VERCINGETORIX and Sanshaawes are among the entries for the HK$14-million Gr1 Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup, to be staged at Sha Tin racecourse, Hong Kong on Sunday, April 27. Mike de Kock won the race in 2006 with Irridesence and in 2008 with Archipenko.

The showcase race day is among Hong Kong’s most glamorous occasions, mixing elite sport with high-end chic, and this 20th international edition of the prestigious 2000m contest promises to be one of the hottest ever staged. Other international nominations include France’s outstanding stalwart Cirrus Des Aigles, and the Japanese Classic winner Epiphaneia.

Sanshaawes: Competitive, will travel. (Andrew Watkins).

Last year’s AP QEII Cup victor Military Attack will have to replicate the brilliance he displayed 12 months ago if he is to become only the second horse to win back-to-back renewals. John Moore’s charge is currently rated the best 2,000m turf horse in the world, but as well as a strong overseas challenge, Hong Kong’s reigning Horse of the Year will have to contend with a home contingent brimming with established heroes and emerging stars, not least his own stablemate, this year’s outstanding BMW Hong Kong Derby victor Designs On Rome.

Designs On Rome will also face-off against his predecessor as BMW Hong Kong Derby champion, the Richard Gibson-trained Akeed Mofeed, both of which started their careers in Ireland.

Full list of selected runners as follows:

Audemars Piguet QEII Cup(Group 1)

Sunday 27 April 2014 – 2000m – Sha Tin – Turf

(HK$14 million / US$1.806 million)