Presvis up for the cup

Connections of Presvis are cautiously optimistic ahead of tomorrow's defence of the Audemars Piguet QEII Cup.

The Luca Cumani-trained gelding won the Sha Tin feature 12 months ago and will be reunited with Ryan Moore, who has won five times on the six-year-old, in Hong Kong.

Christophe Lemaire did the steering on his last start in Dubai when the partnership had little luck in running in the Dubai Duty Free.

Presvis put the finishing touches to his preparation for the big race with a gentle Saturday-morning canter on Sha Tin’s all-weather track.

Cumani’s assistant, Charlie Henson, reported: “Had he had the opportunity to hit the line a bit stronger in the Duty Free, I guess I would be feeling more confident about his chances tomorrow.

“But he is in good shape and, as we know, he has done it here before.”

Presvis is the general joint-favourite, along with former William Haggas inmate Collection, to land back-to-back renewals of the Group One heat over a mile and a quarter.