Hong Kong superstar Romantic Warrior remains the top target for Racing Victoria’s international recruiter Paul Bloodworth for the Cox Plate 2024.
However, Bloodworth is cautious about the gelding’s return to Melbourne.
Bloodworth recently met with trainer Danny Shum in Hong Kong and has had several exchanges with him since Romantic Warrior’s historic win in the Group 1 Yasuda Kinen (1600m) in Japan.
Shum indicated that a decision on the rest of Romantic Warrior’s 2024 campaign will be announced soon, with both domestic and international options on the table.
“We got told that we’d have an answer about what their plans are for later in the year after the Yasuda Kinen,” Bloodworth said.
“I’ve had a few chats with Danny since then and I think we’re still in the ball game but we’re waiting for official confirmation. They haven’t said no to us, although the vibe all along is that he might not come back.”
The 2000m Tenno Sho in Japan, on the same weekend as the Cox Plate, is an option, but it seems unlikely Romantic Warrior will race there.
The gelding, a winner of nine local and international G1s, added the Hong Kong Cup, HK Gold Cup, and QE2 Cup to his accolades between his Cox Plate win and his successful Japanese campaign.
