British challengers Royal Champion and Docklands had their first canters at Sha Tin on Wednesday morning as they geared up towards their Group One targets, but there was a scare for Japan’s June Take just moments before.

Royal Champion is one of the key contenders for the Group One QEII Cup (2,000m), a race where he will take on Hong Kong’s global champion Romantic Warrior and Japan’s top-class Masquerade Ball.

The Karl Burke-trained galloper arrives in career-best form, winning the Group Two Bahrain International Trophy (2,000m) two starts ago before his crowning moment when claiming the Group One Neom Turf Cup (2,100m) in Riyadh – his first top-level success.

By design, like his compatriot Docklands, he did some light work in Sha Tin’s quarantine stables on Monday and Tuesday, but worked well on the dirt on Wednesday as he begins building up to taking on a pair of global titans.

“He’s travelled over very well – he’s very professional as he has done this many times before,” Burke’s representative Jack Lander said. “He’s done very well since Bahrain and Saudi.

“At eight years old, he’s very professional and done it all before. He’s got such a good attitude towards travelling and it makes it much easier that he takes it all in his stride.

“He won very well last time in Saudi Arabia and if he turns up in the same form, he’ll put up a good fight. He’s been in very good form for a while now, even in England he won a Group Two at York in great fashion and has taken that form across to Bahrain and Saudi.

“If he performs like he did in Saudi or Bahrain, we’d hope he’ll put up a very good fight. We’re hopeful.”

Docklands will make his third appearance at Sha Tin on Sunday in the Group One Champions Mile, having run in the Group One Hong Kong Mile for the last two years.

Most recently, he finished fourth in that race in December, two and a half lengths behind Voyage Bubble, before returning to the United Kingdom to win the Listed Doncaster Mile last month.

From the moment he hopped off the plane, Docklands knew exactly where he was according to Harry Eustace’s stable representative Laura Pike, and is in top condition ahead of Sunday.

“He’s great, as always, he always loves travelling – he knew where he was when he got off the horsebox,” Pike said. “It’s his first day out on the track today, but he’s been in the ring and has been out generally.

“Usually he’s here 10 days before, but it’s only a week this time so he came out this morning to have a freshen up. He only ran three weeks ago so he’s fit, so we just want to get him happy and freshen him up.

“He just had a canter and will probably go on the grass on Friday; he had the prep run [at Doncaster] and he won that nicely.”

Elsewhere on Wednesday morning, Group One Hong Kong Vase (2,400m) winner Sosie continued his preparation for the QEII Cup with a gallop on the turf and Andre Fabre’s travelling head lad Richard Lambert is looking forward to a “special” race.

“His work was good; he has good condition and the travel is no problem. His adaptation to Hong Kong has been good. The rider is happy,” Lambert said.

“It’s a special race. It’s different to December, the distance and there are some good horses – Hong Kong legend Romantic Warrior, the Japanese horses and the English horse, Royal Champion, who won in Riyadh.”

Meanwhile, there was a scare for the Hidenori Take-trained June Take, who was pulled up during his work by Joao Moreira and subsequently loaded onto the horse ambulance.

He was reported to be fine by Moreira, however, and has been given a thorough once-over by the Jockey Club’s veterinary staff.

“Everything was fine until we got galloping – as he crossed the line he just pulled up,” Moreira said. “I got off as I thought something was wrong, but I walked him for a few steps and he seemed absolutely fine.

“The Jockey Club has a team of doctors that will given him a thorough check and if there are any problems, they will report it.”