It was not so long ago that racehorses rarely ventured outside their own national borders but a quick look at this year's select band of international contenders for the AP QEII Cup at Sha Tin underlines just how much things have changed.
Photo by Pat Healy Photography
Consider the resume of Aidan O'Brien's Treasure Beach. His past seven starts have come in six different countries from England, Ireland and France to America, Canada and Dubai.
The world-wide promotion of international racing, largely spearheaded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, has seen a radical change in the approach of so many trainers with South Africa's Mike de Kock chief among them and he shoots for a third AP QEII Cup win with Viscount Nelson who's raced in four different countries.
And, just for good measure, France's representative Chinchon has travelled the globe from Europe to Singapore, Dubai, Canada and the United States - not to mention that he came to Hong Kong in 2009 and finished one and a quarter lengths 4th behind Presvis in the Audemas Piguet sponsored feature at 2000 metres.
De Kock, who has confirmed that Musir will also come to Hong Kong to contest the BMW Champions Mile, is confident that Viscount Nelson can progress from his Dubai Godolphin Mile second to be competitive in Hong Kong.
“The distance will suit him and he's the right sort of horse to travel,” he said.
De Kock won the race in 2006 and 2008 with Irridescence and Archipenko and also trained Greys Inn who was runner-up to local superstar Vengeance Of Rain in 2005.
Treasure Beach is a proven international performer who won the Irish Derby at three after his close second in the Derby at Epsom.
He later travelled to the US where he won the G1 Secretariat Stakes at Arlington Park in August last year. At his most recent run, he finished fourth to Cirrus Des Aigles in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic.
Rulership, fourth to Japan's Triple Crown sensation Orfevre in December's G1 Arima Kinen, is much less travelled than the three other overseas contenders but his form can be lined up through Chinchon.
They both contested the 2011 Sheema Classic in Dubai (won by Rewilding) with Chinchon fifth and Rulership sixth.
Rulership is a multiple Group 2 winner for trainer Katsuhiko Sumii, who's enjoyed international success, and is bidding to become the second Japanese winner of the AP QEII Cup after dual winner Eishin Preston (2002 and 2003).
Chinchon's biggest success came in the G1 United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park in 2010 and Carlos Laffon-Parias' charge warmed up for the AP QEII Cup with a Group 3 victory at Saint-Cloud last month.
