Jockey Karis Teetan rounded off a fantastic week as Romantic Warrior emulated a quartet of champions when running out a hugely impressive winner of the Group One QE II Cup (2,000m) at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Teetan could have been forgiven for letting his mind wander over the past few days after welcoming his first child – daughter Isabelle – into the world on Tuesday but he maintained his concentration ahead of one of Hong Kong’s biggest races.

“It’s been a great week with my little baby girl being born on Tuesday, so all my focus was going into her,” Teetan said. “I was trying to be a daddy but also put my focus into the racing.”

The Mauritian rider would have faced more difficulties negotiating life as a new father this week than he did in winning this Group One contest with the talented, tractable Romantic Warrior, who followed up his superb victory in the Hong Kong Derby.

Before the race, Teetan and trainer Danny Shum Chap-shing may have been fearing the worst after Hong Kong’s superstar Golden Sixty demolished the form of the four-year-old series when thrashing California Spangle in the Champions Mile.

Those worries proved unfounded, however, when Romantic Warrior sprinted clear of his rivals in the straight to win by an easy two lengths.

“He’s an amazing horse,” Teetan said. “The Derby was very special for all of us. This race we thought was a good plan with no international horses coming.

“We had in mind that he’s a bit younger than the other horses but he’s better than all of them and he proved what kind of horse he is today. Danny and his team have done a great job.”

Now beaten just once in his seven starts, Romantic Warrior is only the fifth horse after Werther (2016), Designs On Rome (2014), Ambitious Dragon (2011) and Vengeance Of Rain (2005) to win the Derby and QE II Cup in the same year and is comfortably one of the best horses sold at the Hong Kong International Sale.

Bought by Shum for HK$4.8 million, Romantic Warrior has now surpassed his trainer’s expectations.

“He’s surprised me,” said Shum. “When I bought him for Mr Peter Lau, I thought he was a nice horse – that’s all I could say. I thought was the best horse in the sale but I didn’t know how good he was.

“He’s very easy to train. He’s a very nice horse. He’s a superstar. I feel great and I’m more happy to see the horse steadily improve. I’ve always loved his manner, but his manner is getting better and better.

Romantic Warrior was sent off the $1.8 favourite with Gold Cup winner Russian Emperor his main market rival but the anticipated showdown never materialised, with the Douglas Whyte-trained runner failing to fire in the straight before finishing only fifth.

Shum celebrates maiden Derby success as Warrior guns down California Spangle

“I didn’t think he had much luck,” Whyte said. “It was a very sedately run race. He got moving around 1,000m into a three-wide position and started to creep closer but it’s difficult to win from three wide over 10 furlongs, especially going that speed, and the winner flushed him out.

“He should have run a place but it was just one of those races you forget about and move on.”