Romantic Warrior is locked and loaded for his upcoming Australian assault, with flights booked to Melbourne which will see the Hong Kong champion land on September 16.
The dual QEII Cup and Hong Kong Cup winner will enter quarantine this weekend and has passed all required veterinary protocols to firstly compete in the Turnbull Stakes on October 7 and then the Cox Plate three weeks later.
“We’ve had great support from the Hong Kong Jockey Club through Danny Shum helping through the veterinary requirements,” said Racing Victoria GM International and Racing Operations Paul Bloodworth.
“These horses have been passed suitable to travel, they do have to go one final inspection in transport quarantine but all three have been passed suitable to travel to Australia.”
The Simon and Ed Crisford-trained West Wind Blows, who will also contest the Turnbull Stakes, will fly to Hong Kong via Amsterdam and link up on the same flight as Romantic Warrior.
West Wind Blows, currently $12 second favourite for the Caulfield Cup, which he will contest second-up, has raced consistently in Group company this year and was a runner-up in the G3 Winter Hill Stakes (2000m) at Windsor on August 26.
The duo will also be accompanied by the current $4.20 Cox Plate favourite’s stablemate Romantic Charm, who will be familiar to Australian racing fans having raced here as Blue Army and won the 2021 Sandown Guineas for Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr.
Romantic Charm has had six runs in Class 3 company, with a second placing to end his season in July his best performance.
Romantic Warrior finished second in a barrier trial at Sha Tin on Friday morning and is set to fly out from Australia on the Monday following the Cox Plate in a bid to defend his Hong Kong Cup crown in December, ruling out a Champions Stakes Day tilt.
Romantic Warrior, West Wind Blows and Romantic Charm will be the first three horses to arrive at the Werribee International Quarantine Centre, with the first European shipment to land on September 30 and a flight from Japan on October 2.
Nominations for the Melbourne Cup, which will make the international picture clearer, close next Tuesday, September 5.
– racing.com
