Group One races are rarely won as easily as it might look on paper, but Designs On Rome's victory in the $8 million Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m) this afternoon at Sha Tin looks a formality.
Is there a warning in the knowledge that only two of the past 15 favourites have won the final Group One of the season, including defeats for the likes of Indigenous, Vengeance Of Rain, Ambitious Dragon, Collection and Viva Pataca at short odds?
Designs On Rome (Tommy Berry) will be short but not as short as Indigenous, a Hong Kong Vase winner and Japan Cup runner-up, when he was tipped over by stablemate Oriental Express in this race at 1.2 in 1999 going for his third in a row.
Yet, it is difficult to see where the danger comes from - Designs On Rome looks assured of running the 2,400m out, he is in rare form with wins in the BMW Hong Kong Derby and Audemars Piguet QE II Cup at his past two and has top Group One personnel behind him.
John Moore has won this six times previously and is looking for his seventh Group One this season at home, to go with the two he has won overseas in Dubai and Singapore, while Berry seems to eat Group Ones.
It is easy to visualise him steadying Designs On Rome to his usual spot at the rear of the small field, taking off around them from the 700m to put himself in the kill position again before easing off the throttle at the 500m. Then he presses at the 400m and the same scenario plays out for the fourth time running, as Designs On Rome collects the Cup and the Horse Of The Year title.
And consider the opposition. Same World and Bubble Chic aren't good enough, Liberator isn't the horse he was when he won this two years ago, and it would be a surprise if any of them got into the finish. Blazing Speed (Neil Callan) is a distance query, although he has had excuses recently.
Defending champion California Memory (Douglas Whyte) is a class act but now an eight-year-old, and hardly in the same form as he was last year, when he was coming off a second in the QE II Cup. And Dibayani was admirable in the Derby but finished further behind Designs On Rome in the QE II Cup so it has to be wondered whether he has peaked.
Dominant (Joao Moreira) looks the danger, despite a very flat effort in the QE II Cup.
While Military Attack attack defied the "flat from Dubai" syndrome, as he had not really had a race at Meydan, Dominant came off a terrific but a very hard run there from a wide draw and it showed. If he is over the trip now, he looks the obvious second choice, as he has excelled at the 2,400m trip.
