James McDonald likened booting home Romantic Warrior to “lining up for the winning kick for the All Blacks” as the champion galloper soared to a record-breaking third consecutive Group One Hong Kong Cup (2,000m) at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Danny Shum Chap-shing’s superstar repelled Japanese duo Liberty Island and Tastiera to become the first horse to win three Hong Kong Cups, while also breaking Golden Sixty’s world record HK$167.1 million in prize money, with his total earnings surging to a staggering HK$177.3 million.

The equal shortest-priced favourite to salute in Longines Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) history at $1.1 – joining Ka Ying Rising from earlier on the card – Romantic Warrior settled fourth and powered clear once hitting the lead at the 250m to waltz in by a length and a half.

McDonald had time to sit up and look back at his rivals in the final 50m. Liberty Island ran on strongly from eighth to finish second, while Tastiera was a distant third after racing outside the lead.

“This was our moment to create history and it dead-set felt like I was lining up for the winning kick for the All Blacks, it was a pinch-me moment,” a jubilant McDonald said in reference to his native New Zealand’s national rugby union team.

“The Japanese put it to him but with no luck. He is the best.

“He has been flying. Anyone could ride him, he’s that easy but I’m the lucky one, he’s the horse of a lifetime.”

McDonald had Romantic Warrior perfectly placed on the inside rail from gate one and moved him into the one-off line 1,400m out.

He launched his run three wide approaching the turn and while the Japanese duo fleetingly loomed as threats, it was all in vein as Romantic Warrior cruised to victory.

California Memory (2011-12) is the only other galloper to win the now HK$40 million Cup twice.

Clinching his ninth Group One success, Romantic Warrior boosted his incredible record to 17 wins from 22 starts for owner Peter Lau Pak-fai.

Shum kept a low profile in the build-up to his stable star’s record bid.

“You can see I stayed in the stable the whole time,” the veteran handler said.

“I don’t want to go out and talk too much because my boss, Ivan Allan, always taught me ‘work hard, it brings luck’. So I have that in my mind. I work really hard, I love my team and they’ve done a great job.”

Shum’s attention quickly turned to Romantic Warrior’s audacious overseas dirt campaign, which includes the world’s richest race, the US$20 million Group One Saudi Cup (1,800m) in February and April’s US$12 million Group One Dubai World Cup (2,000m).

“He’s the best, but I have to take a bigger challenge to go to Dubai and Saudi Arabia, because I haven’t been to Dubai for 25 years,” Shum said.

“At that time, I was assistant trainer for my ex-boss, Ivan Allan. I need to go on December 12 and I will stay in Dubai and wait for Romantic Warrior [to fly] from Hong Kong to Dubai.

“I will make sure the team and two horses, Romantic Warrior and Romantic Charm, are at their best. They will be over there for four-to-five months.

“The owner, Peter Lau, said ‘it’s once in a lifetime to take the challenge in Saudi Arabia with the most prize money in the world’.

“Even though we are experimenting with the dirt, he said ‘if you never try, you don’t know’. I tried [Romantic Warrior] on the all-weather track in a trial with the pacifiers. He was quite good.”

Jockey Yuga Kawada heaped praise on Romantic Warrior while saying he was pleased with Liberty Island’s run.

“It was a good run. She kept focused and concentrated. She put in a good finish but the winner is very strong,” Kawada said.

Damian Lane was also happy with Tastiera’s third placing.

“He ran great. He did all the work on the speed and gave it a good kick, but a couple with fresh legs ran him down. He was very good,” Lane said.

Legendary former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was at Sha Tin, with a group of Manchester United fans cheering when he entered the winners’ enclosure to watch the horse he part-owns, Spirit Dancer, run eighth in the Cup.