All Activity

Romantic Warrior (Acclamation) barely came out of second gear as he repeated his 2024 success in the HK$13-million Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday, emulating the likes of Viva Pataca (2008 and 2009), Designs On Rome (2015 and 2016) and Golden Sixty (2021 and 2023) as a dual winner of the Group 1 prize. Trained by Danny Shum, Romantic Warrior is also now just leg away from becoming only the third horse in history to complete the Hong Kong Triple Crown after this effortless win. Racing in third for much of the contest as Beauty Joy (Sebring) took the field along at a solid gallop, he moved up to challenge early in the straight and quickly left his five rivals trailing in his wake under a hands-and-heels ride from James McDonald. The official winning margin was four lengths, with another 1 1/4 lengths separating Ensued (Lemon Drop Kid) and Winning Wing (Preferment) in second and third, respectively. The final leg of the Triple Crown is the HK$13-million G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup, which takes place at Sha Tin on Sunday, May 24. In the meantime, Romantic Warrior will chase the 14th top-level victory of his career in the HK$30-million G1 FWD QEII Cup on Sunday, April 26, a race he has already won on three occasions. “I think he will now go to the QEII Cup and then to the Champions & Chater before he finishes the season,” said Shum. “Maybe next season we will go to the Saudi Cup – we will keep everything open for now. “His condition is getting better and better. The 2,000 metres is his best trip. I think he can handle it [2,400 metres in the Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup], but I don't know if any overseas horses will come.” The only Triple Crown winners in Hong Kong racing history are River Verdon (Be My Native) in 1993/94 and Voyage Bubble (Deep Field) last season. On Sunday, Voyage Bubble could manage only fifth when trying to defend his Hong Kong Gold Cup crown. Whilst McDonald partnered Voyage Bubble to each of his Triple Crown wins in 2025, the New Zealand-born jockey has chosen to continue his remarkable association with the record-breaking Romantic Warrior this time round. McDonald said, “He's just beautifully prepared. Danny's just done a marvellous job and, each and every time I hop on him, I just cherish the moment. I feel so special every time and you look between his ears and he's just so alert.” Pedigree Notes Romantic Warrior is the best runner from the much-missed sire Acclamation. The son of Royal Applause sired 68 stakes winners, including 32 in Group/Graded company and seven at Group/Grade 1 level. The winner's dam won once at two in England and has five winners from five to race, including the stakes-placed End Of Romance (Showcasing). Her latest foals are Le Samourai (New Bay), an unraced three-year-old, and a yearling filly by Havana Grey. Second dam Folk Opera claimed the GI E. P. Taylor Stakes at Woodbine, as well as the G2 Prix Jean Romanet. One step closer to the triple crown! ROMANTIC WARRIOR wins the Hong Kong Gold Cup again under @mcacajamez…#HKRacing @HKJC_Racing pic.twitter.com/P7CyBYCdwz — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) March 1, 2026 The post Romantic Warrior Strolls to Victory in Second Leg of Hong Kong Triple Crown appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jerry Chau Chun-lok continued his incredible form and celebrated his 200th Hong Kong win in style with a treble at Sha Tin on Sunday. Fresh from nine winners in February, Chau picked up where he left off to boot home Francis Lui Kin-wai’s pair Chill Partners and Galactic Voyage and the in-form Emblazon. “After I graduated in 2021, everything was more of a challenge and I had to fight for it and at this stage, I’m really happy with 200 winners,” Chau said. “I need to thank the trainers who have...View the full article

Frankie Lor Fu-chuen conjured a third Classic Cup (1,800m) boilover in eight years when Stormy Grove defied his $22.25 quote to claim a powerful victory at Sha Tin on Sunday. In a race tipped to be fought out by $2.5 favourite Little Paradise and Lor’s $3.8 chance Numbers, Stormy Grove backed up his barnstorming 1,600m triumph at his previous start to storm into contention for the HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) on March 22. Taken back by Harry Bentley from barrier 12, the Australian...View the full article

Initial purchase price of the slot covers entry for the first 3 years. $125,000 for running 13th or 14th, so along with the money prepaid, that is close to 300K

Karis Teetan has revealed the “very scary” experience of being stuck in the middle of missile strikes in Dubai, with the Hong Kong-based jockey, trainer Chris So Wai-yin and Jockey Club broadcast staff facing an uncertain wait on returning home. Teetan, who was in Dubai to ride So’s galloper Sing Dragon on Saturday night, missed rides at Sunday’s Sha Tin meeting and is likely to miss more upcoming rides after the US-Israel and Iran conflict forced airspace closures in the Middle East. “Very...View the full article

Members of the racing community in Dubai for Super Saturday now face an anxious wait for the airport to reopen in the wake of the American and Israeli attacks on Iran which resulted in the death of Ayatollah Al Khamenei. Racing went ahead at Meydan on a day when the Fairmont hotel on Dubai's Palm Jumeirah caught fire after being hit during an Iranian air attack. Overnight on Saturday, the Dubai International Airport (DXB), which serves some 250,000 passengers daily, also sustained damage which resulted in injuries to four passengers, according to multiple reports. Thousands of flights had already been cancelled to and from the UAE on Saturday, with Abu Dhabi's airport and Dubai's Burj Al Arab hotel also being hit by falling debris from missile interceptions. Sunday's scheduled race meeting for Jebel Ali has been postponed to March 15. Trainer Jamie Osborne, a regular visitor to Meydan, where he has trained six winners during the current Dubai Racing Carnival, told TDN on Sunday morning, “They've just announced that the airport won't reopen until Monday afternoon at the earliest. I would imagine the reality of it opening then will depend largely on what happens in the next 24 hours. “There appears to be less airborne action today than there was yesterday. It was kind of surreal yesterday. We were racing and you could see missiles being hit out of the air above us.” He said that the horses stabled at Meydan were all unfazed by the activity but added, “There were a few loud bangs quite close to the international stables this morning but the horses are fine. Other than that, you wouldn't necessarily know there was anything going on. “We'll just have to sit it out. Obviously, there's a backlog of people trying to get out of the country, so I don't know quite how long it's going to take us to do it.” Francis Graffard, who had been at Meydan to oversee Rayevka in the G3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint and has the world's top-rated racehorse Calandagan entered for the Dubai Sheema Classic on March 28, had been due to leave Dubai after Saturday's meeting. He said, “It's pretty quiet here but we don't know when we will be able to leave. I had looked at taking a flight from Oman, but I think I'll just stay in my hotel in Dubai and wait. The Emirates flights have all been cancelled for tomorrow afternoon.” Bloodstock agent and racing advisor Federico Barberini said that a security alert sent to people's phones during the night had caused some alarm but that the situation had quietened on Sunday morning. “To be perfectly honest, if I didn't read the news, I wouldn't know that there was anything going on today,” he said. “Around 1am we had an alert to our phones saying take shelter, so that scared us, obviously. We spent half an hour by the door and then I went to bed and slept with my jeans on and my passport in my pocket.” The alert sent to mobile phones in the early hours of Sunday Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum was at Meydan on Saturday to enjoy the 21st victory for his evergreen Rebel's Romance in the G2 Dubai City of Gold and to witness two notable victories for his brother, Sheikh Ahmed. Anthony Stroud, who works closely with the Godolphin operation, said on Sunday of Sheikh Mohammed's presence at the meeting, “That's the sort of man he is really. I mean, when there are problems to be addressed, he is very much at the fore of it all.” He added, “It has been a bit nerve-wracking, and these missiles keep coming over, but apart from that, we're watching CNN or BBC, and it's okay really.” Simon Crisford, who, with his son Ed, trained three winners on the Super Saturday card, including the Group 2 winners Quddwah and Meydaan for Sheikh Ahmed, said, “When Sheikh Mohammed goes racing it always makes it more special and it was a great thrill for us to win for Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid as well. I've been connected with him ever since I was at John Dunlop's and we had a horse called Wassl, who won the Irish 2,000 Guineas [in 1983].” He added, “Now we are just waiting for further information. The authorities have been brilliant and they're keeping everyone informed. I don't know when the airport will open but all of the horses seem to be fine and everyone else is fine.” On Saturday, March 28, Dubai is set to stage one of the world's richest racedays, the Dubai World Cup meeting, which is worth a total of $30.5 million. The post ‘I Slept With My Jeans On And My Passport In My Pocket’: Racing Community Marooned in Dubai appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Romantic Warrior continued his march towards Triple Crown glory after leaving his rivals standing still in a jaw-dropping performance to win the Group One Gold Cup (2,000m) at Sha Tin on Sunday. It was a 13th Group One success for the Danny Shum Chap-shing-trained global superstar, who produced one of his most devastating displays yet under James McDonald to win by four lengths eased down. Sitting third behind long-time pacesetter Beauty Joy and second-running Ensued, Romantic Warrior was always...View the full article

I'm beginning to wonder if one or two slots might not pay up?

Running out of time 4. NOMINATION AND ACCEPTANCE (b) A Slot Holder must nominate one eligible horse, to complete in the Slot Holder’s Slot in the Race (Slot Holder’s horse) by 10am on the Monday prior to the running of each Edition of the Race (Nomination Closing Time). (d) NZTR will confirm acceptances and announce the final field for each Edition of the Race by 4pm on the Tuesday prior to the running of that Edition of the Race (Field Announcement Time). 5. DECLARATION OF EMERGENCIES (a) NZTR will declare up to four emergency runners for the Race at the Field Announcement Time. (b) The horses to be declared emergency runners will be selected by NZTR or the Race Committee. (c) The declaration of emergency runners for the Race will be a list and not an order of entry in the event of a scratching.

Have to say that's a cracker pic of OP. Don't get that sort of racing photography much anymore.

Great horse picks Murray, keep up the good work, this fella may have been a late scratching, A mate bought a pair of meatloaf undies, on the front it said, I'll do anything for love, and on the back, said, but I wont do that.

Oh and started a small business supporting the industry in the SI. What positives have you contributed this year? You've got @Murray Fish sharing years of experience and skill as a racing photographer on this site and all you can do is come up with a negative comment like that?

What negativity? I've bought shares in 3 horses in the last month or so and Freda's training one of them. Maybe you have me mixed up with one of your other mates.

Afternoon Siesta (Shamus Award) wasn’t caught napping at Trentham on Sunday, with the John Bary-trained mare storming home to win the Gr.3 Rydges Wellington Cuddle Stakes (1600m). The daughter of Shamus Award pinged out of the gates and made a beeline straight to the front from her inside draw (2) but quickly found herself three back on the fence after Marotiri Molly and My Lips Are Sealed made bids for the lead. Afternoon Siesta tracked My Lips Are Sealed into the home turn where a gap presented itself and she accelerated through it under the urgings of jockey Kelly Myers, with the mare going on to pinch a lead up alongside the rail, kicking clear of the pack before being chased down late by a flying She’s A Dealer, who left her run too late and Afternoon Siesta was able to hold on to win by a head. “She is very easy to ride,” Myers said. “She has led in most of her starts but she is super tractable, you can ride her anywhere in the race. It was a very good field and there was a little bit of pressure in the race, so we thought it was a good opportunity to take a sit on her. “I knew I would end up in the trail, or thereabouts, and she has got a really good turn of foot from the top of the straight, so my only concern was that we would get a little bit held up but luckily the split came when we needed it and she was too good for them. “It was a big step up for her and she was pretty impressive.” Bred by Barree Stud, Afternoon Siesta is out of Princess Snooze, an unraced daughter of stakes performer Sooze. She was offered through Ultra Thoroughbreds’ 2023 Inglis July (Late) Online Sale where she was purchased by Graham Stewart for A$4,000, and he entrusted her to the care of Bary. Afternoon Siesta has been a model of consistency since making her debut at Trentham last April, winning four and placing in two of her six starts to date, with earnings now north of $191,000. View the full article

Group One winner Savaglee (NZ) (Savabeel) has been retired from racing and a new home is being sought for the four-year-old entire as he transitions to a career at stud. Bred by Waikato Stud, Savaglee is by their Champion Stallion Savabeel and out of Glee, a full-sister to Group Three performer Symphonic, the dam of dual Group One winner Orchestral. They offered him through their 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft where he attracted the eye of The Oaks Stud’s General Manager Rick Williams, who went to $400,000 to secure him on behalf of the farm’s principal Dick Karreman. “He had a great head and eye and she (dam) was from a great family,” Williams said. “He has turned out to be a full-brother in blood to Orchestral, and there are four or five Group One winners in the first three dams, and many of the top horses from that family have been by Savabeel. “There was no surprise in terms of pedigree to go and buy him, he was a beautifully balanced horse, he wasn’t too big and we were lucky to get him, it was my last bid, and sometimes you get lucky.” Williams bought him as a stallion prospect and his deeds on the track cemented that role, winning seven of his 17 starts for trainer Pam Gerard, including the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), and following his placing in the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) he crossed the Tasman and came within three-quarters of a length of Feroce in the Gr.1 Australian Guineas (1600m). He was hampered by issues as a four-year-old and failed to return to his three-year-old form, finishing unplaced in the BCD Group Sprint and Rabobank Cup (1400m) at Taupo last month, and a decision was made to retire him following findings after his last start. “He just had a little bit of a fusion in the joint after Taupo so we have retired him and he will go to stud,” Williams said. “He was an absolute standout and the form around him in the Australian Guineas was great. “He was a very good two-year-old, he ran in the best races and was finishing third and fourth. He won a Group Three (Matamata Slipper, 1200m), but like most Savabeels, they improve a lot from two to three. “He has got a pedigree to die for, it is phenomenal. He is a prime candidate to go to stud. “I am not sure yet whether we stand him or sell him, but we will probably sell him. There are just a number of things with the sale of the farm, there are a few irons in the fire.” While Williams expects Savaglee to attract interest from stud farms on both sides of the Tasman, particularly given his Australian Guineas runner-up effort, he said he would prefer him to remain in New Zealand where the farm can support him with their mares. “I remember being at the sales the next day (after Australian Guineas) at Oaklands Junction and a number of Australian trainers came up and said, ‘what a brave run’,” Williams said. “They recognise him over there, so he is a possibility to stand over there I am sure. “I would like him to stand in New Zealand because even if we sell him to another farm, we will probably stay in him. We will work through that over the next few days, it (retirement) has only just happened. “We love the horse, he is a wonderfully intelligent animal, and I am sure he will be very successful in stage two of his career.” View the full article

they had a fashion in the field event! I recon I could have placed!!! talking flash orange, I have a pair of Versace pants! was thinking of wearing, but... ps, this fella was unplaced..

I'll send it to you. @Freda and you can take your negativity out on it - sit around, gossip, throw knives at it...

tick, the 1600 you might get away with it...

All the time. But I think I'm my harshest critic.

Chief has more class than that. needs a suit to wear to the races .😋 (we love ya Chief ) ya looking great buddy

Even the best couldn't master the wingatui track, interesting ride on purple prose hunted her out from wide draw to get handy, but cost her in the finish, I always maintain wide draw at wingatui a struggle, a friend had a interest in perlino, I said to him she'll have to go back from there, riding handy at there peril, 3 wide from the 800, went a good race, but gut buster, Cleo lane win was super impressive, she done it, not many can.

In her first performance since last summer at Del Mar, Thought Process defeats Vibez and Grand Slam Smile to win the Buena Vista Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita Park.View the full article

Dont for one minute believe that it was a technical error! What sort of technical error? Made by themselves? If it was then surely it shouldve been rectified by now, as they had it up and then they taketh away! Not sure why HRNZ would do this, as it surely is in their best interests to have increased turnover on harness, but doesnt appear to be so?

where's the one with @Chief Stipe in his matching onesie?