Romantic Warrior turned on the style at Sha Tin on Sunday morning as he claimed an unprecedented fourth successive victory in the HK$40 million Group 1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m).
Hong Kong International Sale graduate Romantic Warrior now has a tally of 11 Group 1s in four different regions, while James McDonald's seven-year-old had a convincing three-quarter length win over Bellagio Opera in his latest Group 1 win.
McDonald broke well behind to settle behind a steady pace set by Joseph O'Brien's Galen, whose rider Dylan Browne McMonagle tried to start running away from the field as the group of seven turned for the home straight.
Romantic Warrior was moving well within himself and with 400m remaining, he was in front and never to be caught despite the challenging Bellagio Opera finish, with Quisisana sneaking in at the end of the third.
Shum is proud of the Romantic Hero
Winning trainer Danny Shum said of the multiple Group 1 winner:
“I am very proud of Romantic Warrior and our dedicated players, they work very hard. It is very flexible, it always gives me a lot of joy, not only me but the stable, the owners, the family and in Hong Kong, even the racing fans or racers, they all love Romantic Warrior.
“Honestly, he was under a lot of pressure, he had surgery (when a screw was put in his left leg at the end of May), but he is a good, calm, beautiful horse. He is part of my family, I love him. My son says I like the Romantic hero more than him!”
“He's easy to train, he doesn't need a lot of work and his body weight will tell you, his diet will tell you how fit he is.”
The Hong Kong Cup is FOUR for the mighty ROMANTIC WARRIOR! 🏆🏆🏆🏆@HKJC_Racing | @HongKong_Racing | #HKIR | #HKRacing pic.twitter.com/f2sEElvud7
– At The Races (@AtTheRaces) December 14, 2025
It looks like Romantic Hero will have another clash with Forever Young, who he pushed to the line in the famous Group 1 Saudi Cup (1800m, dirt) showdown earlier this year.
“He's special”
The winning rider, James McDonald, summed up his admiration for the Romantic Hero by saying:
“He's special, he's special. He's just a badass. I don't know what to say. I just love him. I love him.”
Dylan Browne McMonagle, the Joseph O'Brien-trained rider for Galen, who is a 25/1 favorite to finish fourth, said of the Gleneagles four-year-old:
“He's a very tough horse and he wears his heart on his sleeve. We were drawn a little wide and he didn't step as well as he used to, which meant I had to work a little bit on the first bend. But I got into a good mood and he was tough all the way to the line.”
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