The Year of the Horse last week opened in magnificent fashion with spectacular community events and KA YING RISING’s stunning record-breaking feats and the New Lunar Year highlights are set to continue on Sunday (1 March) with a fantastic race meeting featuring champions ROMANTIC WARRIOR and VOYAGE BUBBLE and the cream of Hong Kong’s Four-Year-Old generation.
In the space of a week, racing purists again have the opportunity to enjoy exceptional world-class racing at Sha Tin, where ROMANTIC WARRIOR and VOYAGE BUBBLE – two of Hong Kong’s ‘Heavenly Horses Kings’ – will clash in the HK$13 million G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m).
There is a certain symmetry surrounding the appearances today of ROMANTIC WARRIOR and VOYAGE BUBBLE, who excelled in the 2022 and 2023 Four-Year-Old Series, respectively, with victories in the Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) and BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m), on the same programme as the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m).
The presence of these two great horses on the same day potential future stars such as LITTLE PARADISE, SAGACIOUS LIFE, NUMBERS and INVINCIBLE IBIS contest the 2026 Hong Kong Classic Cup is a perfect link between established champions and rising contenders.
Furthermore, the return to Sha Tin today of James McDonald, the reigning LONGINES World’s Best Jockey, is another attraction as he does battle with the very best riders in the Hong Kong roster, notably eight-time champion Zac Purton, Hugh Bowman, Andrea Atzeni, Jerry Chau and Vincent Ho.
As always seems the case, tactics will be paramount in the battle between James on ROMANTIC WARRIOR and Zac on VOYAGE BUBBLE and following ROMANTIC WARRIOR’s G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m) triumph, Zac will be keen to exact some revenge, and it will be fascinating to see the race unfold.
The first of the two Sha Tin features on Sunday is the G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup, which is carded as Race 7 and will be run over 2000m at 3.35pm for prizemoney of HK$13 million as the second leg of the Triple Crown.
The pace will be good to slow with VOYAGE BUBBLE likely to lead from gate six from ROMANTIC WARRIOR and MY WISH (Hugh Bowman). WINNING WING (Dylan Mo), ENSUED (Dylan Browne McMonagle) and BEAUTY JOY (Brenton Avdulla) will be next.
ROMANTIC WARRIOR is one of the great champions of the modern era in world racing and has not been beaten in Hong Kong since May 2023. He won this race in 2024 after finishing runner-up to GOLDEN SIXTY the year before. ROMANTIC WARRIOR’s brilliance remains undiminished, winning the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m) effortlessly in December and then dominating rivals in the Stewards’ Cup on 25 January when came away in the straight to beat LUCKY SWEYNESSE and VOYAGE BUBBLE. James will have ROMANTIC WARRIOR in a commanding position, and he is my win selection.
VOYAGE BUBBLE won this race last year from ENSUED on his way to emulating RIVER VERDON’s Triple Crown sweep. He has raced ROMANTIC WARRIOR twice before over 2000m, finishing a neck behind in this race in 2024 and was beaten one and a half lengths when second to the champion in the BOCHK Jockey Club Cup in November. VOYAGE BUBBLE under-performed in the Stewards’ Cup when caught wide mid-race and was no match for ROMANTIC WARRIOR, finishing third. Zac retains the rides and VOYAGE BUBBLE is my second selection.
MY WISH started the season brilliantly winning the G3 Celebration Cup (1400m) and the G2 Sha Tin Trophy (1600m). He has raced well at subsequent runs in top company without finishing in the top three and at his most recent run was fourth in the Stewards’ Cup on 25 January when he didn’t have a lot of room at various stages in the straight and, returning to 2000m for the first time since narrowly beaten in last year’s BMW Hong Kong Derby, MY WISH can run well under new rider Hugh Bowman.
BEAUTY JOY (Brenton Avdulla), ENSUED (Dylan McMonagle) and WINNING WING (Dylan Mo) are all quality horses but will have to be at their peak to finish in the top three.
The Hong Kong Classic Cup is carded as Race 9 and will be run over 1800m at 4.45pm with prizemoney of HK$13 million as the second leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series.
The pace will be good with NUMBERS rolling to the front from gate 11 along the sweeping back straight, while SAGACIOUS LIFE is drawn to get a perfect run from gate four. AKASHVANI (Lyle Hewitson) and BEAUTY BOLT (James McDonald) should be prominent.
LITTLE PARADISE produced a devastating turn of foot in the final stages to win the Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) on 1 February. LITTLE PARADISE settled in the back half of the field and was still well back and in need of clear room passing the 300m in the Hong Kong Classic Mile but accelerated brilliantly to win running away. Vincent Ho will have LITTLE PARADISE in a stalking position from gate three and, with his amazing turn of foot, he is my first choice as a win and place chance as he extends to 1800m.
NUMBERS has won his past two starts by leading and, after beating WINNING WING and GENTLEMEN LEGACY over 2000m on 27 December, was even more impressive when stepping to Group company and defeating SPEED DRAGON and ENCOUNTERED in the G3 Centenary Vase (1800m) on 8 February. NUMBERS is a quality stayer, having been placed at Group 1 level over 2400m in Australia and is a win and place chance for Derek Leung.
INFINITE RESOLVE (Alexis Badel) ran well for second in the Hong Kong Classic Mile but Alexis Badel will have to contend with the outside draw here. Despite the poor barrier, INFINITE RESOLVE can run well again and is a place chance.
BEAUTY BOLT (James McDonald) and SAGACIOUS LIFE (Zac Purton) were third and fourth, respectively, in the Hong Kong Classic Mile and will be competitive, with SAGACIOUS LIFE in particular suited by the extra distance and will get the run of the race from gate four.
INVINCIBLE IBIS started favourite in the Hong Kong Classic Mile and went back from a wide gate, before making a challenge but stayed only fairly in the last 200m to finish sixth. He can rebound to top form under Hugh Bowman from gate two.
LUCKY SAM GOR (Jerry Chau) is an emerging talent who had no luck at all when fourth at his last start over 1600m on 14 February behind STORMY GROVE (Harry Bentley), who won impressively. Both are place chances in a race with great depth and quality.
Apart from the two feature races today, Race 10 – the Class 3 Citi Investment Services Handicap (2000m) at 5.20pm – is important to the chances of several horses hoping to earn a start in the BMW Hong Kong Derby.
This is the same race MASSIVE SOVEREIGN used in 2024 to famously propel himself into Hong Kong Derby contention for Dennis Yip and Zac and the connections of SHANWAH, AERODYNAMICS, DREAMING TOGETHER, FORTUNE BOY, THE AUSPICIOUS and PACKING FIGHTER will be hoping for winning performances.
Last night (28 February), SING DRAGON in Dubai found the competition too strong, plus the dirt in Dubai is completely different to the All Weather Track in Sha Tin. More importantly, my thoughts are with SING DRAGON’S connections as well as trainer Chris So, jockey Karis Teetan and their families and our staff. I hope that they stay safe in light of the US and Israel strike against Iran, which had led to a closure of the airspace in Dubai and all flights have been cancelled. Karis therefore can’t return as planned and will likely have to stay some time in Dubai.
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