Past Three Winners Return for Hong Kong's QE II

The past three winners of the Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) all will be looking for a repeat April 30 at Sha Tin against contenders from Japan, France, and Australia, and another pair from their own ranks.

The 2,000-meter (about 10-furlong) fixture starts a run of four group 1 events as the Hong Kong season winds toward conclusion.

The trio of locally-based previous winners is headed by Werther, the reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year and winner of both the BMW Hong Kong Derby (G1) and the QE II last season. Blazing Speed won the 2015 QE II and Designs on Rome landed the 2014 edition en route to being named that season's Horse of the Year.

This time around Werther, a 6-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding by Tavistok, has the hot hand. After being sidelined earlier in the season, Werther returned to form to win the Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (G1) in February at 2,000 meters and then warmed up for Sunday's race with a decent fourth going 1,600 meters (about one mile) in the Chairman's Trophy (G2) April 9.

Trainer John Moore said the delay in starting his campaign may be working to Werther's advantage. While competitors may be weary from a long season, his star is full of vigor and "running his brand off" in training.

"Werther's as fit as he was last year and the interrupted start to the season has meant that we lead into this race off a perfect prep," Moore said after Werther appeared early on the work tab during a rainy Wednesday morning. "He's peaking at the right time and his work this morning was just what I wanted to see."

Hugh Bowman will ride Werther, as he did in last year's edition to a commanding 4 1/2 length win.

Blazing Speed, an 8-year-old Dylan Thomas gelding, hasn't visited the winner's enclosure often since taking down the 2015 QE II Cup but finished only a short head behind Werther in the Gold Cup. He worked briefly on the wet all-weather track Wednesday morning and trainer Tony Cruz said Blazing Speed is "condition-wise, fitness-wise, 100%."

Designs On Rome, a 7-year-old Holy Roman Emperor gelding, needs a serious reversal of form to return to contention. Once the star of Moore's dominant stable, Designs on Rome has shown only brief flashes of his early brilliance in recent years and finished sixth of seven in the Gold Cup.

"If he could run third or fourth (Sunday), it would be a very good result," Moore said after Designs on Rome's Wednesday gallop. "Anything in front of that would be a bonus."

Coming from Japan to challenge the locals is Neorealism, a 6-year-old son of Neo Universe. His primary claim to fame is defeating Maurice in the 2,000-meter Sapporo Kinen (G2) last August. The Noriyuki Hori trainee finished ninth in December's Longines Hong Kong Mile (G1) and last was seen winning the Nakayama Kinen (G2) at 1,800 meters.

Local star jockey Joao Moreira has the mount on Neorealism.

Dicton will represent France. The 4-year-old Lawman colt won a group 3 event at Chantilly in January of his 3-year-old season and then finished third behind Almanzor in the Prix du Jockey Club (G1)—the French Derby—in June.

In his first overseas adventure, Dicton seemed a bit uncertain during his Wednesday morning work on both the turf and all-weather at Sha Tin.

"The horse is in good order and we're hopeful," said Rupert Pritchard-Gordon, racing manager for owner Robert Ng.

The third overseas hopeful is The United States, an Irish-bred, 7-year-old son of Galileo who represents Australia. He has been knocking heads with some of Australia's top middle-distance runners and finished fourth behind the super mare Winx in his most recent start, Australia's Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) at Randwick April 8.

Two other local runners easily could throw a monkey wrench into the works.

Secret Weapon, a 7-year-old gelding by Choisir, finished second to Maurice in last December's Hong Kong Cup at Sunday's distance and ran a close third in the Gold Cup.

The local "youth" is served by Pakistan Star, a German-bred 4-year-old by Shamardal. Pakistan Star quickly developed a big fan base with gigantic runs from the rear of the field in his early-season efforts and finished second to potential 2016-17 Horse of the Year Rapper Dragon in the final two legs of the Hong Kong Classic 4-year-old series.

At Sha Tin, the 2,000-meter races start with a short run into the first turn and the field doesn't straighten out until the 1,400-meter mark (about seven furlongs). But with a field of eight, all the runners should have time to find position. On form Neorealism should be on or near the lead, but several others project to keep that one honest. A hot pace could play in to Pakistan Star's game.

The QE II became an international event in 1995 and achieved group 1 status in 2001. The current purse of HK$20 million equates to about US$2.57 million.

The race is a highlight of the Hong Kong social season, with coverage by fashion and society segments of the media, as well as the extensive local racing media establishment.

The Champions Mile and the Chairman's Sprint Prize May 5, and the Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup May 28 wrap up Hong Kong's group 1 season.