Oisin Murphy is relishing the opportunity to take on the might of Hong Kong with Romantic Warrior and Ka Ying Rising lying in wait on FWD Champions Day (Sunday, 26 April).

The five-time British champion jockey will be reunited with Royal Champion for the HK$30 million G1 FWD QEII Cup (2000m) after sealing a Group 1 breakthrough for the eight-year-old in the G1 Neom Turf Cup (2100m) in Saudi Arabia back in February.

Murphy was given an exceptional first impression of Karl Burke’s galloper, but is aware he will need to step up if he is to dethrone Romantic Warrior, who is bidding for his fourth win in the race on the back of a flawless campaign.

Fellow competitors Masquerade Ball, winner of the G1 Tenno Sho Autumn (2000m), and Sosie, who was last seen landing the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m), add further gloss to an outstanding field.

“It was nice for Karl to give me a chance on Royal Champion in Saudi Arabia,” Murphy said. “He gave me a very good feel. He’s a strong traveller with a good turn of foot and he loves fast ground. He felt like a very high-quality horse.

“Obviously, we don’t know the make-up of the race speed-wise yet, but hopefully it will be pretty straightforward for him. He seems to enjoy racing in a similar position to Romantic Warrior.

“When everything is final, we’ll be able to see what the race looks like. I suppose in an ideal world, there’s a bit of speed on and everyone gets a good trip around and it’s a nice fair race.

“I think they all bring a strong level of form – they all have proper Group 1 form. Romantic Warrior has achieved more than most horses, he’s been absolutely extraordinary and it’s a very good renewal of the race.”

Murphy will be hoping for better luck than when he last tackled Ka Ying Rising in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) in December, with a tack malfunction preventing him from making a meaningful challenge aboard Khaadem.

This time, he will be given the leg up on Comanche Brave for the HK$24 million G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m), with his mount arriving after a pair of strong international efforts in the Listed Abu Dhabi Gold Cup (1600m) and G2 1351 Turf Sprint (1351m) in February.

His trainer, Donnacha O’Brien, has not run him over this distance since September 2024, but Murphy is not concerned about the four-year-old’s ability to lie up with the early pace.

“He had a good run in Saudi and a good run in Abu Dhabi,” Murphy said. “It’s obviously a very tough race, but he looks like he’s improving, and hopefully he can run another big race.

“Naturally, this race is quite straightforward because there’s going to be a lot of speed in it. We’ll try and get a good position, but at the end of the day, the horse is going to tell me where he’s comfortable and we’ll go from there.

“There’s no pressure because everyone’s aware that if Ka Ying Rising is at his best then he’s going to win, but horses can underperform and we’ll just see what happens.”

FWD Champions Day takes place on Sunday, 26 April, at Sha Tin.

By Maddy Playle

Photo: HKJC