ENGLISH VERSION
INTER- NATIO- NAL
ASIA’ S GIANTS STILL ON TOP
BY KATHERINE FORD
While the Classic season is in full swing in Europe, familiar champions in Asia have once again strengthened their status in Hong Kong and Japan.
The FWD Champions Day meeting at Sha Tin in April is now seriously rivaling the Hong Kong International Races in December, with three Group 1 races on the programme and prize-money exceeding € 8,5 million. The extraterrestrials Romantic Warrior and Ka Ying Rising once again put on a show in front of 40,000 spectators, including 12,000 from mainland China, and HKJC CEO Winfried Engelbrecht- Bresges declared:“ This has been one of the best, if not the best race meeting ever staged in Hong Kong.” Indeed, the 2026 Champions Day attracted strong international participation, notably due to the situation in the Gulf, while the locals dominated in front of their home crowd. Sprinter Ka Ying Rising was simply unbeatable in the Chairman’ s Sprint Prize. Under an almost motionless Zac Purton, he recorded his 20 th consecu- tive victory, setting a new Sha Tin 1,200-metre track record while seemingly cantering. For those questioning the quality of the opposition, Ka Ying Rising defeated Satono Reve— a dual Group 1 winner in Japan and runner-up to Lazzat at Royal Ascot last June— by four and a half lengths. The champion’ s connections continue to resist calls for a Royal Ascot appearance, preferring once again to target The Everest in Australia, although trainer David Hayes has left the door open to a possible trip to England in 2027 or 2028. Already a three-time winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Cup in 2022, 2023 and 2024, local superstar Romantic Warrior faced a particularly strong field in the 2026 renewal. The world’ s richest horse, now eight years old, showed he remains at the peak of his powers by defeating two champions, Masquerade Ball( runner-up by a head in the Japan Cup) and Sosie, to secure a 14 th Group 1 success. His jockey James McDonald commented:“ It’ s an honour to ride a horse like him, he makes life easy for a jockey,” while trainer Danny Shum added:“ I don’ t tell him he’ s eight years old, I tell him he’ s five( laughs). Two thousand metres is his best distance and I was quite confident despite the strength of the opposition. He’ s a super, super champion.” Three weeks later, Romantic Warrior further cemented his place in Hong Kong racing history. Stepped up to 2,400 metres for only the second time in his career, he captured the Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup, becoming only the third horse in history to complete the local Triple Crown( Stewards’ Cup over 1,600 metres, Hong Kong Gold Cup over 2,000 metres and Champions & Chater Cup over 2,400 metres), a remarkable achievement at his age, taking his earnings to a record HK $ 288.7 million— approximately € 31.65 million. The Hong Kong champion will now enjoy a well-earned break and could return in the autumn in preparation for an unprecedented fifth Hong Kong Cup triumph. The Japanese love their champions and Croix du Nord is undoubtedly one of them. We did not see the horse’ s true ability in France, where he finished among the rear in the Qatar Prix de l’ Arc de Triomphe( Gr. 1), but in the Land of the Rising Sun, Croix du Nord, has produced an almost flawless record and commands thousands of fans. Unbeaten at two, including victory in the Group 1 Hopeful Stakes, he won the Japanese Derby last June, an ultra-prestigious race in a country where the 2,400-metre distance reigns supreme. Following his trip to France, where he still managed to defeat a certain Daryz in the Prix du Prince d’ Orange before failing in the Arc, he finished a highly respectable fourth in the Japan Cup. Now four years old, he has returned to the top level, winning the Osaka Hai( Gr. 1) over 2,000 metres
145 # 19