Godolphin's Grandera completed his final piece of work for the $1.8 million Queen Elizabeth II Cup, an international Group 1 race to be run at Sha Tin tomorrow. The four-year-old Grand Lodge colt, who thrice placed in Group One company last season, reportedly caught the eye on the all-weather.

Ridden by regular work-rider John Phelan Grandera worked over seven furlongs with his lead horse Atlantis Prince and pulled clear as the pair approached the post.

Trainer Saeed bin Suroor, who will arrive in Hong Kong today, said: "It wasn't a very serious piece of work, just a blow-out to see how he's shaping ahead of the race.

"I'm told he is very happy and in good shape. He has done most of his serious preparation in Dubai and now we don't want to push him too hard. The gallops are just routine, nothing more than that."

Travelling head lad Ross Campbell echoed Suroor's sentiments and said:"We just wanted to give him a pipe opener, and he did that well."

Grandera, who will be ridden by Frankie Dettori, is Godolphin's first international campaigner of the 2002 season.

Suroor, who delayed his departure to Hong Kong so that he could formalise the travel arrangements and final preparation work for his Newmarket and Santa Anita strings divulged he had a good feeling about the race.

"It's a tough race but I think Grandera should run well," he said. "We have a good chance as he's a real class horse and hopefully better than he was last year."

Suroor won the QEII back in 1996 with Overbury and sent out Annus Mirablis to take third place the next year.

Hong Kong's Oriental Express won in 1998, French raider Jim And Tonic in '99, the home favourite Industrialist in 2000 and Germany's Silvano last year.

Grandera comes up against five other foreign runners tomorrow including the French pair Okawango and Lethals Lady, the Japanese duo, Agnes Digital and Eishin Preston Australia's star runner Universal Prince.

Eight domestic challengers will be out to keep the prize at home, including the Ivan Allan trio, the local Derby winner Olympic Express, Indigenous who was third last year, and Cheers Hong Kong.

Allan professed himself "more hopeful than confident" as regards the claims of his runners. He added: "Olympic Express was only a handicapper in England last year, albeit a very good one, and it is a big step-up to contesting an international Group One.

"If the going is good (which it is currently), he will be the best of my three runners. Indigenous and Cheers Hong Kong could both probably do with a drop of rain to aid their cause."

Agnes Digital, who contested the Dubai World Cup last month, had an easy canter over seven furlongs and trainer Toshiaki Shirai was satisfied with the five-year-old's condition.

"Agnes Digital is in great order today, much more so than yesterday. I don't have any concerns about his draw in gate number 13, because he was drawn 12 when he won the Hong Kong Cup," he said.

The other Japanese runner Eishin Preston was restricted to the trotting arena.