How do you go out and buy a 1,800-metre horse? A good miler who gets the extra 200 metres or a 2,000-metre horse who may be effective over that bit less? Changing to 1,600 metres and 2,000 metres immediately changed the entire complexion of the Races and made them more attractive to trainers everywhere.

The racing and breeding world abounds with mile-and-a-quarter horses as it does with quality milers. And minimum-trip sprinters are not hard to find.

It was silly that the old distances lasted as long as they did because they were not beneficial to the International Races and undoubtedly put off prospective runners.

Within an hour of Jim And Tonic's incredible winning effort in the Hong Kong Cup, director of racing Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges was pointing out that, with the number of Group One runners involved and average international ratings in the supporting Vase and Mile, these races were up to Group One standard.

The presence of the giant American challenger Big Jag - a star in his own right - and others already ensured that the Listed Race Sprint was actually up to Group Two standard.

The crunch here will come if the Racing Committee and, ultimately, the Jockey Club stewards decide to apply for Group One status for the Vase and the Mile and a Group Two grading for the Hong Kong Sprint.

From the sole standpoint of Hong Kong's position on the world racing map, they must do so.

That would then make Hong Kong a genuine rival to the Breeders' Cup, which is invariably a graveyard for European hopes and, with the number of dirt races involved, a benefit for American stables.

In other words, the money stays at home.

It's a lot of money, of course, and would not be matched here but three Group One races and a Group Two short sprint would attract the full attention of Europe, Australasia, Japan and, let us hope, the Americans as well.

It would certainly leave Hong Kong as the international power in this half of the world.

The Japan Cup is long established but is shunned by Australasian trainers who detest the travelling conditions imposed. Conversely, the Australasians have been good supporters of the Hong Kong races but another two Group One races and a Group Two sprint would make Sha Tin a magnet.

Australia and New Zealand have top-quality races in their own right but have rarely gone out of their way to attract overseas entries, with the obvious exception of the Melbourne Cup.

There will be a major Autumn Carnival meeting in Sydney next year with massive prize money but it will be basically for home consumption. By all means, overseas runners may enter - but they'll have to pay their own way.

The decision right from the start that the Jockey Club would pick up the tab for everything has set the International Races apart from anything along similar lines and most particularly the Breeders' Cup.

Official upgrading of the three supporting races and maintaining the generosity in relation to all invited runners would surely make Hong Kong an almost irresistible attraction.

Frankly, it is relatively easy to address the racing side of the season's great occasion. The steps to be taken are logical and the right people are in place to make it happen.

But there are other areas which require attention, some of it considerable.

We should decently draw a veil over the barrier draw fiasco save to say the setting was superb and should be maintained. It is, however, a barrier draw and there is really nothing wrong with keeping it simple.

We don't need the gimmicks. Yes, have the parties and the entertainment, but make sure when it comes to the day itself we have the horses, the heroes and the raw excitement of racing at its very best.