Romantic Warrior will not run in Sunday’s Group One Champions and Chater Cup (2,400m) at Sha Tin according to the race’s most successful trainer Tony Cruz, but he is still aiming for a piece of the money with his partner Gentlemen Legacy.
Cruz has made the final Group One of the Hong Kong season his own since moving to practice, winning the race seven times, including four in a row from 2013 to 2016 and three more from 2018 to 2020.
Also winning a race as a jockey aboard Makarpura Star in 1995 for trainer John Moore, he captured a race as a trainer for the first time when California Memory roared home under Matthew Chadwick in 2013.
The win sparked a streak of success in the race, with Blazing Speed (2014, 2016) and Helene Super Star (2015) continuing her run for the next few years.
Werther halted his streak in 2017 when he beat Blazing Speed, but Cruz was soon back in the winning car when the inimitable Pakistan Star – a mysterious but endlessly talented enigma – won his second Group canter, leading home a trifecta of races for Cruz.
Another star soon came off Cruz’s conveyor belt, with Exultant reeling off back-to-back wins in 2019 and 2020.
His legacy in the competition is unmatched, so perhaps it’s only fitting that the aptly named Gentlemen Legacy should be his representative in an update that will see the Gentleman of the Year achieve Triple Crown glory.
In the ratings, Gentlemen Legacy has 48lb to gain on international sensation Danny Shum Chap-shing, which Cruz knows is impossible, no matter how good his track record.
That said, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that his son of Showtime, who has recorded a 2,000m win at Sha Tin this season, could beat the others to the spot.
He will build on his rivalry with Romantic Thor and Wing Wing from their last Group Three Queen Mother’s Memorial Cup (2,400m), where he split the aforementioned pair when giving winner Romantic Thor 13lb to 6lb from Winning Wing.
It will be a heavyweight fight on Sunday and Cruz is hoping his staying power will see him land the most important prize.
“It’s a race where I’ve had a lot of success, but I have to be honest, I don’t think we can beat Romantic Warrior. He’s a star and he has a lot of level. We know that my horse stays very well, which is an advantage, but I would be very happy to have a chance,” said Cruz.
With two fresh goals at Happy Valley Stadium on Wednesday, Cruz has plenty of chances to score in Sha Tin on Sunday. Beauty Bolt, who contested all three legs of the Classic Series, contests the Grade Three Standard Chartered Global Private Bank Handicap (1,400m) with Zac Purton in the saddle.
Third in the Standard Mile, he had excuses when seventh and 11th in the Classic Cup (1,800m) and Derby (2,000m) respectively, but Cruz now insists that a drop in distance could get the best out of the Night Of Thunder race.
“I’ve been really happy with him since the Derby, he ran better than the obvious results in the Classic Series,” Cruz said.
“I think at this stage, I’d call him an out-and-out guy, and going back to the 1,400m will suit him very well.”
Cruz is also hoping Gustosisimo, a three-time winner last season who has run strong in defeat this campaign, can return to form when he steps down in the Grade Three Standard Chartered Renminbi Business Handicap (1,200m), although he will need to tackle barrier 13.
“He hasn’t been at his best lately, but I don’t think the field played to his potential last time. He’s got good weight now,” Cruz said.
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