A short-course horse rather than a stayer is likely to be the focus of any future Hong Kong campaigns for trainer Chris Waller.

Waller's first shot at International Day glory came unstuck in the Hong Kong Vase last Sunday when Preferment ran unplaced.

At the end of a long spring campaign that included wins in the Hill Stakes and Turnbull Stakes as well as starts in the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup, Preferment finished seventh to Highland Reel at Sha Tin.

"You have to go there on the way up," Waller said.

"And that can be hard with the Melbourne spring unless you have a setback."

In an all-northern hemisphere finish, Irish-trained Highland Reel beat home the French pair Flintshire and Dariyan.

Other recent Vase winners from Europe include Dunaden (2011) and Red Cadeaux (2012).

"I'd like to take a sprinter there next time," Waller said.

"The 2400-metre race is tough with the Europeans so dominant over the staying distances."

Australia's most recent Hong Kong success has been in the Sprint with Falvelon going back to back in 2000 and 2001.

But there have been no shortage of Australian-bred sprinters on the honour roll, including Silent Witness, Natural Blitz, Absolute Champion, Sacred Kingdom and Inspiration.

Hawkes Racing's Chautauqua was nominal favourite for this year's race before going amiss while kept in training after the Melbourne spring carnival where he won Manikato Stakes and ran second in the Darley Classic.