Former Hong Kong Horse of the Year Romantic Warrior tuned up for a start in April's G1 FWD QEII Cup on Thursday. The Danny Shum trainee impressed in a 1200-metre barrier trial on the dirt at Sha Tin.Already a winner of the QEII Cup in 2022, 2023, and 2024, he ran out a one-length victor over Red Lion (Belardo) in 1:10.70 with Hugh Bowman in the irons.Shum said, “I'm very happy; he's sound and he's happy. You can see by his trial, he's very good, and James [McDonald] just asked me as he passed the winning post, 'Happy?', so I sent the video to him.”A 22-time winner, the son of Acclamation is a Group 1 scorer in Hong Kong, Australia, Japan and the UAE.Bowman said, “He was a little bit on the fresh side but, obviously, he has another month before he races. He feels great and just as powerful as ever.”The eight-year-old gelding has won all four of his starts this season. He could face top-tier scorers Calandagan (Gleneagles), Masquerade Ball (Duramente), Royal Champion (Shamardal), Museum Mile (Leontes), Sosie (Sea The Stars), Sir Delius (Frankel), Danon Decile (Epiphaneia), Dubai Honour (Pride Of Dubai), and Urban Chic (Suave Richard) in the Cup.“We might have one more trial on the grass or just gallop around one lap – we'll see how he responds, how he comes back, how he eats and how he feels. It'll be a strong field. This will be the strongest QEII Cup, I think, in the last 10 to 15 years,” Shum said.The post Shum ‘Happy’ With Romantic Warrior Ahead of FWD Champions Day appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.