Hong Kong Horse of the Year Romantic Warrior underwent surgery on his left front leg at the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Equine Hospital May 28, the HKJC announced. He has since returned to trainer Danny Shum's stables at Sha Tin.
According to a statement from the HKJC, "The procedure followed a computerized tomography examination and a magnetic resonance imaging examination of his forelimbs performed on 16 May, 2025, as part of a proactive health-screening process in accordance with the Club's systematic procedures for ensuring the welfare of our racehorses. No lameness or other clinical signs were present prior to the screening examinations.
"Management options were discussed by the Club's expert veterinarians and Romantic Warrior's owner and trainer, and a decision was made for the horse to undergo a veterinary procedure at the Club's Equine Hospital in which a single screw was inserted under standing sedation and local anesthesia."
The 10-time group 1-winning son of Acclamation will continue to be closely monitored by the HKJC's veterinarians and stable personnel and will begin rehab shortly.
Romantic Warrior, the horse that has carried the flag for Hong Kong around the world on his way to becoming the highest-earning Thoroughbred in history, has undergone a "successful medical procedure" and is now back with trainer Danny Shum.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club detected "potential changes" in a joint during routine screening after Romantic Warrior returned from a lengthy tour of the Middle East this spring.
That led to the cancellation of a planned welcome ceremony at Sha Tin May 25 and in a statement Thursday the club confirmed a single screw had been inserted in his left foreleg after consultation with Shum and owner Peter Lau.
The winner of $27,298,595, Romantic Warrior has scored seven times at group 1 level in Hong Kong and had a promising winter and spring in the Middle East, where he won the Jebel Hatta (G1T) at Meydan Racecourse, before running a gallant second in both the Saudi Cup (G1) and the Dubai Turf (G1T). He is among the top-rated horses in the world
His international campaign, allied to his astonishing will to win, has earned the 7-year-old gelding a legion of fans worldwide.
In October 2023, he became the first horse from Hong Kong to win Australia's premier weight-for-age race, the Cox Plate (G1), before beating Japan's best milers in the Yasuda Kinen (G1) at Tokyo the following June.
The HKJC statement stressed that since his return from the Gulf, "no lameness or other clinical signs were present prior to the screening examinations."
The potential issue emerged during CT and MRI scans May 16. Following the procedure to insert the screw, Shum's staff and the HKJC's veterinary teams will monitor Romantic Warrior's post-procedure recovery.
