Many of Hong Kong's myriad racing journalists must be flush with pride to learn their work is so influential following Brian Kan Ping-chee's comments this week.
Did the owner of Industrial Pioneer really prefer to scratch the horse from the QE II Cup rather than heed the advice of his trainer after reading press reports that Gerald Mosse had not been overjoyed with the gelding's action after trackwork?
Nevertheless, the 2001 Derby hero is not running and we must cool our heels for his next appearance. By and large, the locals are intact, but the overall trials and tribulations of keeping the QE II Cup field together have showed that, if anything, joining the World Series at this time of year is no easy matter.
The quality Arab horses are plentiful enough for Godolphin to have a runner in anything, anytime, and the Arab owners support the World Series concept vigorously, but they are not where the trouble lies.
The European season is still young, so the attraction of French, British and Irish runners is not a simple task. To run in Hong Kong and do themselves justice, they must be ready very early and connections need to take the chance that their horses will still have a peak to reach even after Hong Kong.
And the Americans are almost impossible to attract at the best of times, although Hong Kong officials are optimistic there may be an opening by targeting those horses which race through the winter in Florida and will therefore be fit and ready. Or they might have had enough.
