Romantic Warrior won the Group One Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup over 2,400 meters at Sha Tin Racecourse on May 24, 2026, securing the Hong Kong Triple Crown [1, 2, 3]. The eight-year-old Acclamation gelding, trained by Danny Shum Chap-shing, defeated runner-up Numbers by half a length, with Japan’s Deep Monster finishing third [1, 2, 3]. His winning time was 2 minutes 26.67 seconds [3].
This win followed Romantic Warrior’s earlier victories in the Group One Stewards' Cup and Gold Cup, clinching the coveted Triple Crown and a HK$10 million bonus prize [1, 2, 3]. With this race, Romantic Warrior earned his 15th Group One victory and extended his total career wins to 24, pushing his overall prize money beyond HK$288 million [1, 2, 3].
Jockey James McDonald became the first rider to win back-to-back Hong Kong Triple Crowns, having claimed the title last year on Voyage Bubble [1, 2]. McDonald said, "He’s put the cherry on top and I think he should be horse of the year this year" [1]. He added, "He’s a Triple Crown winner, he thoroughly deserved it... I think this is the cherry on top – he should be horse of the year this year. I think he stamped that by winning the Triple Crown" [2].
Trainer Danny Shum expressed pride after the race, saying, "I feel such a ‘warrior’, and I’m such a lucky guy, lucky trainer – because I train Romantic Warrior" [2]. He described their race plan: "Before the race we already set up the plan; put him to sleep, let him relax, and try to hit the front. He hit the line in the last 400m, so James has done a great job, he’s top-class jockey" [2].
However, McDonald was later penalized by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for riding infractions involving Deep Monster during the race [3].
Following the season, Shum said he plans to give Romantic Warrior a rest and may send him to the Conghua training facilities to recuperate [2].
