The last big day on the international stage sees a cracking card at Sha Tin.

The Fugue is all the rage in the Vase coming off a super summer and autumn campaign. A top performance in the Irish Champion Stakes beating Al Kazeem and Trading Leather sent her off favourite in the Breeders Cup Turf where she was collared by the late swoop of Magician. She’ll rightly go off a short price favourite for this as even though there’s some very decent quality animals in this there are none who have the sharp turn of foot that she possesses over the 12 f here. The concern about her however is she’s been on the go for a long time since the Ecplise in July and she might just tire from those excretions.

The German raider Nymphea presents an attractive alternative. She was a Group 1 winner in the Preis Von Berlin where she beat Temida 3 L who previously was a G1 winner herself in the Preis Von Bayern. She ran at Ascot on Champions Day in the Fillies and Mares but didn’t handle the soft conditions. She will like the Fugue relish this quick surface and on the PMU will be available at a decent price.

In the sprint Lord Kanaloa comes back from Japan to defend the sprint title he won last year. He’s since added three G1’s in four outing including last time out in the Sprinters Stakes at Nakayama in September. Like The Fugue he’ll be a short price and again he’s worth taking on. Eddie Lynam sends his two stars Sole Power and Slade Power from Ireland and the latter is preferred based on a good second in the Haydock Sprint Cup which was followed up with a win on Champions Day in the Sprint Stakes. He’s an improving four year old who has acted on the a quick surface before.

The Mile is a tremendous race. Anyone who saw Moonlight Cloud last time out on Arc day in the Prix De La Floret over 7 f will have been completely blown away with the run she produced. At the two furlong pole she was last with Thierry Jarnet looking like he had fallen asleep in the saddle. When he let out some reign she buried the field in a matter of strides. It was an electric turn of foot that could only be described as Arazi style. Prior to that she beat a real high class field in the Jacques Le Marois over the mile at Deauville. There is a concern, a major one, she has travelled for times from France and been beaten every time. Last year in the Breeders Cup Mile she never travelled however she did give Black Caviar’s supporters a serious fright when lunging late to go down a head in the Diamond Jubilee at Royal Ascot.

The one that could take her on is Gold Fun. The ex Ger Lyons inmate has proved himself a serious horse since moving east. He ran a beautiful race in the prep here two weeks ago and his trainer Richard Gibson will have him primed for this.

In the final Group 1 the Cup over 10 f there’s another ex Irish inmate who has turned local. From the same stable as Gold Fun Akeed Mofeed was considered a horse of very serious potential when handled by John Oxx as a two year old. Injury curtailed his career at three and he was sold east to run as as a four year old with the Hong Kong Derby as his primary target. He duly obliged. He was disappointing in the QE11 Cup in the spring but has been brought back with three preps for this in the Autumn two of which were over inadequate trips. Last time out he showed his class running wide from the back to be just touched off. In a classy international field he has the capability to see them off giving the locals something special to cheer about.

Recommendations :

Hong Kong Vase : Nymphea PMU E/W

Hong Kong Sprint : Slade Power PMU E/W

Hong Kong Mile : Gold Fun 5/1 win

Hong Kong Cup : Akeed Mofeed 5/1 win