Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong
AUDEMARS PIGUET QUEEN ELIZABETH II CUP-G1, HK$14,000,000 ($1,804,233), Sha Tin, 4-29, 3yo/up, 2000mT, 2:02.38, gd/yl.
1--RULERSHIP (JPN), 126, h, 5, by King Kamehameha (Jpn)
1st Dam: Air Groove (Jpn) (Horse of the Year, Ch. Older Mare-Jpn, MSW & MG1SP-Jpn, $6,832,242), by Tony Bin (Ire)
2nd Dam: Dyna Carle (Jpn), by Northern Taste
3rd Dam: =Shadai Feather, by Guersant (Fr) 
O-Sunday Racing Co Ltd; B-Northern Racing; T-Katsuhiko Sumii; J-Umberto Rispoli; HK$7,980,000. Lifetime Record: MGSW-Jpn, 16-8-1-1. *1/ 2 to Admire Groove (Jpn) (Sunday Silence), Ch. Older Mare-Jpn, MSW-Jpn, $4,979,954; and Forgettable (Jpn) (Dance in the Dark {Jpn}), MGSW-Jpn, $2,606,164. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2--Thumbs Up (NZ), 126, g, 7, Shinko King (Ire)--Regelle (NZ), by Exploding Prospect. O-Leung Chung Shan; B-Miss S Hale et al; T-Caspar Fownes; HK$3,080,000.
3--Sweet Orange, 126, c, 4, War Front--Good Vibes, by Unbridled's Song. O-Tong Wang Chow; B-Good Vibes Syndicate; T-David Ferraris; HK$1,400,000.
Margins: 3 3/4, NK, 3/4. Odds: 9-2, 9-2, 2-1.
Also Ran: Zaidan, California Memory, Pure Champion (Ire), Irian (Ger), Chinchon (Ire), Treasure Beach (Ire), Fay Fay (NZ), Mr Medici (Ire), Viscount Nelson, Collection (Ire).
Click for the HKJC.com chart (video included), the HKJC.com PPs or the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree.
   We've read the script before--Japanese horse trained by Katsuhiko Sumii, Italian rider, big-race win. It was a little more than a year ago that the Sumii-trained Victoire Pisa (Jpn), ridden by Mirco Demuro, took out the G1 Dubai World Cup, and Sunday, though in a race not nearly as valuable, Umberto Rispoli and Rulership got through at the fence turning for home and gave Japan its third win in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup. Solid at home, the 5-year-old was well bet, but could manage just a fifth in the G1 Takarazuka Kinen last June, then was fourth, beaten 1 3/4 lengths behind Orfevre (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) in the G1 Arima Kinen when first-up Dec. 25. He followed up with a short-priced win in the G2 American Jockey Club S. Jan. 22, but disappointed when third at 2-5 in the G2 Nikkei Sho Mar. 24. He took plenty of tote action here as he looked to join Eishin Preston (Green Dancer) as Japanese-based winners of the QE II. Ridden positively by Rispoli, Rulership was one of five in the early mix out of the stretch, but Douglas Whyte wanted the lead on Hong Kong Derby hero Fay Fay (NZ) (Falkirk) and crossed over to the fence despite doing some work to get there. Treasure Beach (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) applied token pressure over the rain-affected going while Rulership got an ideal spot a bit further back against the rail. Fay Fay was having a soft time of it on the engine, covering the opening 1200 meters in a pedestrian 1:16.68, but he drifted a touch away from the rail nearing the stretch. Reacting immediately, Rispoli sent Rulership through to lead nearing the 300-meter mark and stretched impressively away. Thumbs Up rallied gamely for second ahead of Sweet Orange, whose late kick may have been blunted some by the ease in the ground. After arriving in Hong Kong in February, the winning rider was shut out in his first 70 rides, but capped his local contract in style Sunday. "I rode the horse two mornings ago and he worked very well but I had two fears before the race," revealed Rispoli. "I was worried about the ground because yesterday and this morning there was very hard rain, and also the pace, I was sure it was going to be very slow. I saw Fay Fay was a meter and a half from the rail so I had one chance to take that gap and I chose to go inside. The horse wasn't scared and he went through easily and ran very well to the finish." Rulership is a candidate for the G1 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup in December.