Danny Shum Chap-shing is bullish Romantic Warrior will once again showcase his champion qualities when he makes his long-awaited return from injury in Sunday’s Group Two BOCHK Jockey Club Cup (2,000m) at Sha Tin.

The world’s highest-earning racehorse with a staggering HK$214.7 million in prize money, Romantic Warrior will race for the first time since his close second to Soul Rush in the Group One Dubai Turf (1,800m) at Meydan in March.

The 10-time Group One hero had a screw inserted into an injured fetlock in May but after being given time to recover, he looks to have returned in fine fettle on his three trials leading up to Sunday’s feature.

“He’s been good, he’s happy and he’s healthy. He’s had three trials and one turf gallop at Sha Tin racecourse. All the reports from the jockey are positive,” said Shum.

Romantic Warrior won his latest trial under Hugh Bowman on the Sha Tin dirt on October 31 and has impressed regular rider James McDonald in a pair of subsequent gallops.

The seven-year-old will jump from gate two in his bid for a third Jockey Club Cup, following his successes in 2022 and 2024.

It promises to be a blockbuster clash between Shum’s stable star and Voyage Bubble, last season’s Triple Crown victor who is expected to improve sharply from his first-up 12th in the Group Two Sha Tin Trophy (1,600m).

The two superstars have not clashed since last year’s Group One Gold Cup (2,000m), when Romantic Warrior prevailed by a neck over Voyage Bubble after an epic battle in the home straight.

Zac Purton will reunite with Voyage Bubble in a race for the first time since June last year and the Ricky Yiu Poon-fai-trained galloper has drawn gate four.

Shum credited Lawrence Chan Wai-him, who has been a Jockey Club veterinary surgeon for more than 33 years, for helping Romantic Warrior return from his setback.

“I like to take this opportunity to thank Dr Lawrence Chan. When [Romantic Warrior] was in Dubai he was not 100 per cent but not bad – he wasn’t his usual self,” Shum said.

“When he finished Dubai and came back to quarantine, Dr Lawrence Chan did a few scans and found an incomplete fracture in his left fore joint.”

Shum also praised Bowman, who has become a regular partner of Romantic Warrior in Hong Kong barrier trials.

“Hugh helped me a lot, he always trials him and just in case James McDonald can’t ride him, Hugh is first priority. He helps the stable and he helps Romantic Warrior a lot too,” the veteran handler said.

Bowman was set to ride Rubylot in the Jockey Club Cup, but the David Hayes-trained gelding was ruled out after suffering a suspensory ligament injury in the Group Three Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse (1,800m) earlier this month.

Beauty Joy, Straight Arron, Ensued, Bundle Award, La City Blanche, Sword Point and Ka Ying Generation round out the field of nine.