Romantic Warrior, the local hero, is on the verge of making history as he prepares to compete in Sunday's Group 1 Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin. His connections believe he is ready to etch his name in the annals of racing. Owner Peter Lau is delighted with the post draw of 1, which is the same as his comfortable warm-up triumph in the Jockey Club Cup (G2) last month. "Obviously I'm very happy," Lau said. "It's the same draw as last time, I hope he races like last time. I'm looking forward to it."

McDonald's Stellar Partnership with Romantic Warrior

James McDonald, in flying form and the newly minted 2024 world's best jockey, has built an exceptional partnership with Danny Shum's gelding. He has not only been in the saddle for Romantic Warrior's previous two wins in this championship event but has also helped the horse make a mark in Australia and Japan. "He (Romantic Warrior) is in superb form and he's going to be awfully hard to beat," McDonald said. "He's probably peaking up better than he did last year for the same race. He's just a perfect racehorse. Gate speed, sustained speed, doesn't matter whether it's wet, dry, fast tempo, slow tempo, he's pretty much unflappable over a mile and a quarter."

The Opposing Forces

Looking ahead to the assignment, Japanese Classic queen Liberty Island, Aidan O'Brien's smart fillies Content and Wingspan are among the opposition. McDonald acknowledges that it won't be an easy task. "The Japanese are coming here in strong force, so we need the right run but he's the right horse to do it on." He continues, "I just really enjoy riding him, he's very self-explanatory. Hopefully he can make it three Hong Kong Cups. It would be really fitting if he could go down as one of the, probably the best, Hong Kong horse to grace this Sha Tin turf. He just keeps racking them up."

Spirit Dancer's Journey

Jet-setter Spirit Dancer carries the colours of legendary former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Trainer Richard Fahey is not deterred by the post 10 draw after his recent back-to-back wins in the Bahrain International Trophy (G2). "We were drawn 11 the last two times in Bahrain so we're getting closer to the inside," Fahey said. "I'm happy enough. He's had no issues whatsoever in getting here and I'm enjoying the trip."

Ricky Yiu's Double-Handed Approach

Ricky Yiu is double-handed with Group 2 winner Straight Arron and Centenary Vase (G3) hero Nimble Nimbus. "It's a tough race for these two horses but they're very consistent over the trip, especially Straight Arron," Yiu said. "I've only had him a couple of starts over a mile but it was always the plan to try him in this race. I definitely think he can run a good race, he's improved out of sight. Nimble Nimbus is never beaten far, no matter what distance. He always runs into the money so it'll be interesting to see how he performs."