The imperious form of the brilliant Romantic Warrior certainly hasn’t scared the internationals away from next month’s Group One Longines Hong Kong Cup (2,000m), with eight overseas gallopers setting their sights on the city’s champion.

Liberty Island leads the raiding party on an international rating of 121 and is joined by fellow Japan-trained galloper Tastiera, Aidan O’Brien’s Content and Wingspan, French duo Calif and Zarir, and Spirit Dancer and The Foxes out of Britain.

That octet makes up a tick over a quarter of the internationals bound for the Longines Hong Kong International Races on December 8, with 31 overseas runners – up from 22 last year – among the four feature fields confirmed by the Jockey Club on Wednesday.

Liberty Island is one of 26 Group One winners among the fields but she will need to return to top form if she is to stop the 122-rated Romantic Warrior landing a record third straight victory in the city’s richest race, the HK$40 million Cup.

Winner of Japan’s prestigious Triple Tiara last year, the four-year-old mare was three lengths off Rebel’s Romance when third in March’s Group One Dubai Sheema Classic (2,400m) before a disappointing last-start 13th in the Group One Tenno Sho Autumn (2,000m) on October 27.

Second in that race at $54 was Tastiera, who was successful at the top level in last year’s Japanese Derby (2,400m).

Also among the Group One winners in the international contingent is Content, the three-year-old filly who bagged August’s Yorkshire Oaks (2,400m) but has been underwhelming since, with failures at Longchamp and Ascot followed by a last-start sixth in the Group One Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (2,200m) on November 2.

Stablemate Wingspan, also a three-year-old filly who will carry only 119 pounds, is another with form behind May’s Group One Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m) victor Rebel’s Romance, crossing the line three and three-quarter lengths behind the mighty Godolphin galloper in the recent Group One Breeders’ Cup Turf (2,400m).

Hong Kong (eight wins) and Japan (five) have shared the past 13 Cups between them, but the last victor to come from outside those two powerful jurisdictions was the Ryan Moore-ridden Snow Fairy for Ed Dunlop and Britain.

This year’s British representatives would have to improve on their previous work to follow suit, with neither the Alex Ferguson-owned Spirit Dancer or The Foxes saluting at the top level.

Spirit Dancer does boast an international rating of 120, however, and comes into the race off a recent Group Two victory in Bahrain.

The Foxes also heads to Hong Kong in winning form after striding clear of Dubai Honour last start, albeit on the Newcastle all-weather track, but he has not competed at the top level in over a year.

Calif looks the pick of the French pair after bagging the Group One Grosser Dallmayr-Preis – Bayerisches Zuchtrennen (2,000m) in Munich in July, however the five-year-old gelding was no match for Spirit Dancer in that Bahrain race.

Zarir has never saluted at Group level but has been racing solidly without winning in France this year.

Straight Arron looks the most likely of the local contingent to trouble Romantic Warrior, while Nimble Nimbus, Encountered, Massive Sovereign and Ensued – who could still run in the Group One Hong Kong Vase (2,400m) – look very much to be making up the numbers.