Champion jockey Christophe Lemaire is looking forward to the “exciting challenge” of taking on Romantic Warrior when he lines up against him aboard Masquerade Ball in Sunday’s highly anticipated Group QEII Cup (2,000m) at Sha Tin.

Lemaire believes Masquerade Ball has the potential to become “one of the greatest in Japanese horse racing” after proving himself on home soil against top-class horses as a three-year-old when winning the Group One Tenno Sho last November.

The Frenchman, who is an eight-time champion jockey in Japan, has previously partnered two iconic Japanese superstars in the form of Equinox and Almond Eye and is well qualified to identify a future champion.

“The strengths he has shown me let me think that he can become one of the greatest in Japanese horse racing,” Lemaire said.

“His own character, his way of running the races – what I like from him is his toughness and his fighting spirit. Physically I think as a four-year-old he still has some margin to become stronger and tougher.

“You don’t win the Tenno Sho by chance, and he won very well beating Museum Mile, who won the Arima Kinen at his next race – another big race in Japan – and the third horse finished lengths behind.”

Masquerade Ball went on to run second by a short head in the Group One Japan Cup behind the Longines World’s Best Racehorse for 2025, Calandagan, at his most recent start last November.

“He fought very well with Calandagan who is considered a super horse worldwide. Calandagan won the [Group One] Sheema Classic earlier this year in Dubai, so the form is very good for Masquerade Ball. Last year he was only a three-year-old and in my opinion he still can improve,” Lemaire said.

Lemaire has supreme respect for Hong Kong’s hometown hero Romantic Warrior, who is vying for a record-extending fourth consecutive victory in the race. Having ridden against him before in Japan, Dubai and Hong Kong, Lemaire is thrilled by the opportunity to take on the 13-time Group One winner aboard a horse of Masquerade Ball’s calibre.

“It’s a very exciting challenge. Everybody knows that Romantic Warrior is a true champion. He’s proved it on many occasions in Hong Kong and abroad,” Lemaire said.

“Of course you need a very good horse to beat him. But Masquerade Ball, he ran so well last autumn in the Tenno Sho and Japan Cup against the World’s Best Racehorse Calandagan, so if he’s in good condition, if the race is smooth, he will be a strong challenger for Romantic Warrior.”

After drawing barrier six, Lemaire’s plan will be to track Romantic Warrior throughout the race. The jockey is also very positive about the quick tempo that will be set by Numbers, who jumps from barrier four.

“I’m happy to know that there will be a strong pace. Masquerade Ball is a horse we know can stay a mile and a half quite comfortably, so I’m not worried about his stamina and if the pace is strong, the horses will need some stamina for the last 200m,” Lemaire said.

“I think it depends of course on the start, if Masquerade Ball is not the quickest out of the gate I guess I will sit behind the Romantic Warrior, which is drawn five. We will have to follow Romantic Warrior’s acceleration and then hope that the stamina will be important at the end. And let’s see if he’s good enough to challenge Romantic Warrior in the last 200m.”

While Masquerade Ball has only had two performances running right-handed, both were admirable when placing second in the Japan Cup and third in the Group One Satsuki Sho.

“He’s had some good performances clockwise. In the Satsuki Show we finished third with a strong finish on Nakayama racecourse where the straight is a bit short. He came from the rear of the pack, he wasn’t on time to win the race, but he finished very well,” Lemaire said.

“In the Japan Cup he was hanging a little bit on the left. So I hope running on the right-hand side won’t affect his performance. I don’t know exactly how he will run this time, but Sha Tin racecourse is a big track with a long straight. I’m not sure how it will affect him.”

Masquerade Ball has settled in his morning work throughout the week and looks to be acclimatising well to the foreign environment.

“Changing his routine, because of the heat in Hong Kong and the different track – it’s his first trip abroad – he needs to adapt. It is a challenge with the travel and the humidity and the new surroundings, for sure,” Lemaire said.

“He’s quite a gentle horse but I think he will adapt himself to this new situation, so let’s see how he turns out in the paddock on Sunday. If he’s in good condition, I expect a very good run from him.”

Trainer Takahisa Tezuka was delighted with his charge following Friday morning’s work and believes he is in ideal condition to take on several of the world’s best 2,000m contenders on Sunday.

“As I watched him this morning, he is in peak condition at the moment,” Tezuka said.

“During the week after he arrived in Hong Kong, he was a kind of sensitive horse, so he’s been a little bit unsettled because of the heat and humidity here. But after he galloped on Wednesday, his appetite has been improving.”

Tezuka is confident Masquerade Ball will handle a potential soft track following wet weather late in the week, despite not having run in the conditions before.

“In the past he hasn’t raced on the rain-affected track before, so it’s going to be a little bit of a challenge. I hope the weather will recover and the track will be good for him. As I watched him training on the turf track this morning, I don’t think there is concern about handling the track condition,” Tezuka said.

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