International success not only embellishes the reputation of horses, races and racecourses. It also adds considerable kudos to the status of trainers. Hence the opening of Hong Kong racing to overseas competition has boosted the standing of many names who might otherwise have stayed hidden in their own countries.

On the way up or firmly established in familiar surroundings, trainers from both ends of the spectrum have taken up the Hong Kong challenge, as typified by this week’s FWD Champions Day fixture, to which Britain is sending two tyros and an elder statesman from its training ranks.

William Haggas, who turns 64 in August, runs Dubai Honour in a bid to improve on his two-and-a-half length third to Romantic Warrior in last year’s FWD QEII Cup, which would give him his 30th Group or Grade 1 victory in a training career that registered its first success in 1987.

He is joined by two mid-30-year-olds, his former assistant Archie Watson, who sends Brave Emperor in the FWD Champions Mile, and George Boughey, who will saddle Believing in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize. Both are making their debuts in Hong Kong – Watson will be on his first visit - but the journey is a natural fit in their remarkably similar individual experiences of working overseas and then travelling their own horses in short careers.

Boughey, who is in his sixth season training at Newmarket, gained his initial experience in the bloodstock world with agents Tom Goff and Luke Lillingston, before working for Gai Waterhouse and Lloyd Williams in Australia. With the wanderlust satisfied, he returned to assist Hugo Palmer until he branched out on his own in 2019.

Watson also worked for Goff’s agency Blandford Bloodstock before managing a satellite yard in South Africa for Alex Laird – trainer of 1997 QEII Cup winner London News – and spending a short time with Simon Callaghan in California. The chance to act as assistant to Haggas came in 2012, before he took out his first licence in Lambourn in 2018.

It is no coincidence that overseas programming, and success, has been a significant feature in their parallel careers. Both quickly identified the benefits of travel for reputation and reward, with 16 of Watson’s 45 wins at Listed level and above coming outside Britain and Ireland, and Boughey clocking an even better average of 12 such wins abroad from 23 overall.

Haggas’s recent record abroad has largely centred on Australia, where Addeybb’s double in the Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick was repeated by Dubai Honour last year. A similar campaign for Dubai Honour has been out aside in favour of Hong Kong.

The decision is an echo of the QEII Cup’s impact on overseas connections in the glory days of 1995, the first year of international competition, when UAE-trained Red Bishop was successful, to 2009, the year of the last British-trained winner, Presvis. Reputations were made, from that of Saeed bin Suroor, successful for Godolphin with Overbury in 1996, to German-trained Silvano, who clinched the now-defunct Emirates World Racing Championship in 2001.

No-one emerged with more credit during this period than South African trainer Mike de Kock, who quickly spotted an opportunity to travel on from the Dubai season. His nine QEII Cup  runners between 2006-16 yielded two winners with Irridescence and Archipenko and an untold amount of international kudos.

Since 2009, no QEII Cup winner has been trained outside Hong Kong or Japan, and the removal of two aspects of de Kock’s plan of attack have produced circumstances that have not always conspired to create the right conditions.

Most significantly, the Dubai route to Hong has been badly interrupted by the EU ban on horse movement from South Africa – recently repealed with huge help from the Hong Kong Jockey Club – and a greatly improved Middle East racing programme.

British involvement has also been affected by upwardly mobile changes to the domestic winter all-weather programme and the uplift in activity in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain, where many owners either live or have business interests.

A bold showing from Dubai Honour, Brave Emperor and Believing may change a few minds, as well boost the names of Haggas, Boughey and Watson. After all, money does talk.