Romantic Warrior wins record fourth QEII Cup against elite field

Romantic Warrior did more than defend home turf at Sha Tin. He turned the FWD QEII Cup into his private landmark, winning the race for a record fourth time and proving again that the best older horses do not just hang around, they keep setting the bar.

The 2000m Group 1, worth HK$30 million, was no soft touch. Hong Kong Jockey Club officials and connections had spent the week calling it the strongest QEII Cup field in 15 or 20 years, and the entry list backed that up with 23 individual Group 1 winners headlining FWD Champions Day and chasing a share of a record HK$78 million across the three Group 1 races.

Romantic Warrior handled the pressure the way elite horses do: with a late burst that never looked in doubt once James McDonald asked him to go. He finished 0.8 length clear of Japan’s Masquerade Ball in 2:00.64, with France’s Sosie third. Royal Champion, Giovanni, Rubylot, Numbers and June Take completed the order behind the top three.

That was the key to the whole performance. Romantic Warrior was not winning some watered-down local event. He was beating a field loaded with international Group 1 form, and he still looked like the horse with the most gears when the race mattered. McDonald called him “bullet proof,” and the description fit because this was the same pattern again: settle, wait, then hit the accelerator when rivals start feeling the pressure.

The victory pushed Romantic Warrior to 14 Group 1 wins and HK$271.46 million in earnings, while his career line moved to 23 wins and five minor placings from 30 starts for trainer Danny Shum and owner Peter Lau. That is the profile of a horse whose greatness is built on repetition, not flashes. Four QEII Cups, in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2026, put him in rare air for sustained top-level dominance.

The road to the race also underlined how carefully this horse has been managed. Connections skipped the 2025 edition for the Saudi Cup, then got a positive read from Hugh Bowman after a 1600m barrier trial on April 14, when Romantic Warrior finished second in 1:36.13. By race day, the decision looked right. He arrived fresh enough to unleash his trademark finish against the best Sha Tin could assemble.

Hong Kong got the full statement on Champions Day. Ka Ying Rising and My Wish joined Romantic Warrior in sweeping the three Group 1 features, and Hong Kong Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges called the clean sweep a landmark success. Romantic Warrior was the centerpiece, though, because a fourth QEII Cup is not just another win. It is the mark of a champion that refuses to age into anything less.