Two of the trio of British runners in the Hong Kong Vase were positioned in adjacent stalls when the barrier draw for Sunday's event took place at Hong Kong Jockey Club headquarters yesterday.
Daliapour and Murghem will leave the gate alongside each other having been given the numbers nine and eight respectively for the mile and a half event.
Daliapour - rated Coral's 3 to 1 joint favourite with another British representative Ela Athena - impressed his jockey Johnny Murtagh, who arrived in Hong Kong on Wednesday night, when the pair joined company in trackwork alongside stablemate Greek Dance yesterday morning.
"He took a nice hold and seems fresh and well," said Murtagh. Speaking about the draw, Murtagh added: "I'm not out too far or in too close. There's plenty of time to find a position from the start, I just hope it's not a stop-start tempo."
Ela Athena was drawn in box two.
Trainer Nigel Tinkler described himself delighted with the four box which will be occupied by his charge Sugarfoot. "I couldn't be more happy," said Tinkler. "Had he been in two or three there was a chance he may have got boxed in."
Sugarfoot is a 14 to 1 chance with bookmakers Coral who make the Australian mare Sunline the 6 to 4 favourite.
Meanwhile, racing looks set to resume over jumps today as long as the weather does not take a turn for the worse. The abandonment of Catterick's meeting meant yesterday was a blank day following the loss of Exeter and Towcester earlier in the week.
However, Warwick's meeting tomorrow has already succumbed to the current spell of wet weather, the 33rd loss of this campaign. The fixture was abandoned following an inspection because of waterlogging.
As a result of Warwick's abandonment the British Horseracing Board and Lingfield Park have rearranged the all-weather card at the Surrey track tomorrow to allow Channel 4 coverage of the 2.10, 2.45 and 3.20 contests.
Irish jockey Paul Moloney had his appeal against a sevenday suspension thrown out yesterday. The rider was found to have breached Rule 158 when he rode Saor Theas at Cheltenham on December 8th, in that he failed to take "reasonable and permissible measures throughout the race to ensure his mount gained the best possible placing".
Last season's leading novice hurdler, Monsignor, will not race this season. The Mark Pitman-trained gelding had been due to stay over hurdles this term after having his seasonal debut delayed because of a minor leg problem. However, connections have now decided to save him for a novice chasing campaign next season.
Trainer Richard Hannon was yesterday fined £600 by the Jockey Club's disciplinary committee. The committee held an inquiry into the case of the Hannon-trained Chaguaramas who tested positive for ibuprofen after winning at Windsor in June. The two-yearold reportedly picked up the substance by licking the back of the stable's blacksmith, who had been taking the pain-killer.
