Romantic Warrior in good shape ahead of historic Champions & Chater Cup tilt

Danny Shum Chap-shing is confident everything is in place ahead of Romantic Warrior’s push for a slice of history in Sunday’s Group One Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m) at Sha Tin.

Romantic Warrior is chasing a third Group One victory of the season, and if that eventuates, he will join the great River Verdon in winning the Hong Kong Cup (2,000m), the QE II Cup (2,000m) and the Champions & Chater Cup in the same season.

“He hasn’t won yet, but fingers crossed,” Shum laughed after overseeing Romantic Warrior’s final preparations on Saturday morning. “He’s good, he’s sound, he’s happy and he’s healthy.”

Romantic Warrior tackles 2,400m for the first time at start 14, and that is not the only change the five-year-old will experience this weekend, with five-time Hong Kong champion jockey Zac Purton jumping aboard for the first time on race day.

“He’s the best jockey in Hong Kong, so it’s good,” Shum said of Purton, who replaces star New Zealander James McDonald aboard the 130-rated galloper.

While Romantic Warrior is untried at 12 furlongs and meets the past two Champions & Chater Cup champions, Panfield and Russian Emperor, Shum is “confident” he can overcome the obstacles standing in his way in just his sixth run of the campaign.

Shum put a trip to Japan for October’s Group One Tenno Sho Autumn (2,000m) in Tokyo on the table after Romantic Warrior’s QE II Cup victory last month but confirmed there is still plenty of water to go under the bridge before that eventuates.

Three trials and six gallops later, Purton gets his chance aboard Romantic Warrior

“We’ll see how he runs tomorrow, and then I’ll have a good discussion with the owner,” Shum said.

Sunday could be a big day for the Purton-Shum combination, with the pair also teaming up with the exciting three-year-old Helene Feeling in the Class Three Indigenous Handicap (1,600m) and the in-form Supreme Lucky in the Class Three Oriental Express Handicap (1,200m).

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