Three winners from Hong Kong's big December international program all return to action at Sha Tin Racecourse Jan. 25, with two of them facing off in the first leg of the local Triple Crown series.
The 1,600-meter (about 1-mile) Stewards' Cup (G1) shapes up as a showdown between Romantic Warrior, the world's all-time earnings champion and winner of the Hong Kong Cup (G1) in his last start, and Voyage Bubble, who last season became only the second horse to sweep the Triple Crown races, then won the Hong Kong Mile (G1).
The third winner from December's tour-de-force local performance, Ka Ying Rising, looks all but invincible in the 1,200-meter (about 6-furlong) Centenary Sprint Cup (G1). Ka Ying Rising, the world's highest-rated turf sprinter and winner of the 2025 The Everest (G1) in Australia, is chasing his 17th straight win, which would equal the local record now held by Silent Witness.
He recently was named Timeform Horse of the Year and acclaimed world's best sprinter and joint second-best horse overall in the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings.
Ka Ying Rising has been dominant throughout his record run. He toyed with the best Australian sprinters in The Everest and was equally impressive in winning the Hong Kong Sprint (G1) in December. He has lowered the Sha Tin course record twice and could have done more if jockey Zac Purton had asked.
Trainer David Hayes said in the leadup to the Sprint Cup the December race likely was his best win and, on evidence since, "he seems no worse."
"And what's so special about him is that he just keeps putting up consistent ratings that are exceptional," Hayes said. "Everything tells me that he's the same. I would say very similar. It's hard to say better, isn't it?"
All six rivals in the Sprint Cup chased Ka Ying Rising to the finish in December with Raging Blizzard closest at 3 3/4 lengths back. It would be fair to say that, if he runs to form, any of the other six could run a career best and still not lay a glove on the favorite.
If the Sprint Cup looks to be a star turn, the Stewards' Cup promises to be a battle for dominance between two heavyweights, both proven at distances from 1 mile onward.
Romantic Warrior, a group 1 winner in Hong Kong, Japan, Dubai, and Australia, was in the Middle East a year ago, winning the Jebel Hatta (G1T) at Meydan Racecourse before his epic second to Forever Young in the $20 million Saudi Cup (G1) in Riyadh.
He concluded that tour with a second in the Dubai Turf (G1T), beaten just a nose by Soul Rush in another dramatic finish, then returned home only to face surgery for an issue with his left front leg.
After all that, and off a 5 1/2-month layoff, he rolled to a stretch-running, 1 3/4-length win in the Cup on Internationals day, looking every bit his old self. At age 7, the Acclamation gelding will have to prove it all over again with each start but trainer Danny Shum is ready for that and for the rest of the Triple Crown trail that his connections chose in preference to a rematch with Forever Young in Riyadh.
"He's good," Shum said after Romantic Warrior worked Jan. 20. "Hugh Bowman rode him and he gave me a very positive report. He's happy with him. Of course, Voyage Bubble is a very strong competitor over the mile. But Romantic Warrior will run well.
"Whatever he does is a bonus already. I just want him to try his best. But, most importantly, he is happy, healthy and comfortable," the trainer added.
Voyage Bubble has proven to be a very strong competitor, indeed, as he needed to be to win the Triple Crown over distances from 1,600 meters out to 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles). Still, he has not finished in front of Romantic Warrior in any of their three meetings and trainer Ricky Yiu knows the task at hand is a tough one.
"He's really, really well," Yiu said during preparations. "I would say the mile is Voyage Bubble's best distance but we're up against one of the world's best horses. It's a big challenge for my horse, but he'll definitely run well.
"We'll follow the same path as last season," Yiu added. "Our fingers are crossed. Romantic Warrior wasn't here last season and he left us to do the job. Now they will run against each other all the time."
Seven others were entered for the Stewards' Cup, notably Lucky Sweynesse, who was Hong Kong's champion sprinter before he suffered a serious setback and Ka Ying Rising rose to the top. Derek Leung, who will ride the four-time group 1 winner, explained the decision to stretch out to 1 mile for the first time.
"We can't beat Ka Ying Rising over 1,200 meters, so it's worth trying. You can see him over the last 100 meters last start. He was getting stronger and stronger."
True enough. But, racing from well back with a late burst, Lucky Sweynesse still finished fourth in the Hong Kong Cup, 4 1/2 lengths back of Ka Ying Rising.
Finding three word-class horses on the same program is notable anywhere but Hong Kong Jockey Club CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said it's even more remarkable given the limitations on Hong Kong's racing establishment.
"To have two Hong Kong-trained horses among the world's top 10 is a remarkable achievement, particularly when it is considered that Hong Kong has approximately only 1,350 horses, representing well under 1% of the world's active Thoroughbred population," Englebrecht-Bresges said.
That percentage could take a jump as the HKJC is scheduled this autumn to commence regular racing at its plush Conghua Racecourse on the Chinese mainland. Details of the mainland racing program remain under wraps but earlier hints suggested at least quarterly meetings.
