Romantic Warrior not returning to chase a record-extending fourth straight win in the FWD QEII Cup seems like a blow to Champions Day but his absence might have been the making of the Hong Kong Jockey Club's spring showpiece.

It might seem strange that the greatest prize money earner of all-time and a Hong Kong hero skipping Champions Day has strengthened the meeting but it is clear that the foreign contingent have been incentivized by hope.

Just as Hong Kong's previous champion Golden Sixty's dominance weakened the mile races he contested at the Hong Kong International Races and Champions Day during his career, Romantic Warrior's reputation at 2,000 meters - where he has won 10 of 11 starts - has scared off potential rivals.

Sure, Romantic Warrior has beaten some proven international campaigners, including star Japanese trio Liberty Island, Prognosis and Tastiera, at Sha Tin in Group 1s previously, but connections of all three horses return this time knowing their nemesis won't be there.

The presence of the Japanese trio, New Zealand's best horse El Vencedor, Bahrain-trained Calif plus renowned globe-trotters Goliath and possibly Dubai Honour, who contests the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes in Sydney on Saturday, could create one of the best QEII Cup fields of recent times.

The make-up of the FWD QEII Cup entries list that features seven overseas runners from five countries in a field of 14 is reflective of the multi-jurisdictional make-up of the three Group 1s overall.

Taking into account the Hong Kong horses that were trained overseas previously, the nine G1 winners in the QEII Cup have won G1s in eight countries across four continents.

Champions Day has struggled to gain a foothold among the increasingly lucrative and crowded international feature race schedule as new players led by Saudi Arabia, and to a lesser extent Sydney, Bahrain and Qatar compete for international participation.

Sha Tin's "other" international day was becoming more like "Hong Kong v Japan Day", but this year's fields are a great sign that Champions Day could become a destination event for other countries too.

Romantic Warrior's exploits make Golden Sixty's retirement seem like years ago, but it will be the first Champions Mile without him since 2020 and that race too has benefitted from the absence of an "unbeatable" local.

Golden Sixty was still scaring off visitors himself until last year - when he was fourth in his final race as 1.5 favorite in a race that featured four overmatched visitors that filled the final four placings.

Voyage Bubble's tactical speed and toughness make him a formidable rival on home turf - he has won four straight at Sha Tin, including the last three Group 1s - but he doesn't carry the same invincible aura that Golden Sixty did.

Despite Hong Kong being a racing mecca for Australian trainers, jockeys, officials and media, and around 56 percent of the horse population being born there, horses trained Down Under have been hard to attract to Sha Tin's two invitational fixtures.

The boom in Australian prize money, driven by a bitter division between competing states New South Wales and Victoria, certainly hasn't helped Hong Kong's cause, but this year's Champions Mile features two highly credentialed runners, Mr Brightside and Royal Patronage.

The meeting isn't without a home grown champ to provide some fear factor to rivals of course: Ka Ying Rising, winner of 11 straight races, will start as the dominant favorite in the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize and could have the internationals second guessing travel plans for years to come.

Romantic Warrior's lofty international rating would have boosted the FWD QEII's standing overall, but only on paper, the diverse line-up and their converging international formlines in his place make for a better race.

The compelling storylines heading into Champions Day and its competitive fields more than make up for Romantic Warrior sitting this one out.