Zac Purton is expecting to come up against a “near his best” Romantic Warrior when he and Voyage Bubble take on the superstar galloper in a heavyweight clash for the G2 Jockey Club Cup on Sunday.
Romantic Warrior has not raced since Japan’s Soul Rush mugged him at the Meydan winning post in the G1 Dubai Turf in early April and has been on the recovery road since surgery to his near-fore fetlock in late May. Voyage Bubble, on the other hand, has already had a pipe-opener over a mile when 12th under a 135lb impost first-up in the G2 Sha Tin Trophy Handicap last month.
But Purton believes the three barrier trials Romantic Warrior has had under Hugh Bowman, the first of those being back in late September, will have the world’s highest money earner right where the gelding’s trainer Danny Shum wants him to be for the weekend’s 2000m contest.
“I think Romantic Warrior has had a very good grounding (for his first-up run),” Purton told Idol Horse. “He’s had a lot of trials and he’s looked very good in all of them. I expect him to be at or near his best and Voyage Bubble is in the same boat.”
Hong Kong’s champion jockey partnered the Ricky Yiu-trained Voyage Bubble through a 1200m turf gallop Tuesday morning, a day after big-race pilot James McDonald guided Romantic Warrior through a 1000m stretch-out on Sha Tin’s dirt track. Voyage Bubble clocked 1m 16.5s for his work with a final split of 24.1s; Romantic Warrior went round in 52.5s with a closing sectional timed at 25.7s.
“Voyage Bubble feels good, he’s matured into a lovely horse,” Purton said of Hong Kong’s champion stayer, a horse he hasn’t ridden in a race since the G1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo in June 2024, McDonald having held Voyage Bubble’s reins last season for a five-win campaign that featured four Group 1 triumphs.
“He’s very easy to do anything with and I’m sure that’s one of the reasons he’s turned into the horse he has,” Purton continued. “He handles everything so well, his runs, his work.
“He just did as much as we wanted him to do this morning, he looks after himself and he seems like he’s in pretty good shape.”
Shum is indeed pleased with Romantic Warrior, too, as he aims his global star towards the G1 Hong Kong Cup on December 14 – which he has won the past three years – and beyond that a plan to avenge last year’s epic second place behind Forever Young in the G1 Saudi Cup in February.
“Romantic Warrior is sound and he is healthy, so he’s good,” Shum told Idol Horse, at pains to thank the clinical vet Dr Lawrence Chan as well as his stable team who have done “a great job” to get Romantic Warrior back to race fitness.
“I can say he’s quite fit at the moment and he’s healthy and happy. The two jockeys, James McDonald and Hugh Bowman, they both report to me that he’s much more relaxed than before the surgery: still a little bit fresh but still easy to control and I think it’s a good sign.
“December is always the main target, so I hope we can run good in this race then focus on the Hong Kong Cup. Two races and then me and Peter Lau, the owner, want to send him to Saudi again for the Saudi Cup.”
A horse just back from his conquering travels is Ka Ying Rising and Purton reported the world’s best sprinter to be fresher than ever for his exertions. The bulletin should deflate any hopes his rivals had that the five-year-old might be ‘over the top’ and vulnerable in Sunday’s G2 Jockey Club Sprint after his journey to Sydney and back.
“He’s fresh, he’s off his head,” Purton said. “I’ve never seen him bouncing around as much as he is at the moment.”
Purton steered Ka Ying Rising through a 1200m barrier trial on the dirt track last Friday in which the champion cruised down the home straight four lengths ahead of the nearest chaser, the hot young miler My Wish.
“Ka Ying Rising really needed that trial to take the sting out of him a little bit,” Purton added. “He’s come back in great order, he’s happy to be back home. It’ll be good to get him back to the races.” ∎
