Dunaden's amazing Melbourne Cup journey came to a thrilling climax with another win today, in the Group 1 $HK14 million (about $1.8 million) Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Vase, 2400m, at the international meeting at Sha Tin in Hong Kong.

And this time, unlike in the Melbourne Cup, Victorian jockey Craig Williams was along for the ride.

Williams was ecstatic, as was his father, Victorian trainer (and former Group 1 winning jockey Allan), who had come to Hong Kong to watch Craig make up for missing the Melbourne ride because of suspension. Williams snr held back tears as his son kissed him after weighing in.

Christophe Lemaire, who won at Flemington, was required for French colt Vadamar (10^th), so trainer Mikel Delzangles reinstated Williams, who had won the Geelong Cup on him before his suspension.

Williams said after today's brilliant ride: "We decided to have him up as close as we could, and he produced so much when I pulled him out ... I really love this horse."

Delzangles said: "He is an amazing horse because it is difficult for them to travel that much and yet peak at the right moment-twice."

Dunaden, owned by Sheikh Fahad al-Thani of the Qatar royal family, has an unprecented three-from-three record on his journey from France to Victoria to Hong Kong.

He will go for a spell and, although connections are not announcing next year's targets yet, the Sheikh's racing manager at Pearl Bloodstock, David Redvers, said Dunaden showed he was a horse of Arc (le Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe) standard.

Dunaden beat Red Cadeaux "by a pixel" at Flemington and today the English horse, with Englishman Ryan Moore replacing Michael Rodd, was in another close photo-the camera couldn't split Silver Pond and Red Cadeaux for third. Thumbs Up was second, three-quarters of a length behind Dunaden and the same margin ahead of the dead-heaters.

Victorian Brett Prebble rode Thumbs Up, and went one better in the next Group 1 race, the $HK14 million (about $1.8 million) Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint, 1200m, on local horse Luck Nine.

It was his third win in the big race, scoring on Absolute Champion in 2006 and Sacred Kingdom in 2009.

Results in the other headline races ...

The $HK20 million (about $2.5 million) Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile, 1600m: Able One 1, Cityscape 2, Xtension 3.

The $HK20 million (about $2.5 million) Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup, 2000m: California Memory 1, Irian 2, Zazou 3.

The $4.40 second favourite California Memory's Cup win was popular with the locals, despite the failure of $2.10 favourite Ambitious Dragon (fourth), because it was the international Group 1 breakthrough for young Hong Kong rider Matthew Chadwick.

In the Mile, roughie Able One upset the more favoured John Moore-trained horse, Xtension, favourite at $2.50 and ridden by the stable's No. 1 jockey Darren Beadman. South African Jeff Lloyd, who rode successfully in Sydney a few seasons back, was on the veteran Able One, winner of two Group 1 Champions Mile races but scratched at the barrier when favourite in this race last December.

Australians had success in minor races ...

The Beadman-Moore combo won the third with $1.70 favourite Captain Sweet;

Tim Clark won the sixth on Viva Freedom for Andreas Schutz; and Lloyd and Moore did it again with Majestic Falcon in race nine.

But it was Williams who will dine out for a long time on his fabulous spring-early summer: in Australia with other majors on Southern Speed (Caulfield Cup) and Pinker Pinker (Cox Plate); in Japan with his brilliant ride for second on Tosen Jordan in the Japan Cup; and now in Hong Kong on the day the Hong Kong Jockey Club calls the greatest show on turf.