Little Bridge's resounding Royal Ascot victory is unlikely to spark an avalanche of Hong Kong horses aimed at the event, with trainers saying the superior prize money and convenience of Asia's biggest sprints outweighs the prestige on offer in England.
Although thrilled that Danny Shum Chap-shing was able to lift Hong Kong's profile by winning Tuesday's GBP350,000 (HK$4.27 million) King's Stand Stakes, rival trainers insist dollars still make more sense to owners and that an end-of-season trip to the northern hemisphere will remain an extravagance.
'You have to travel twice as far, for half the money,' said Manfred Man Ka-leung, who targeted the US$1 million Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai earlier this year with Eagle Regiment, only to see his horse withdrawn on raceday.
'The first thing you think about is stake money - and in Japan and Dubai, compared to England, it's double at least - so my first choice is staying in Asia.'
For most international raiders at Ascot the lure is not prize money, but the massive increase in stud value European success provides. The vast majority of Hong Kong's horses are geldings, including Little Bridge, so the major attraction for owners is the chance to rub shoulders with royalty and make history.
Caspar Fownes didn't downplay the significance of Little Bridge's win, but reiterated that the motivation to race at Ascot wasn't monetary.
'You don't go there for stake money because it is like racing at home in a Group Two,' he said.