Champions Day has been anything but the international meeting the Jockey Club craves in the past few years, but things are poised to take a step in the right direction later this month thanks to Dubai Honour.

Covid-19 ensured Champions Day was an all-local affair in 2020 and 2022, while in 2021 five Japanese horses made the trip and filled the first four placings in the Group One QE II Cup (2,000m) for their troubles.

Since the Jockey Club introduced Champions Day as Hong Kong’s second international meeting in 2018, the 15 Group Ones have been shared 13 to Hong Kong and two to Japan.

But after grabbing headlines with his demolition job of Australian superstar Anamoe in Saturday’s Group One Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2,000m) in Sydney, Dubai Honour is set to be the highest-profile horse from outside Asia to grace Champions Day since Santa Ana Lane finished fourth as the $1.8 favourite in the 2019 Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m).

You couldn’t wipe the smiles off the faces of Jockey Club officials at Sha Tin on Sunday after the performance of Dubai Honour and the confirmation that followed from trainer William Haggas that the five-year-old is bound for Hong Kong.

It’ll be the gelding’s second Sha Tin run after his fourth behind Loves Only You as a three-year-old in the 2021 Group One Hong Kong Cup (2,000m), and he’ll be attempting to take the QE II Cup riches outside Asia for the first time since British galloper Presvis prevailed in 2009.

Like he was on Saturday, it was Tom Marquand in the saddle at Sha Tin in 2021, with the jockey earning a suspension for spearing Dubai Honour through a gap that wasn’t really there in the home straight before he ran on strongly to finish only a length and a quarter adrift of Japanese darling Loves Only You.

“To be fair, he ran a great race that day and it’s probably fair to say things didn’t go 100 per cent to plan. He’s obviously a much more mature horse than when he last came and he’s in fantastic nick,” said Marquand, who will ride in Sydney this weekend before a quick trip home prior to stepping out at Sha Tin on April 30.

“He’s clearly in incredible order. He’s shown himself at the highest level twice now and it’s very exciting,” Marquand added, referencing Dubai Honour’s other Australian conquest, a win in the Group One Ranvet Stakes (2,000m) under Ryan Moore in March.

“It was a hell of a performance on Saturday. It’ll be interesting – it’s nice to have horses of this calibre travelling. It’s a game move to now go onto Hong Kong, but it’s exciting and it’s great for racing.”

Dubai Honour won’t be the only raider setting his sights on hometown hope Romantic Warrior, with either some or all of Geraldina, Prognosis, Danon The Kid and Hishi Iguazu looking to win the QE II Cup for Japan for the fourth time in seven years.

“I think it’s fair to say the Japanese horses are to be feared wherever they are in the world. They’re top-class horses. You have to hold them in high regard, they’ve shown what they can do,” Marquand said.

While Danny Shum Chap-shing’s Romantic Warrior will have to be at his very best to ward off the raiders in April 30’s 2,000m feature, the 1,200m and 1,600m Group Ones look poised to stay at home.

Kiwi miler Aegon shapes as one of the only overseas speed humps between Golden Sixty and a third straight Champions Mile – California Spangle will again be the two-time Horse of the Year’s biggest stumbling block – while Lucky Sweynesse appears to have the Chairman’s Sprint Prize at his mercy after a big showing in Sunday’s Group Two Sprint Cup (1,200m) at Sha Tin.

History against Man’s miler winning his first post-Hong Kong Derby encounter

As well as a local contingent spearheaded by four-time Group One winner and two-time reigning Chairman’s Sprint Prize champion Wellington, Lucky Sweynesse will have Japanese speedster Aguri and potentially another overseas sprinter to contend with, but there’s unlikely to be anything coming with the class required to compete with Manfred Man Ka-leung’s wrecking ball.