The champion is joint second with fellow Hong Kong horse Ka Ying Rising in the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings. However Romantic Warrior will not be able to compete at the moment due to injury
Superstar Romantic Warrior has been found to have an injury after a welcome home ceremony for the horse was scrapped. The event at Sha Tin on Sunday, when fans were set to pay tribute to his achievements, was called off after potential changes in one of the horse’s joints were detected.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s veterinary records have now been updated to show the earner of £21million of prize money has a left fore fetlock injury. The diagnosis comes more than month after Romantic Warrior was pipped to the post by Soul Rush in the Dubai Turf at Meydan.
Danny Shum’s trainee was in front until virtually the last stride but he came up agonisingly short in a bid for yet another Group One. “He’s had a long campaign. He ran his heart out,” jockey James McDonald said afterwards.
Romantic Warrior was running for the first time since he suffered another narrow defeat to Forever Young in the Saudi Cup.
But despite the star horse’s recent losses, he still has legions of fans who were hoping to see their champion, jockey James McDonald and connections in Sha Tin’s parade ring at the weekend.
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But an update from the HKJC said: “The Club’s Veterinary Regulation, Welfare and Biosecurity Policy Department have provided advice on Romantic Warrior that the Club wishes to share with his many fans.
‘Romantic Warrior is currently spelling following his return from his races in Dubai and Saudi Arabia. The horse has returned to Hong Kong presenting extremely well and has not exhibited any signs of lameness or any other clinical issues.
‘Nevertheless, consistent with the Club’s world-class procedures for the care of our racehorses, a detailed physical examination has been carried out, including imaging using our veterinary hospital’s state-of-the-art equipment.
‘This proactive screening has enabled a very early detection of some potential changes in one of the horse’s joints. As a consequence of this systematic approach to ensuring horse welfare a management plan has been developed that will ensure that Romantic Warrior has an extremely good prognosis of such changes being fully addressed.
‘Whilst Romantic Warrior would not face any risk from the planned ceremony to welcome his return to Hong Kong the Club nevertheless believes that the ceremony is not a priority and so it will not be held.”
Since 2021, Romantic Warrior has won 18 races, including ten at the highest level on a variety of surfaces and tracks.
His record includes three editions of the Hong Kong and FWD QEII Cups, the 2024 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup and top flight successes in Australia, Japan and the United Arab Emirates.
“Romantic Warrior just a very good racehorse and he adapts to any circumstances during a race, to any pace and has a good turn of foot,” McDonald said after Romantic Warrior’s most recent strike in the Jebel Hatta at Meydan in January.
“He’s a very strong-minded horse, He could be a sprinter, that’s how fast he is.”