After an eventful 12 months in the world of Hong Kong racing, it’s fair to say 2025 has a lot to live up to.

Romantic Warrior dominated at the top level, Hong Kong’s champion Golden Sixty bid farewell and a thrilling crescendo to the trainers’ championship kept fans on the edge of their seats until the 831st and final race of the 2023-24 season.

So with the first race day of the New Year in the rear-view mirror – a meeting that featured bells, a bumper crowd and a pair of horses bound for the top level – here is the Post’s Hong Kong racing wish list for 2025.

Warrior shines in the Middle East

It seems rather bold to ask Danny Shum Chap-shing’s superstar for one more monumental international success after reigning supreme in Australia and Japan, but victory on the dirt in the Middle East would be the perfect way to cement himself as the world’s best.

While Romantic Warrior’s astonishing win streak may not be enough to see him crowned the Longines World’s Best Racehorse on January 21, victory in either the Group One Saudi Cup (1,800m) or Group One Dubai World Cup (2,000m) on the dirt would surely take him to top spot.

The nine-time Group One winner is set to compete at the top level in the Group One Jebel Hatta (1,800m) on January 24 before his audacious Saudi Cup tilt in February.

His effort in the US$20 million Saudi Cup will determine whether he pushes onto the Dubai World Cup on the dirt, or instead tackles the Group One Dubai Turf (1,800m).

For Shum and owner Peter Lau Pak-fai to even contemplate a switch to the dirt, which is unheard of for a horse from Hong Kong, speaks volumes for the seven-year-old’s supreme consistency and durability.

Especially given Shum watched Europe’s best three-year-old, City Of Troy, become the latest star who was unable to transfer his turf form to the dirt when he failed to fire in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Race programme freshen-up

In a jurisdiction with a relatively small racing population of around 1,200 horses, there are limited adjustments you can make to the busy racing programme over the season.

But a change or two to the current schedule would be a welcome one.

Happy Valley is the city’s most iconic course and in a time when Hong Kong is trying to attract as many punters through the turnstiles, maybe it deserves a bit more love from a racing perspective.

Perhaps the Jockey Club could start with a change to the DBS X Manulife Million Challenge, where the horses finishing in the first four places in all races at Class Three level or above accumulate points between the end of September and end of February.

Or even a race for four-year-olds over 1,800m at Happy Valley, offering owners one final chance to qualify for the city’s most prestigious race, the Hong Kong Derby.

For horses struggling to get off the mark, maidens could also give owners a chance to celebrate that winning feeling.

Ka Ying Rising to Royal Ascot

While it is a longshot of coming to fruition, a trip to Royal Ascot offers the perfect chance to show Ka Ying Rising – and Hong Kong racing more generally – off to European racing fans.

It could also provide a nice preparation for his Group One Everest (1,200m) tilt in a month when there is little for him in Hong Kong.

Trainer Henry Dwyer sent Asfoora to England in June last year to land Group One spoils at the royal meeting and Ka Ying Rising would be a warm favourite to defeat an average bunch of sprinters if he can continue his impressive winning sequence.

Following the Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m) on April 27, Ka Ying Rising would have 55 days to recover before scorching the turf in the Group One Platinum Jubilee Stakes (1,200m) at Ascot on June 21.

The obvious obstacle is the prize money on offer – the total pot for the Platinum Jubilee is £1 million (HK$9.7 million), less than half that of the Chairman’s Sprint Prize (HK$22 million).

But there is little on offer for Ka Ying Rising in Hong Kong after Champions Day and a winner at the royal meeting is an item missing from David Hayes’ illustrious CV. Zac Purton completed that feat with Little Bridge in 2012.

Plus, considering Hayes’ previous association with the late Queen Elizabeth – the trainer and his wife, Prue, attended her funeral in 2022 – maybe a visit to Royal Ascot wouldn’t be the worst idea.

Another close trainers’ title

After Francis Lui Kin-wai pipped Pierre Ng Pang-chi on the final day of the 2023-24 season, another thrilling trainers’ championship may be starting to take shape.

With only five wins separating the top four in the title race 34 meetings into the 88-meeting season, an exciting crescendo is exactly what fans of Hong Kong racing need to stay entertained right until the curtain comes down.