If only Peter Lau Pak-fai could bottle the glorious chaos that followed Romantic Warrior’s awe-inspiring Cox Plate victory and bring it back for other Hong Kong owners to taste.

It’s no secret the Moonee Valley atmosphere is truly unique and the Cox Plate a truly special race, but the minutes that followed Hong Kong’s first victory in the race were something else.

The Hayes family thought their talisman, Mr Brightside, had saluted, and their celebrations led Romantic Warrior’s assistant trainer Ben So Tik-hung to believe Hong Kong’s hero had lost.

Romantic Warrior’s superstar jockey, James McDonald, thought the same.

Those in the stands were fighting off streamers as they tried to work out what was happening. From up there, it certainly looked like Mr Brightside had broken the Hong Kong racing public’s collective heart.

The emotions that flowed when officials confirmed Romantic Warrior had got the bob in the narrowest of photo finishes were hard to describe.

Lau could hardly speak in the immediate aftermath, offering only “I’m not sure yet” when asked what the victory meant, and the celebrations of Danny Shum Chap-shing were those of a man who knew he’d pulled off a task so enormous he was likely experiencing the pinnacle of his training career.

McDonald, who orchestrated Romantic Warrior’s Australian campaign and stuck by the champion throughout, was ecstatic.

If the coming together of Lau’s admirable sporting endeavour, Shum’s astute training, McDonald’s vision – and magnificent ride – and the brilliant Romantic Warrior’s unbelievable guts, determination and resilience amounts to nothing more than a magnificent memory, that will be more than enough.

Should it prove the catalyst for more of Hong Kong’s genuine top liners heading abroad, even better.

There’s been a hesitance to travel the city’s very best in recent years – Covid hasn’t helped, and neither did Able Friend’s Royal Ascot failure of 2015 – and the likes of Beauty Generation, Golden Sixty and Lucky Sweynesse have stayed home.

That’s not to say the appetite hasn’t been there since pandemic restrictions were lifted, with connections of Group One winners Russian Emperor and Wellington taking the plunge this year.

But Romantic Warrior’s success – probably the city’s biggest on foreign soil since Vengeance Of Rain won the 2007 Group One Dubai Sheema Classic (2,400m) – and the tales with which Lau and Shum return have real potential to inspire others.

It’s often said Jockey Club officials are quicker to point out the pitfalls and risks of travelling a horse than they are the potential positives – they do, after all, want Hong Kong’s best horses running to their peak ratings in local races – and the challenges Romantic Warrior faced along the way received plenty of publicity.

Perhaps the impact Romantic Warrior – a Hong Kong International Sale graduate – had on record World Pool betting can help ensure officials and connections are pulling in the same direction when it comes to travelling elite horses.

Maybe we won’t know the full impact of Romantic Warrior’s exploits until after his Group One Hong Kong Cup (2,000m) defence in December.

Warrior happy, So hoarse after amazing day: ‘everything is fine except for my voice’

By bagging another Cup, Shum’s star can – like Russian Emperor before him – ease concerns horses are at risk of never being the same again after travelling.

While it’s likely too late for Golden Sixty, Lucky Sweynesse and California Spangle look like ones from the top bracket who could take the plunge in the not-too-distant future.

If not, we’ve always got Lau: “For our next overseas trip, we might consider Japan. I have many, many good friends in Japan.”