Cox Plate Winner Crowned HK Horse of the Year

2023 Cox Plate hero Romantic Warrior’s outstanding performance during the 2023/24 racing season saw the Irish bred globetrotting Hong Kong hero earn the Horse of the Year title at a special presentation in Hong Kong last Friday with several Australian and New Zealand bred horses also honoured.

A graduate of the 2021 Hong Kong International Sale as a HK$4.8 million purchase, Romantic Warrior is currently ranked joint-sixth in the latest LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings with an international rating of 121. His earnings are HK$151.92 million, after 15 wins from 20 starts.

The Danny Shum-trained gelding by Acclamation started the season with a gallant fourth in the G1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington, Australia. His all-conquering campaign then began with an historic success in the G1 W.S. Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley. After returning to Hong Kong, he added three more Group 1 wins to his tally, namely the LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m), Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) and FWD QEII Cup (2000m). He closed this season by taking top honours in the G1 Yasuda Kinen (1600m) at Tokyo, Japan.

As such, his five Group 1 wins are a record in a single season by a Hong Kong horse.

He also created history by becoming Hong Kong’s first victor of the W.S. Cox Plate, Australasia’s greatest weight-for-age race, and became the first horse to achieve three consecutive triumphs in the FWD QEII Cup.

Meanwhile, Romantic Warrior also secured a third straight title as Champion Middle-Distance Horse following his clean sweep of all three Group 1 races over 2000m in Hong Kong.

Francis Lui-trained evergreen Aussie bred Golden Sixty secured a fourth straight Champion Miler title with his outstanding winning performance in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m) last December.

The three-time Hong Kong Horse of the Year returned first-up after a 224-day break between runs, and also overcame the widest of 14 barriers to win his third LONGINES Hong Kong Mile in 1m 34.10s. The victory was the Medaglia d’Oro gelding’s 26th at his 30th start, enhancing his Group 1 tally to 10 – a Hong Kong record. He further extended his world-record earnings to HK$167,170,600 after finishing a creditable fourth in the G1 FWD Champions Mile (1600m) on the yielding ground.

Tony Cruz-trained California Spangle (IRE) was named this season’s Champion Sprinter. Once regarded as one of the elite milers in town after winning the 2022 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile, the Starspangledbanner gelding made a giant step forward when reverting to sprints, winning the G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m), before winning Dubai’s G1 Al Quoz Sprint (1200m) against a quality field at Meydan in track record time of 1m 07.50s.  

Also trained by Cruz, Five G Patch (IRE) was crowned Champion Stayer, based on his steady performance in staying events throughout the season. The Camelot gelding finished in the money in all three major 2400m events in Hong Kong, namely, sixth in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase, second in the G3 Queen Mother Memorial Cup Handicap and second behind Rebel’s Romance in the G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup.

Pierre Ng-trained Aussie bred Galaxy Patch was named this season’s Champion Four-Year-Old. The emerging youngster by Wandjina is incredibly consistent, finishing in the money in all 12 starts this season with six wins, three seconds and three fifths. He won the G3 Lion Rock Trophy Handicap (1600m) and G3 Premier Plate Handicap (1800m), finished second in the G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m) and BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m). Currently rated 119 locally, Galaxy Patch is the highest-rated four-year-old in Hong Kong.

David Hayes-trained Ka Ying Rising (NZ) finished his rookie season with five wins and two seconds from just seven starts to be acclaimed Champion Griffin. The three-year-old soared 59 points to 111 after starting the campaign rated 52. He is also this term’s Most Improved Horse. The gelding capped his campaign with victory in the G3 Sha Tin Vase handicap (1200m), getting the better of a group of older rivals including Flying Ace.