The world’s richest racehorse is one win away from completing a feat achieved only once in 33 years
The Greatest Horse in the World Eyes Immortality at Sha Tin
He has won 12 Group 1 races. He has earned more prize money than any horse in racing history, over US$31.6 million. He has raced and won on tracks across Japan, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and Hong Kong. Now, at the age of eight, Romantic Warrior is chasing the one prize that has eluded him in a glittering career: the Hong Kong Triple Crown. Sunday’s Group 1 Hong Kong Gold Cup at Sha Tin is the second leg of that storied series. Having already claimed the first leg in January’s Stewards’ Cup, jockey James McDonald and trainer Danny Shum have the veteran Acclamation gelding primed for a performance that could cement his legacy as the greatest horse Hong Kong racing has ever produced.
A Record That Defies Belief
Romantic Warrior’s record at Sha Tin over the one and a quarter mile course borders on the supernatural: 12 wins and a second from 13 starts. McDonald has been effusive in his praise. He’s just got a phenomenal record overall, the champion jockey told the Hong Kong Jockey Club. He just knows his job so well. He’s such a competitor and you know what you’re going to get from him, and that’s a solid performance every time he steps out. Connections made the decision this season to focus on Hong Kong’s domestic classics rather than pursue a blockbuster rematch with Japanese dirt sensation Forever Young, who edged Romantic Warrior by a neck in last season’s Saudi Cup. The choice appears inspired. Unbeaten domestically since May 2023, the horse continues to defy the march of time.
The Triple Crown: Racing’s Rarest Jewel
The Hong Kong Triple Crown comprises the Stewards’ Cup, the Gold Cup, and the Champions Mile. It has been completed only once in the modern era. River Verdon achieved the feat in 1993-94. The only other horse to come close in recent times was last season’s champion, Voyage Bubble, who arrives at Sunday’s race as Romantic Warrior’s most dangerous rival and the only other credible Triple Crown threat in the current generation. Should Romantic Warrior prevail on Sunday, the Champions Mile in May would be all that stands between him and sporting immortality.
Classic Cup Adds to a Loaded Card
Sunday’s card at Sha Tin also features the US$1.66 million Hong Kong Classic Cup, the second leg of the four-year-old series. Trainer Mark Newnham saddles promising Lucky Sam Gor, partnered by in-form apprentice Jerry Chau, who has ridden three winners from three rides aboard the progressive galloper. He has come from the low-40s rating to contesting a classic cup, Newnham said. The Hong Kong Jockey Club operates one of the world’s most competitive thoroughbred programs, and Sunday’s fixture underscores why. The 11-race card begins at 11:30 p.m. EST, with the Gold Cup going to post at 2:35 a.m. EST. The Blood-Horse has profiled Romantic Warrior as a once-in-a-generation performer. Racing Post’s global experts rank him among the finest turf horses of his era. The Timeform ratings service places him at the very peak of the world rankings for horses currently in training. The race may be decided by fractions of a second, but its meaning will last a lifetime.
Ching Yi Ho
Legal Affairs & Rule of Law Journalist, Apple Daily UK
Contact: chingyi.ho@appledaily.uk
Ching Yi Ho is a legal affairs journalist specializing in rule of law, judicial systems, and civil rights reporting. Educated at a top-tier UK journalism institution, she received formal training in court reporting, legal documentation analysis, and media law, providing a strong foundation for accurate legal journalism.
She has reported for Apple Daily and other liberal Chinese publications on court cases, legislative developments, constitutional issues, and legal impacts on civil society. Ching Yi’s work emphasizes precision in legal terminology, careful sourcing, and clear explanation of complex legal processes for general audiences.
Her newsroom experience includes coverage of politically sensitive legal cases, where accuracy, neutrality, and source protection are critical. Editors rely on her ability to interpret judgments and statutes without speculation or editorial distortion.
Ching Yi’s authority comes from consistent, fact-based reporting within established media institutions and her adherence to editorial standards governing legal accuracy and corrections. She maintains transparent attribution and clear distinctions between reporting and analysis.
At Apple Daily UK, Ching Yi Ho provides trustworthy legal journalism rooted in professional experience, subject-matter expertise, and respect for the public record.
