KEY POINTS:
Magic Cape is being aimed at the A$3 million Cox Plate.
The four-year-old's close third in Saturday's $2 million Kelt Capital Stakes has convinced the owners to have a crack at the Southern Hemisphere's richest weight-for-age race.
The complication is that an Australian campaign could put at risk
Magic Cape's proposed attack on the 2400m Hong Kong Bowl in December.
No protocol has yet been established to take horses to Hong Kong from Victoria, which remains free of EI.
Cambridge trainer Shaune Ritchie has had discussions with the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Mark Player, formerly one of New Zealand's racing executives.
"Mark said the Jockey Club is working with Hong Kong authorities to look at setting up a protocol that will allow horses in for the international meeting that have raced at the Melbourne spring carnival," said Ritchie.
"It has been suggested that horses spend two weeks in isolation at the Sandown quarantine station then be allowed into Hong Kong.
"According to Mark, talks are well advanced in getting that set up."
Any horse looking to be invited to Hong Kong would share the Sandown station with Northern Hemisphere horses in Australia for the spring carnival.
The quarantine station is well appointed and with no Australian horses trained at Sandown, horses quarantined there have full use of the Sandown racetrack.
As a group one winner of the 2000 Guineas last season, Magic Cape is qualified to run in the Cox Plate.
"I spoke to Freddie Fox [Moonee Valley executive] and he said they are expecting a field of 11 for the Cox Plate.
"Even if, for some reason, we decided not to run there, there is the Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington the following Saturday."
Ritchie was surprised New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing's handicappers elevated Magic Cape from a rating of 94 to 104 for finishing third at Hastings on Saturday.
"The winner Princess Coup only went up eight rating points and second horse J'Adane went up 10 as well.
"It means Magic Cape has gone from the bottom of the handicap to the top without winning," said Ritchie.
"He carried 52.5kg when he finished second to Mandela at Pukekohe two starts back and now if he ran in the Matamata Cup on Saturday he'd have joint topweight with Bon Jour.
"It means he's pretty much weighted out of handicaps here."
* Seachange has been pulled out of the Cox Plate, her connections not prepared to send her with the uncertainty she faced after the race because of the EI problem.
Ownership manager Rick Williams said Queensland owner Dick Karreman has left the decisions on a programme up to him.
"It's 90 per cent we'll run in the Captain Cook Stakes at Trentham provided the track is okay.
"Then we'll scratch our head," said Williams.
"She's nominated for the mile at Hong Kong in December, which is right-handed so it's not ideal, but it's a big race."
