Hong Kong Cup 2025 Betting Tips - Will Romantic Warrior Extend His Cup Legacy?

Kristen Manning

Editor

Last updated: Fri 12 Dec 2025 11:46

Kristen Manning 12 Dec 2025

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Romantic Warrior seeks a fourth Hong Kong Cup win, riding with James McDonald
Quisisana, strong contender from Graffard stable, poses a significant challenge
2025 Hong Kong Cup showcases strong competition from international and local talents

Expired

Romantic Warrior aims for another chapter in his Hong Kong Cup dominance. (Getty)

Hong Kong fans love seeing their stars win, and this year they have major hopes in both the Sprint and the Cup. Romantic Warrior again commands favouritism for the 2000m feature.

2025 Hong Kong Cup Tips
2025 Hong Kong Cup - Field & Odds

With strong international opposition and proven locals, the race promises to deliver one of the highlights of the meeting.

2025 Hong Kong Cup Tips

2025 Hong Kong Cup Best Bet - Romantic Warrior

Romantic Warrior attempts to become the first four-time winner of the Cup, already being the only three-time winner. Travel and injury have proven no barrier to him, with brave runs behind Soul Rush and Forever Young in Dubai and Saudi Arabia. He returned to his brilliant best last start with a dashing win over Voyage Bubble in the Jockey Club Cup.

His partnership with James McDonald continues to deliver major success, and the pair’s understanding of each other is a major asset. McDonald’s ability to judge tempo perfectly complements Romantic Warrior’s explosive turn-of-foot. Together they form one of the most dependable big-race combinations.

With ideal conditions and another well-timed preparation, Romantic Warrior again shapes as the standout. His record at the distance and proven class make him extremely hard to beat. He remains the benchmark for this race.

2025 Hong Kong Cup Next Best - Quisisana

Quisisana comes from the Francis-Henri Graffard stable, which has enjoyed an exceptional season highlighted by Group 1 wins in the Japan Cup, the Arc and the Breeders’ Cup. She did not quite see out the Arc trip before dropping back in distance to finish third at Ascot on Champions Day. Her consistency has been evident across all ten of her starts.

She has already shown top-level form at this distance, most notably with her Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet win at Deauville in August. The 2000m trip allows her to combine her turn-of-foot with her strong settling nature, giving her a balanced profile for this assignment. This distance appears the ideal fit for her.

While Romantic Warrior sets a very high standard, Quisisana has the class to make her presence felt. Her consistent record and stable strength ensure she deserves respect. She appeals as a clear danger and a strong podium contender.

2025 Hong Kong Cup - Field & Odds

No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Odds
1	Romantic Warrior (IRE)	Danny Shum	James McDonald	2	57kg	$1.08
2	Bellagio Opera (JPN)	Hiroyuki Uemura	Kazuo Yokoyama	5	57kg	$4.80
3	Rousham Park (JPN)	Hiroyasu Tanaka	Christophe Lemaire	3	57kg	$34
4	Galen (GB)	Joseph O'Brien	Dylan Browne McMonagle	7	57kg	$41
5	Straight Arron (AUS)	David A Hayes	Craig Williams	1	57kg	$61
6	Chancheng Glory (USA)	K W Lui	Maxime Guyon	6	57kg	$71
7	Quisisana (FR)	Francis-Henri Graffard	C Soumillon	4	55.5kg	$151

Odds courtesy of bet365 & correct on 12/12/2025.

Verdict

Hong Kong Cup

Our selections for the 2025 Hong Kong Cup are:

Quisisana

Top Two

$5.00 - 1 Unit

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