THE Aidan O'Brien-trained Highland Reel and Mike de Kock's Ertijaal the only two runners in Sunday's HK$20 million Audemars Piguet QEII Cup to emerge from this year's Dubai World Cup meeting, pleased their handlers when they went through their paces on track work at a rain-soaked Sha Tin today.

Highland Reel, who comes off a solid fourth behind Postponed in the longer Dubai Sheema Classic, cantered on the all-weather track and is pleasing assistant trainer Pat Keating who is supervising the horse's second Hong Kong campaign.

"The horse travelled well. He's a pretty seasoned traveller now and he's settled in well. Everything's gone quite smoothly to the point," Keating said of Highland Reel who won the Hong Kong Vase in December after running third to Winx in the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley last October.

Highland Reel's past two runs have been at 12 furlongs but the drop back to 10 furlongs is no issue according to Keating. "He's a versatile galloper and the trip's no problem. He did win the Secretariat (Stakes) at the distance and was good behind what we now know is a very smart filly (Winx) in the Cox Plate. That form has held up," he said.

Ertijaal, a strong closing fourth to Real Steel in the Dubai Turf on World Cup night, had an easy workout on the turf course.

Assistant trainer to Mike de Kock, Trevor Brown, looking after Ertijaal, is similarly optimistic about the prospects of the Australian bred four-year-old in the colours of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

"The horse has done well and he's quite adaptable. The one thing I'd say we do want is a true pace. It looks quite a solid race this year," said Brown.

"I will sit down and go through the race with Douglas (Whyte). He'll know more about it than me and we can sort out a plan.”

Mike de Kock and Brown have been frequent visitors to Hong Kong but this is the first appearance since 2014 when their charge Variety Club scored a stunning four lengths win over Able Friend in the Champions Mile.

De Kock's two previous winners also progressed from Dubai. Archipenko was third in the Dubai Duty Free (now the Dubai Turf), while Irridescence won the Balanchine Stakes.

In all, four horses have won the QEII Cup since 2001 when it achieved Group 1 status, after competing in Dubai, including Silvano on 2001 and Presvis in 2009.

The field also contains home stars, Blazing Speed, the John Moore trio, Designs On Rome, Werther, Helene Happy Star, Japanese stars Lovely Day, Nuovo Record and Rising Romance from Australia.