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While a victory eluded Australian-trained horses at Sha Tin on Sunday there was a strong Australian connection to the Hong Kong Vase winer Highland Reel.

A Cox Plate placegetter in October, the Aidan O'Brien-trained and Coolmore-owned Highland Reel has pedigree connections through his dam Hveger, an Australian Oaks placegetter.

A daughter of Danehill, Hveger is a sister to Caulfield Cup and Dubai Duty Free winner and now dual hemisphere sire Elvstroem and a half-sister to Haradasun (Fusaichi Pegasus), a dual G1 winner in Australia and winner of the G1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Hey are all products of the G1 AJC Oaks winner Circles Of Gold (Marscay) who produced nine winners from 11 foals to race.

Hveger is also the dam of G1 VRC Oaks and G1 Vinery Stud Stakes placed filly Valdemoro (Encosta De Lago).

Highland Reel, by Coolmore’s champion sire Galileo, is the first Hong Kong winner trained by Aidan O’Brien.

Still only a three-year-old, Highland Reel became th first of his age to win the HK Vase when he led home a European trifecta, beating last year’s winner Flintshire (Dansili) by a length and a half with Dariyan (Shamardal) third, a further length and a half back.

Third to Winx in the G1 WS Cox Plate at Moonee Valey at his previous start, Highland Reel is the first Irish-trained Hong Kong international winner since Alexander Goldrun won the 2004 Hong Kong Cup.

Highland Reel won his first G1 in the Secretariat Stakes at Arlington in Chicago in August and now boasts five wins from 11 starts with prize money of $A1,362,743.

He was a 450,000gns purchase by Stephen Hillen Bloodstock at the 2012 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book One.

• JAPAN’s leading miler Maurice, a son of Screen Hero, upset the Hong Kong champion Able Friend’s bid to win the Hong Kong Mile for the second successive year.

Maurice won the G1 Mile Championship three weeks ago at Kyoto and has now won three G1 races among eight victories in 13 starts.

The 4YO is out of the Carnegie mare Mejiro Frances and is the only stakes winner among four winners produced by that mare.

Maurice’s second dam Mejiro Monterey (Mogami, was a dual G2 winner in Japan and dam of four winners from seven foals to race.

• JAPAN’s bold front runner A Shin Hikari became the 21st G1 winner for his champion sire Deep Impact when he ran his rivals ragged in the Hong Kong Cup.

Japanese-trained runners dominated with the 2014 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) winner Nuovo Record (Heart’s Cry) finishing second.

A Shin Hikari is the first Japanese-trained winner of the HK Cup since Agnes Digital in 2001.

The 4YO A Shin Hikari (Deep Impact x Catalina by Storm Cat) is now the winner of nine races from 11 starts and is one of six winners out of the three time US-winning mare Catalina.

She is a half-sister to G1 Santa Anita Handicap winner Sir Beaufort (Pleasant Colony) and has also produced the stakes performers in A Shin Cool D (Distorted Humor) and A Shin P C (Fusaichi Pegasus).

• LOCAL sprint star Peniaphobia provided his Irish based sire Dandy Man with his first G1 winner when he took out the Hong Kong Sprint.

Peniaphobia is one of three stakes winners by Dandy Man, who stands in Ireland at Ballyhane Stud.

The Tony Cruz-trained Peniaphobia (Dandy Man x Umlani by Great Commotion) made all the running to win from favourite Gold-Fun (Le Vie Dei Colori) by half a length with former Australian sprinter Not Listenin’tome (Dylan Thomas) third.

The 4YO Peniaphobia was an €11,000 Goffs November Foal Sale purchase in 2011 by Ballyhane Stud and was resold in 2012 to Hugo Merry Bloodstock for £20,000 at the DBS Premier Yearling Sale.

His record now stands at 10 wins from 23 starts with nine placings.

His unraced dam Umlani has produced three winners from six foals to race including stakes performer Safari Sunset (Fayruz).

Peniaphobia’s second dam Travel Magic (Henbit) is the dam of three winners and is a half sister to two stakes winners Jazz Ballet (Jazzeiro) and Cutting Reef (Kris).

Travel Magic is out of the Mill Reef mare Quiet Harbour, second dam of the 2014 G1 Premio di Milano winner Benvenue (Iffraaj).