicap.
The 25-year-old rider kept Douglas Whyte's sprinter on the outside rail and bided her time until pacesetter Cheval Valiant shifted out passing the 300m.
'I know it's only 1,000m and it looks like an easy race to ride, but Britney rode a very, very confident and good race,' said Whyte, who also helped deliver Wong her first Hong Kong victory with Cheval Valiant in September.
'She was patient, she got him to settle, she got him comfortable and she waited patiently for my other horse, Cheval Valiant, to roll off the rail and went straight through the gap.'
Fast Responder broke through at start six in Hong Kong, with a solid last-start eighth behind Baby Crystal his best previous performance in the city. Pouchin bids adieu
Alexis Pouchin will leave Hong Kong earlier than anticipated after failing to obtain any rides for Friday's Lunar New Year meeting at Sha Tin.
While the Frenchman's contract is due to end after the bumper fixture, he will exit the Hong Kong riding ranks sooner than expected with two wins from 105 mounts.
In his eight-week stint in the city, Pouchin saluted aboard the Yiu-trained Harry's Hero and Francis Lui Kin-wai's Baby Crystal.
After steering Baby Crystal to a dominant two-and-three-quarter-length success down the Sha Tin straight on January 5, Pouchin went within a whisker of getting the sprinter home in front on Sunday.
The 24-year-old dictated proceedings aboard Lui's charge in the Class Two Para Equestrian Handicap (1,200m) but was collared in the final strides by $1.5 favourite Gorgeous Win.
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