Christophe Lemaire is counting down the days until Sunday's HK$30-million G1 FWD QEII Cup at Sha Tin, with the French-born jockey expressing his belief that his mount in the race, Masquerade Ball (Duramente), has “the potential to be one of the greats in Japanese racing”.Lemaire, who has partnered top-class performers such as Almond Eye and Equinox during his time riding in the Far East, retains the utmost faith in the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) winner as he returns to action for the first time since being narrowly beaten by Calandagan (Gleneagles) in November's G1 Japan Cup at Tokyo.“He's still a young horse,” said Lemaire. “Last year, in the first Classics, he ran well but maybe was not mature enough to win. From the autumn, he showed that he'd improved and he was tougher. I think he still has some improvement to come this year. When you consider his performances last year and that he can improve as a four-year-old, we can say that he has the potential to be one of the greats in Japanese racing.”He continued, “I got a very good feeling in the Tenno Sho, especially in the last two furlongs where he used a powerful stride to win the race. The pace was slow and I had to put him under a little pressure, so that's why I was very confident in the Japan Cup over a mile and a half, which I think is his best trip. In the Tenno Sho, he showed a lot of class and nice acceleration.“You're always disappointed to be beaten by a short margin in a race like the Japan Cup, but I was so proud of him and happy with the way he ran. He fought hard with the world's best horse in Calandagan, and he has won the [G1 Dubai] Sheema Classic since. His form is amazing.”Sunday's race will represent a new test for Masquerade Ball, with Hong Kong champion Romantic Warrior (Acclamation) among those in opposition, seeking a fourth win in a red-hot edition of the feature event on FWD Champions Day. However, Lemaire believes his horse is well equipped to rise to the challenge.“Now he is a four-year-old, this maturity might give him an extra gear,” he said. “I trust the trainer [Takahisa Tezuka] and his staff to bring the horse to close to his best for this run. I think the mile-and-a-quarter distance will be perfect for his first run this year.“It will be a tough task to beat a horse like Romantic Warrior running on his home ground. Racing is all about pace and it will depend on what happens. My horse has the stamina, as we saw in the Japan Cup, so if the pace is strong, I think it will help.”It will be the first time that Masquerade Ball has raced on a right-handed track since finishing third in last year's G1 Satsuki Sho at Nakayama, and he has shown a tendency to hang under pressure, but Lemaire is not overly concerned about the race conditions.He added, “Going right-handed at Sha Tin is a little question mark, because he tends to push on the left side in his races. I hope it won't affect his performance, but he's used to training on the right-hand side in Japan. The trainer did not tell me that he had any concerns and he was okay when he finished third in the Satsuki Sho.”The post Christophe Lemaire Relishing QEII Cup Challenge with Masquerade Ball appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.