Latest news with #CitiHongKongGoldCup
Daily Mirror
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Romantic Warrior injury detailed after his welcome home ceremony was scrapped
The champion is joint second with fellow Hong Kong horse Ka Ying Rising in the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings. However Romantic Warrior will not be able to race at the moment due to injury Superstar Romantic Warrior has been found to have an injury after a welcome home ceremony for the horse was scrapped. The event at Sha Tin on Sunday, when fans were set to pay tribute to his achievements, was called off after potential changes in one of the horse's joints were detected. The Hong Kong Jockey Club's veterinary records have now been updated to show the earner of £21million of prize money has a left fore fetlock injury. The diagnosis comes more than month after Romantic Warrior was pipped to the post by Soul Rush in the Dubai Turf at Meydan. Danny Shum's trainee was in front until virtually the last stride but he came up agonisingly short in a bid for yet another Group One. 'He's had a long campaign. He ran his heart out,' jockey James McDonald said afterwards. Romantic Warrior was running for the first time since he suffered another narrow defeat to Forever Young in the Saudi Cup. But despite the star horse's recent losses, he still has legions of fans who were hoping to see their champion, jockey James McDonald and connections in Sha Tin's parade ring at the weekend. But an update from the HKJC said: "The Club's Veterinary Regulation, Welfare and Biosecurity Policy Department have provided advice on Romantic Warrior that the Club wishes to share with his many fans. 'Romantic Warrior is currently spelling following his return from his races in Dubai and Saudi Arabia. The horse has returned to Hong Kong presenting extremely well and has not exhibited any signs of lameness or any other clinical issues. 'Nevertheless, consistent with the Club's world-class procedures for the care of our racehorses, a detailed physical examination has been carried out, including imaging using our veterinary hospital's state-of-the-art equipment. 'This proactive screening has enabled a very early detection of some potential changes in one of the horse's joints. As a consequence of this systematic approach to ensuring horse welfare a management plan has been developed that will ensure that Romantic Warrior has an extremely good prognosis of such changes being fully addressed. 'Whilst Romantic Warrior would not face any risk from the planned ceremony to welcome his return to Hong Kong the Club nevertheless believes that the ceremony is not a priority and so it will not be held." Since 2021, Romantic Warrior has won 18 races, including ten at the highest level on a variety of surfaces and tracks. His record includes three editions of the Hong Kong and FWD QEII Cups, the 2024 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup and top flight successes in Australia, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. 'Romantic Warrior just a very good racehorse and he adapts to any circumstances during a race, to any pace and has a good turn of foot," McDonald said after Romantic Warrior's most recent strike in the Jebel Hatta at Meydan in January. "He's a very strong-minded horse, He could be a sprinter, that's how fast he is."
South China Morning Post
27-02-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
The Hong Kong Racing Postscript: who's hot, who's not and the best of February
Brenton Avdulla had a month to remember in February with nine winners. Photos: Kenneth Chan Brenton Avdulla had a month to remember, while Michael Chang and several jockeys came up empty-handed With four jockeys including champion Zac Purton sidelined for varying periods after two separate falls on February 5, the landscape of Hong Kong racing changed dramatically for the rest of the month. While several overseas riders were called on to fill the void, one of the permanent jockeys on the roster shone in Purton's absence and others had more success than previous months. The Post analyses the jockeys and trainers who had a month to remember or one to forget, as well as the most outstanding victory and winning ride. Who's hot? Known as 'The Gun', Brenton Avdulla fired on all cylinders in February. The Australian capitalised on several pickup rides from Purton to boot home nine winners from 54 rides at an impressive strike rate of 16.66 per cent. He is on the verge of soaring into the top four in the premiership. John Size caps a treble! 🔥 The Master trainer wins his third race this afternoon as Juneau Pride is all out for victory with @brentonavdulla at Sha Tin...#LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) February 23, 2025 Andrea Atzeni, Karis Teetan and Alexis Badel each rode six winners – a particularly important return for Badel, who had just nine to his name through the first five months of the season. From a training perspective, there was an even spread of winners across the ranks in February. John Size wasn't having a great month until his four-timer at Sha Tin last Sunday boosted his February haul to six winners. Continuing his stunning resurgence after a slow start to the season, the master handler hit the lead in the championship after his four-timer. David Hayes also had six victories and snatched the title lead back from Size at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, while Tony Cruz joined the Australian duo with six winners for the month. Who's not? While the absence of the injured jockeys created more opportunities for some, others continued to battle. Jerry Chau Chun-lok, Ellis Wong Chi-wang and Antoine Hamelin were among a group of riders to come up empty-handed for the month and they carry lengthy winning droughts into March. Michael Chang Chun-wai failed to visit the winners' enclosure from his 28 runners, while Danny Shum Chap-shing was about to join him with a winless month until Moments In Time ended his drought of 39 runners with victory at the Valley on Wednesday night. Win of month Voyage Bubble overcame plenty of challenges to record what was arguably the best victory of his career in last Sunday's Group One Gold Cup (2,000m). CLASS PREVAILS! 🙌 Aiming to become the second horse to win Hong Kong's #TripleCrown after River Verdon in 1993/94, Voyage Bubble captures the second leg - @Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup - with @mcacajamez at Sha Tin... 🏆@WorldPool | #LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) February 23, 2025 Shuffled back to second last and stumbling when striking the heels of a rival near the 850m, Ricky Yiu Poon-fai's stable star looked in a world of trouble. Things only got worse when he was held up from the top of the straight until the 300m, but once James McDonald got him into the clear he exploded with a brilliant turn of foot to put the result beyond doubt in the blink of an eye. It was a special performance. Ride of month Keagan de Melo has been starved of opportunity this season, but the South African conjured something from virtually nothing with a terrific ride on Carryon Smiling at Sha Tin last Sunday. Taken back to near last from gate 11 in the early stages, Carryon Smiling settled on the inside rail and De Melo saved valuable ground before coming off the fence in the straight. Carryon Smiling kicked off a superb day of racing action at Sha Tin with a shock 83/1 victory in the opener under @kdemelo01! 👏#LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) February 23, 2025 De Melo angled the Chris So Wai-yin-trained gelding into the clear between rivals near the 250m and he responded with a strong finish, saluting at the huge odds of $84.70 – the second-roughest winner of the term so far. De Melo's ride on his other winner for the month, Charming Steed, was also a top effort. He sent the Caspar Fownes-trained gelding forward from gate 13 to lob in a perfect spot three back and one off the fence en route to a dominant win on the dirt.
South China Morning Post
23-02-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Voyage Bubble shrugs off tough run to stay on track for Triple Crown with Gold Cup romp
Voyage Bubble overcame a challenging run to move one step closer to Triple Crown glory with an emphatic victory in Sunday's Group One Citi Gold Cup (2,000m) at Sha Tin. Despite appearing to stumble when being shuffled back through the field in a slowly run race, Ricky Yiu Poon-fai's stable star once again proved his class to notch a fourth Group One success under James McDonald. Sent off the $1.35 favourite, Voyage Bubble worked into the clear at the 300m and put away his rivals quickly to win by three and three-quarter lengths. 'It wasn't smooth sailing but he's a great racehorse,' said McDonald. CLASS PREVAILS! 🙌 Aiming to become the second horse to win Hong Kong's #TripleCrown after River Verdon in 1993/94, Voyage Bubble captures the second leg - @Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup - with @mcacajamez at Sha Tin... 🏆@WorldPool | #LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) February 23, 2025 'I'm lucky to have him as a partner because he got me out of a sticky situation. It was very muddling and he overcame many obstacles throughout that race to come away for a great victory.' McDonald claimed Group One glory less than 15 hours after the heartbreak of his close defeat on Hong Kong champion Romantic Warrior, who ran a close second to Forever Young in the US$20 million Saudi Cup (1,800m). The Kiwi star flew out of Riyadh soon after the world's richest race and arrived in Hong Kong only a few hours before riding Voyage Bubble. Yiu was also relieved after son of Deep Field overcame a difficult run to bag his fourth elite-level success and third in a row. 'I suppose the tempo of the race was on the slow side. That's why my horse kept getting shuffled back from third position to fourth, then back to third last and second last and around the middle bend, it caused him to stumble,' Yiu said. 'At that particular moment, it nearly broke my heart. 'Once he accelerated, he's quite a big horse and he's got a huge stride, so they could not match him.' Voyage Bubble went one better than last year when he ran a brave second to Romantic Warrior, who was ridden to victory by McDonald, in the Gold Cup. The John Size-trained Ensued made late ground for second, a length and a quarter ahead of Chancheng Glory, who held on for third after setting a slow speed. With the first two legs of the Triple Crown in the bag, Voyage Bubble will bid to become only the second galloper to claim the series when he tackles the Group One Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m) in May. River Verdon was the first and only winner of the Triple Crown in the 1993-94 season. 'That's another pain barrier he's got to go through. He's a great racehorse and we have seen it with the great horse last night how good these Hong Kong horses are – they're as tough as they come – and they fly the flag anywhere,' McDonald said. 'The 2,400m is definitely going to be a new challenge for him but he's up to it.' Yiu is yet to decide on Voyage Bubble's Champions Day target – the Group One Champions Mile or Group One QE II Cup (2,000m) on April 27 – before the final leg of the Triple Crown. 'I'm a bit optimistic to run him over 2,400m,' Yiu said of what will be Voyage Bubble's first test at the trip. 'Before James takes off tonight, we're going to have a little celebration party and I'm going to have a good chat with him to see where we go next. There's a mile or 2,000m in between the 2,400m. It wouldn't be much of a difference. 'I'm pretty optimistic – we'll take the challenge.'
