Cummings stable aiming pair for tilts at Queen Elizabeth II Cup

Brilliant International Bowl winner Catalan Opening is being aimed for April's Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Sha Tin with back-up from the powerful Bart Cummings stable coming from Melbourne Cup hopeful, Perpetual Check.

Both horses run in the dark blue and yellow checked colours of Dato Tan Chin Nam, of Malaysia, and the owner is mustard-keen to try his luck again in Hong Kong.

Catalan Opening, a Group One winner in Australia and superb winner of last season's International Bowl, was being set for last December's renewal of the $7 million International Cup when he split a hoof.

Legendary trainer Cummings confirmed from Sydney that plans were well advanced to run one or both in the QEII Cup where powerful local opposition would come from Chinese New Year Cup winner Oriental Express, runner-up Johan Cruyff and, of course, Indigenous.

Said Cummings: 'The owner is very keen to run Catalan Opening and we are happy to go along with that plan. The horse has come back well from the problems and the race is ideal for him. He won over 1,400 metres a while back in Hong Kong but needs longer than that now to be really effective.

'Perpetual Check is being aimed for the Melbourne Cup but we are going to enter him for the Queen Elizabeth II Cup up there and he could go if he gets invited,' added Cummings.