British flyer triumphs in Queen Elizabeth II Cup

British flyer Presvis outpaced hometown favourite Viva Pataca in Sunday's rain-soaked Queen Elizabeth II Cup, one of the highlights of the Hong Kong racing calendar.

The 3.9-1 shot, ridden by Ryan Moore, galloped away from the high-class field to win the 14-million-Hong Kong-dollar (1.8 million US) race, while the John Moore-trained Viva Pataca could improve only one spot on last year's third-placed finish.

Thumbs Up, with France's Christophe Soumillon in the saddle, finished third, while French horse Chinchon came in fourth.

British jockey Moore held the five-year-old at the back of the field for the first half of the race, before he cruised through a gap on the inside and steamed ahead to win easily.

"They ran a good pace in first half mile and he just backed off down the back (straight)," Moore told reporters after the triumph.

"They were quickening into the turn and once my horse passed one, he was going to pass them all. He has an unbelievable engine."

The victory was a sweet one for trainer Luca Cumani, who has had five second placed finishes in Group One races in the last two years.

"Physically, he has improved a lot in the last six months, he has got stronger and stronger," Cumani said.

"Mentally he has got more relaxed and the two things have come together to make him a better horse."

The conditions underfoot worsened during the meet from good-to-yielding to yielding after two days of heavy rain, provoking a string of upsets in the betting-obsessed southern Chinese city.

In the other major race of the day, the Champions Mile, 65-1 longshot Sight Winner beat the much-fancied competition to take the 12-million-Hong Kong-dollar sprint title.

The Hong Kong horse, ridden by Brett Prebble and trained by John Size, powered through in the final few yards (metres) pipping Egyptian Ra into second place after tracking the seven-year-old for the entire race.

Another long-shot, Australian Dao Dao, finished in third, highlighting how the unusual conditions upset the punters.

Hong Kong Horse of the Year and defending champion, Good Ba Ba, struggled in the wet conditions to finish in fourth place, while pre-race favourite Collection could only finish fifth.

"He is a real tiger and he fought really hard," Prebble told reporters. "He loved the ground and felt really comfortable."

The incessant rain meant the stands at Sha Tin racecourse remained half empty for much of the day.