A new Hong Kong record for consecutive wins, back-to-back Speed Series and The Everest (1,200m) victories, another Triple Crown victor and a fifth straight Group One Hong Kong Cup (2,000m) success.

In a sport as unpredictable as horse racing it can be dangerous looking too far into the future, but that is what could easily lie ahead in 2026 for the city’s two champion gallopers, Ka Ying Rising and Romantic Warrior.

The world’s best sprinter and highest-earning racehorse of all time kicked off their 2026 campaigns by once again dominating their rivals in Sunday’s Group One Centenary Sprint Cup (1,200m) and Group One Stewards’ Cup (1,600m) respectively.

Ka Ying Rising equalled the great Silent Witness’ record of 17 straight victories – a benchmark he will no doubt eclipse on his next start in the Group One Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1,400m).

And Romantic Warrior started his march towards Triple Crown glory by claiming the first leg, adding a 12th elite-level triumph to his stunning record.

It is truly a golden era with these two modern-day greats winning Group Ones for fun. They both possess the air of invincibility – something Ka Ying Rising’s trainer David Hayes touched on after Sunday’s victory – that makes their next historic achievements seem like a fait accompli.

“He’s stronger and he’s mentally calmer – you never say invincible, but very close to it,” Hayes said.

“At the moment, something would have to go terribly wrong out of the gates, or get knocked down or get injured [to be beaten]. He’s sort of got the world at his feet, hasn’t he?”

Last year was the first time in history that the Speed Series and Triple Crown were won in the same season, with Ka Ying Rising and Voyage Bubble claiming both titles, and that looks on the cards again in 2026.

Voyage Bubble was only the second galloper ever – and the first in 31 years – to win the Triple Crown and Romantic Warrior is poised to follow in his footsteps, with the Group One Gold Cup (2,000m) and Group One Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m) at his mercy.

“I think we were blessed to see two of the greatest horses in racing – not only Hong Kong,” Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said after Sunday’s meeting.

“Ka Ying Rising, it will be interesting now setting a new record and then Romantic Warrior is a once-in-a-lifetime horse. His ability to overcome any difficulties is absolutely sensational.

“The owner [Peter Lau Pak-fai] has decided to stay in Hong Kong and will have a go at the Triple Crown, which would really be the crowning of everything he has achieved.

“We have 1,322 horses [in Hong Kong] and having two of these horses at the same time, it’s amazing.”

He might be eight years old now but Romantic Warrior continues to race at or near enough to his best form, so a fifth straight Hong Kong Cup in December is more than realistic provided he has no setbacks.

The HK$247.38 million earner’s fetlock injury last year had a significant impact on Danny Shum Chap-shing, who revealed to local media recently that he would seriously consider retiring from training when his stable star’s racing career finishes.

However, after subsequent discussions with the Jockey Club, the now 66-year-old Shum assured officials he would honour the five-year extension granted to him when he turned 65.