LAU’S NERVES FAR MORE SETTLED FOR ROMANTIC WARRIOR
He has experienced the thrill of winning the prestigious Hong
Kong Derby (2,000m) and the “once-in-a-lifetime” euphoria of plundering the Group One Cox Plate (2,040m), but now Romantic Warrior’s owner, Peter Lau Pak-fai, admits the pressure is off.
Make no mistake, Lau understands the gravity of his superstar trying to become the first three-time winner of
Sunday’s Group One QE II Cup (2,000m), but come this weekend the owner might not be as close to the edge of his seat as he has been ahead of conquests past.
“I’m always excited but there’s not as much pressure as before seeing as we have won so many times now. I am very open-minded and as long as he races good, it will be good,” Lau said.
Romantic Warrior also has two Group One Hong Kong Cup (2,000m) wins and a Group One Gold Cup (2,000m) success on his CV, amassing HK$127 million in prize money across just 18 starts.
One thing he has not done, however, is win on a rain-affected surface, something he is very likely to have to change if he is to pocket the lion’s share of Sunday’s HK$28 million purse.
“We have never raced on yielding or soft before, so we don’t know if it will be good or bad. We are concerned but fingers crossed,” Lau said.
There is also gate 10 of 11 for Romantic Warrior to overcome, but gun jockey James McDonald made light work of gate 11 in February’s Gold Cup.
“Luckily I don’t think there’s too much speed in this field. I think from gate 10 we can cut in,” Lau said. “[Trainer] Danny [Shum Chap-shing] has said the form of the horse is excellent and as far as his health and condition are concerned, we are 100 per cent satisfied.”