QE II Noms Include ‘Designs,’ Not Luger

Officials at the Hong Kong Jockey Club have released a list of 13 invitees for the G1 Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse Apr. 26, a group that includes defending race champion and reigning Horse of the YearDesigns on Rome (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), but not Luger (Aus) (Choisir {Aus}), recent winner of the prestigious Hong Kong Derby. The race has received a 43% hike in purse money from HK$14 million to HK$20 million (US2,580,628).

Fresh off a deceptively good fourth-place effort in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic over 2410 meters, Designs on Rome is set to cut back to his pet trip of 10 furlongs at which he has registered four wins from five tries. He is a two-time winner at the distance this season, having defeated Military Attack (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}) in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup this past December and the G1 Hong Kong Gold Cup Mar. 1. The latter, who announced his arrival on the international stage when besting California Memory (Highest Honor {Fr}) in the 2013 QE II Cup, was just touched off by Designs on Rome 12 months ago and could look to turn the tables this time around. 

A pair of runners set to make an appearance in the Australian version of the G1 Queen Elizabeth S. at The Championships at Randwick this Saturday are also among the invitees. Ron Arculli, former chief executive of the HKJC, could be represented in the race by the pouplar globetrotter Red Cadeaux (GB) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}), who achieved one of his career high-water marks in the 2012 Hong Kong Cup over the 2400 meters at Sha Tin. The 9-year-old exits a running-on fifth in the G1 Australian Cup at Flemington Mar. 14. Criterion (NZ) (Sebring {Aus}) also sports solid Hong Kong form, having put a scare into the locals when a good third for trainer David Hayes in December’s Hong Kong Cup. 

Smoking Sun (Smart Strike) announced himself as a potential player on the international stage when coming home second to Hong Kong’s Dan Excel (Ire) (Shamardal) while finishing ahead of Military Attack in last year’s G1 Singapore Airlines International Cup at Kranji. The Niarchos homebred, trained by Pascal Bary, returned to action with an eighth behind Al Kazeem (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G2 Prix d’Harcourt over unsuitably easy ground at Longchamp Apr. 6. 

Helene Happy Star (Ire) (Zamindar) represents the local 4-year-old form, but he will not be joined in the gate by Luger, who defeated him two lengths into fourth in the Hong Kong Derby Mar. 15. Luger is expected to take on world joint-highest rated horse Able Friend (Aus) (Shamardal) in the G1 BMW Champions Mile May 3. 

“The APQEII Cup is ranked among the top 20 Group 1 races in the world and the quality of the 13 selected runners for this year’s race certainly lives up to that,” commented Bill Nader, executive director of racing for the HKJC. “The Hong Kong contingent features two past winners in Designs On Rome and Military Attack, both of whom are well-established among the best 2000-meter turf runners in the world, and, as usual, we have some talented challengers flying in from overseas.”