Hong Kong’s Boniface Ho Ka-kui is no stranger to success at the top table across Australasia.

The owner has savoured multiple Group One wins, including domestically in the Champions Mile with Southern Legend, and in Australia’s richest race, The Everest, with Classique Legend.

On Tuesday, the Hong Kong owner has a favourite’s chance of winning another huge prize Down Under.

In a story that encapsulates how international borders are – pandemics allowing – no barrier in racing, Ho hopes to win Australia’s most famous race, the Group One Melbourne Cup (3,200m), with a United Kingdom-based horse.

Everest champ Classique Legend to take on the world from Hong Kong

Up-and-coming Newmarket trainer James Ferguson saddles Deauville Legend. Despite only having started training towards the end of 2019, Ferguson is no novice in the racing industry.

As the son of John Ferguson, the former chief executive of Godolphin, who over the years has been a successful trainer, racing manager, bloodstock agent, breeder and owner, James grew up with the sport in his blood.

He cut his teeth in the industry working as an assistant to top-class trainers such as Mark Prescott and Charlie Appleby, and has since put the skills and knowledge he acquired from them and others of their ilk to efficient use under his own name.

Indeed, less than two years after saddling his first runner, Ferguson was able to call himself an international Group One-winning trainer, courtesy of El Bodegon, who landed the Criterium de Saint-Cloud (2,000m) 12 months ago.

The 33-year-old trainer was also represented at the Breeders’ Cup last autumn and he will go there again this year after his Melbourne Cup trip.

Ferguson’s association with Ho could hardly have started better: 12 of the owner’s 21 winners in Europe since October 2020 have been saddled by the young trainer.

Deauville Legend has been a flag-bearer for both Ferguson and Ho this year, running admirably at four of the UK’s biggest summer meetings – Royal Ascot, Newmarket’s July Festival, the Glorious Goodwood Festival and York’s Ebor Festival.

He placed second at Ascot and Goodwood, while his Newmarket and York outings resulted in Group Three and Group Two successes, respectively.

“We’ve been very lucky to have a horse fall in our lap who’s good enough to compete in these incredible races,” Ferguson told Great British Racing International on Sunday.

“Deauville Legend travelled very well. He’s been here three weeks now, and everything has gone very smoothly. He brings a level of form into the race, but he’s also quite high in the weights.

“Hopefully, he can bring his Voltigeur form and travel into the race strongly. Hopefully, we’re proving we’ve still got the best pedigrees and horses in Britain.”

When asked about training for Ho, Ferguson continued: “Bon Ho has been a tremendous supporter of mine since my second year. Having a horse like Deauville Legend for an owner like him is huge.

“The ambition is to keep going. Our job is to train them in England until they’re good enough to either come down to Australia or get to the top level in England. We’re incredibly proud to do that.

“He’s been very active at the yearling sales, and we’re very lucky to be sent a few. It gets us some lovely yearlings in the yard. He’s a very nice man, who understands his racing well, so to be able to do it for him is absolutely huge. Were we to go and win a Melbourne Cup, it would be amazing.

“We’re just looking forward to getting him there in one piece. Win, lose or draw, we’re going to make sure we enjoy it. Let’s hope Deauville Legend runs a big race.”

Ferguson has booked the services of Kerrin McEvoy, who was in the saddle for Classique Legend’s Everest triumph and tries to become the first jockey to win four Melbourne Cups aboard four different horses since World War I.

McEvoy’s last win in the race came in 2018 on Cross Counter for Ferguson’s former boss, Appleby. Should McEvoy repeat the feat and steer Deauville Legend to victory for Ho and Ferguson on Tuesday, it will be a truly international success story.