Soul Rush Pips Warrior To Win G1 Dubai Turf

US-bred Hit Show beats Japanese raider Forever Young into 3rd in night's highlight

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DUBAI — Romantic Warrior's quest for Hong Kong racing history was denied in extraordinary circumstances at Meydan on April 5, when Danny Shum's champion was thwarted by the barest possible margin by Japan's Soul Rush in the US$5 million (S$6.73 million) Group 1 Dubai Turf (1,800m).

In front until virtually the last stride, Romantic Warrior was claimed by Soul Rush ($71) and jockey Cristian Demuro, who could scarcely believe Yasutoshi Ikee's charge had timed his lunge to perfection to post the most important win of his career.

"It's as good a performance as he's ever produced, he beat the best horse in the world today," said Demuro, after he drove Soul Rush out of a chasing pack to cut down Romantic Warrior by a nose in 1min 45.84sec, with Maljoom (Tom Marquand) in third.

"It is a special win because we are now part of the Romantic Warrior story. He doesn't lose many races but today, he found a good horse."

Jockey James McDonald and Shum had to endure an agonising wait before the judges declared Soul Rush the winner after speculation whirled of a possible dead heat.

A regular competitor at Sha Tin where he has tasted defeat in the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile (1,600m) to Golden Sixty and Voyage Bubble, Soul Rush avenged his loss to Romantic Warrior in the 2024 Group 1 Yasuda Kinen (1,600m) where he ran third.