Romantic Warrior (Hong Kong Jockey Club)
Declan Schuster/HKJC
Romantic Warrior will break from barrier three against 13 rivals in Saturday’s (22 February) G1 Saudi Cup (1800m, dirt) at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Hong Kong’s global champion is seeking a 19th win, an 11th at Group 1 level and an extension to world record earnings of HK$179.66 million (approx. US$23.09 million) in the feature race worth US$20 million (approx. HK$155.69 million).
Romantic Warrior – a graduate of the Hong Kong International Sale where he was purchased for HK$4.8 million – will start in his fifth jurisdiction after returning Group 1 wins in Hong Kong, Australia, Japan and the United Arab Emirates.
If successful in the Saudi Cup, Romantic Warrior will set a record for the most Group 1 wins by a Hong Kong-trained horse. Both he and the retired Golden Sixty currently have 10 each.
Trained by Danny Shum and to be ridden by jockey James McDonald, the Irish-bred son of Acclamation squares off with Forever Young, Rattle N Roll, Facteur Cheval, Ushba Tesoro, Walk Of Stars, Ramjet, Al Musmak, El Kodigo, Wait To Excel, Wilson Tesoro, Defunded, Intense For Me and Wootton’sun in the nine furlong showdown.
Shum said: “The draw is good. I need to study the field and see how he goes but draw three is better than 13, at least.”
On Wednesday morning (19 February) at trackwork, Romantic Warrior fired up under his work rider Gary Lau as the home straight was busy with galloping contenders.
“His trackwork is awesome. He’s improving, this horse, even though he is seven years old. He will run a good race. The horse wanted to go this morning. The grip shoes will be on,” Shum said.
Japanese duo Forever Young and Ushba Tesoro break from barriers 14 and one, respectively.
Saudi Cup Weekend 2025 features prize money of over US$38.1 million (approx. HK$295.53 million) across Friday (21 February) and Saturday (22 February).
Friday sees the running of the Diriyah International Jockeys’ Challenge, featuring 14 riders competing for a share of US$100,000 (approx. HK$777,713) across four races on turf and dirt.
2025’s line-up comprises McDonald, Hollie Doyle, Rachel King, Oisin Murphy, Mohammed Aldhaham, Maryline Eon, Ricardo Ferreira, Manami Nagashima, Kelly Myers, Tadhg O’Shea, Christophe Soumillon, John Velazquez, Sofia Vives and Sibylle Vogt.
On Saturday, action kicks off at 9.20pm (HKT) for Hong Kong viewers with the World Pool in operation. The G3 Saudi Derby (1600m, dirt) is race one, followed by the G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint (1200m, dirt), Saudi International Handicap (2100m), G2 Neom Turf Cup (2100m), G2 1351 Turf Sprint (1351m), G2 Red Sea Turf (3000m) and G1 Saudi Cup (1800m, dirt).
The Saudi Cup jumps at 8.40pm (AST) in Riyadh, 1.40am (HKT) on Sunday, 23 February in Hong Kong due to a five-hour time difference.
