Romantic Warrior to target the 2023 Cox Plate

Danny Shum Chap-shing, the trainer of Romantic Warrior, has confirmed plans to run the reigning Group One Hong Kong Cup champion in the Group 1 Cox Plate.

Expressing his intentions, Shum told the South China Morning Post, “That’s the plan. Definitely the Cox Plate, but before the Cox Plate, we plan to run a lead-up race in Melbourne. I will let James work out what’s a suitable race for him. We haven’t made the plan for the lead-up race yet. It was the owner’s idea. We’ll try to make it happen.”

Shum also acknowledged the challenges they may encounter due to the stringent vet requirements in Australia.

“In Australia, the vet requirements are very tough. He’ll do a CT scan before he leaves Hong Kong. Before he races, he’ll need to do a scan, and before the Cox Plate, he’ll need to scan again. With three scans, we don’t know whether he’s good or not.”

Despite the uncertainties, Shum expressed his confidence in Romantic Warrior’s abilities.

“He won’t run here until he comes back for the Hong Kong Cup in December. That’s the plan if everything goes smoothly, but there’s a lot of work to do.”  he said.

With the Cox Plate 2023 scheduled for October 28, the connections are considering potential lead-up races such as the Group One Turnbull Stakes at Flemington or races at a mile distance.

The successful partnership between jockey James McDonald and Romantic Warrior, having won all three of their previous outings together, including this season’s Hong Kong Cup and QE II Cup, adds excitement to the upcoming campaign.

It remains to be seen whether they will choose to start the gelding over 10 furlongs again, and the trainer emphasized the importance of thorough preparations and scans to ensure the horse’s well-being throughout the journey.