Romantic Warrior retired due to injury

Hong Kong’s globe-trotting champion Romantic Warrior’s career has been brought to an end by injury.

Veterinarians had been monitoring the condition of one of Romantic Warrior’s front legs, with the prognosis leading to trainer Danny Shum and owner Peter Lau Pak Fai to make the call to retire the northern hemisphere-bred eight-year-old gelding.

A 15-time Group 1 winner, Romantic Warrior won the 2023 Cox Plate, four consecutive Hong Kong Cups and two Hong Kong Horse of the Year awards during his six-season, 31-start career.

He won almost A$54 million in prize money, with Shum and regular jockey James McDonald campaigning him in Japan, Dubai and Saudi Arabia over the past two years.

“Romantic Warrior will spend the next three months at Conghua Racecourse under the continued monitoring of the club’s veterinarians before being transitioned to his retirement home with the assistance of the Club’s RESTART Racehorse Aftercare Programme, which involves a holistic approach to horse aftercare following the completion of racing careers,” the Jockey Club said in a statement.

“The club will arrange a farewell ceremony for Romantic Warrior at a Sha Tin Raceday later this season. Details of the farewell ceremony will be shared as soon as they are available.”

Selected by Mick Kinane at the 2019 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale for the Jockey Club, Romantic Warrior was resold at the club’s International Sale in 2021, with the gelding playing a major role in rejuvenating the appeal of the club-run breeze up sale.