'Designs' On Another QE II

Jockey Tommy Berry has made the most of his visits to Hong Kong over the past four seasons, and Designs On Rome (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), the horse responsible for a good deal of that success, will try to give the top Australian rider his third win in four years in Sunday's G1 Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse.

Victorious in this event in 2014 on the heels of his thrilling defeat of Able Friend (Aus) (Shamardal) in that year's Hong Kong Derby, the bay was fourth by two lengths behind Blazing Speed (GB) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}) in defense of his title last season, then underwent surgery on both front fetlocks. He was slow to come to hand this year, including a fourth as the surprising favorite when second-up in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup, but was back to something close to his best when defeating stablemate Helene Happy Star (Ire) (Zamindar) in the G1 Citibank Hong Kong Gold Cup over this track and distance Feb. 28. He prepped for this with a third in the Chairman's Trophy over an insufficient 1600 metres Apr. 3 and figures a good price in this talented field.

The third runner who will try to give trainer John Moore a fifth win in the QE II is Werther (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}). The 4-year-old has not set a hoof wrong since his victorious local debut on the international races undercard Dec. 13 and exits a staying-on success in the Hong Kong Derby Mar. 20. To read between the lines, Moore just may believe he's the pick of the trio.

“He's the sort of horse that can lay up and the Japanese horses won't get too far away,” the Australian conditioner offered. “Designs On Rome, the race might not be run to suit, but Werther worked really well–he came home really strongly and pulled up clean in the wind. He's gone on from the Derby.”

Japanese-based horses took home two of the four trophies from the internationals and the nation puts forth three credentialed performers in search of a fourth QE II triumph. Lovely Day (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) is the most decorated of the three, his defeat of Hong Kong Cup also-ran and 2015 QE II runner-up Staphanos (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in last year's G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) stamping him as the country's leading 2000-metre horse. Third in the G1 Japan Cup and fifth in the G1 Arima Kinen in his two final runs last term, he resumed with a useful fourth to Ambitious (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the G2 Osaka Hai Apr. 3. Trainer Yasutoshi Ikee reaches out for leading local rider Joao Moreira.

“My agent in Japan contacted me and asked me if I was interested in riding Lovely Day,” said the Brazilian. “Then after seeing all the replays of Lovely Day, I said 'yes' immediately to my agent. I think Lovely Day will have a big chance; he must be in the first four.”

Nuovo Record (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) makes her second trip to Hong Kong, having completed a Japanese quinella behind front-running A Shin Hikari (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the Hong Kong Cup. She gets the services of the latter's jockey Yutaka Take and will try to improve off a first-up sixth in the Osaka Hai.

Satono Crown (Jpn) (Marju {Ire}) has solid form through Duramente (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) last season, with a third to the recent G1 Dubai Sheema Classic runner-up in the G1 Tokyo Yushun. Only 17th to Lovely Day in the Tenno Sho, he belied odds of 8-1 to record a three-length victory in the G2 Kyoto Kinen over yielding turf Feb. 14 and those underfoot conditions are expected Sunday.

It would be foolish to summarily dismiss the chances of the globetrotting Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who gave trainer Aidan O'Brien with his first Hong Kong winner when taking out the G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase over the metric 12 furlongs last December. Winner of the GI Secretariat S. and third to Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) in the G1 Cox Plate at or about this journey, the 4-year-old has trained with vigour over the all-weather this past week.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club is offering a live webcast of the QE II at 4:35 p.m. local time (4:35 a.m. ET). Click here for the HKJC past performances.