ROMANTIC Warrior will take his shot at the Hong Kong record books when he lines up in tomorrow’s HK$13 million Group 1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (9.05am) at Sha Tin, bidding to become just the third horse to secure Hong Kong’s Group 1 Triple Crown.

River Verdon (1993/94) and Voyage Bubble last season are the only two horses to have completed the rare treble – and Danny Shum’s 14-time Group 1 winner hopes to follow his victories in January’s Group 1 Stewards’ Cup and the Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup in March.

His trainer Danny Shum said this week that his star needed to stay over this extra 12-furlong distance. “It’ll be a challenge. Romantic Warrior has only raced over 2,400 metres once before when he ran second, but that time he was quite keen. He’s getting older now, so he’s easier to control and, hopefully, he can handle the distance.”

His last defeat on home soil came in this race in 2023, when he was a much younger horse. He led that day but stall 4 should allow him to get the perfect run off stablemate Romantic Thor and Numbers this time.

A Japanese runner could be the danger, Deep Monster is a tough stayer, a dual Group 2 winner chasing a Group 1.

Rousham Park also brings good overseas form with Hugh Bowman, and finished fifth in this season’s Hong Kong Cup before a third back home in the Group 2 Nikkei Sho.