The ATC must make the effort to lure Hong Kong stars Romantic Warrior and Ka Ying Rising to Sydney for The Championships

It may be long odds, but the Australian Turf Club has to pull out the stops to entice Hong Kong superstars Romantic Warrior and Ka Ying Rising to the Sydney autumn carnival.

Romantic Warrior and Ka Ying Rising. Pictures: Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images

The Australian Turf Club should be prepared to do whatever it takes to lure Hong Kong superstars Romantic Warrior and Ka Ying Rising to Sydney for The Championships at Royal Randwick next April.

Can you imagine a showdown between Romantic Warrior and Via Sistina for the Group 1 $5m Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m)?

Or Ka Ying Rising taking on Australia’s best sprinters in the Group 1 $3m TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) for what would serve as an Everest entree?

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It’s long odds either of the Hong Kong champions will race at the Sydney autumn carnival next year but that shouldn’t stop the ATC from being proactive and at least having a conversation with the connections of both equine drawcards.

A Romantic Warrior-Via Sistina clash at Royal Randwick would be a race for the ages with the outcome settling debate about the sport’s middle distance world champion.

It would mean jockey James McDonald having to make the very difficult choice between two elite racehorses that he has ridden to multiple Group 1 wins.

As it stands, Romantic Warrior’s trainer Danny Shum has indicated plans to take the greatest prizemoney winner in racing history to the Middle East for the $30m Saudi Cup on February 22 then the $18m Dubai World Cup on April 5.

History at Sha Tin! 🏆🏆🏆

Three Hong Kong Cups for Romantic Warrior and back-to-back Group 1s for @mcacajamez on #HKIR day ❤️@WorldPool@[e-mail]/MRYYborUfI

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) December 8, 2024

• Romantic Warrior creates history with Hong Kong Cup hat-trick

“The owner, Mr Peter Lau, said it’s a once in a life (time) chance to take the challenge in Saudi Arabia for the top prizemoney in the world,’’ Shum said after Romantic Warrior won his third successive Hong Kong International Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Chris Waller’s mighty mare Via Sistina, winner of four Group 1 races during the spring including her eight-length romp in the Cox Plate, is the $2.50 TAB fixed odds favourite for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes ahead of King Charles III Stakes winner Ceolwulf at $6.

But if there is a change of plans and Romantic Warrior comes to Sydney for autumn, TAB fixed odds spokesman Tim Ryan said the Hong Kong champion would be inserted as $3 second favourite for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

If Romantic Warrior goes to the Dubai World Cup as planned, then McDonald has another tough decision to make – whether he rides the Hong Kong champion in Dubai or stays in Sydney for the Derby-Doncaster meeting the same day.

Job done 👏 Ka Ying Rising gets his Group 1, holding off Helios Express and California Spangle. @zpurton@HKJC_Racingpic.twitter.com/LogWAkdvvz

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) December 8, 2024

• Ka Ying Rising has crowning moment in G1 Hong Kong Sprint

Ka Ying Rising improved his record to nine wins from 11 starts when he won the Hong Kong International Sprint and is already into $3.50 favouritism for the Group 1 $20m The TAB Everest (1200m) at Royal Randwick on October 18 next year.

Trainer David Hayes confirmed the long-term target for Ka Ying Rising is The Everest.

The ATC has an opportunity to use their slot to lock in Ka Ying Rising for The Everest although other slot-holders are already negotiating to secure Hong Kong’s freakish sprinter.

But the ATC shouldn’t stop there.

Why not reach out to Hayes and the sprinter’s owners and entice them to bring Ka Ying Rising to Sydney for the Group 1 $3m TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) on Derby-Doncaster Day to test the sprinter over The Everest course?

Hayes is always keen to bring one of his horses back home to compete in Group 1 races and a TJ Smith Stakes start in early April still gives the trainer enough time to get Ka Ying Rising back to Hong Kong for the Champion’s Sprint Prize at Sha Tin a month later.

Chautauqua, the grey super sprinter from the Team Hawkes stable, won the TJ Smith Stakes-Chairman’s Sprint Prize double in 2016.

Originally published as The ATC must make the effort to lure Hong Kong stars Romantic Warrior and Ka Ying Rising to Sydney for The Championships