The horse race with the clearest British legacy - and Cape Town's second-most important contest after the J&B Met - is set to transfer "allegiance" across the Atlantic by becoming part of the US Breeders' Cup Challenge.

When Queen Victoria donated a silver salver trophy to subjects at the Cape 150 years ago, it became a notable honour to be the lucky bugger holding the glittering prize as owner of the winning horse.

Latterly though, we republicans have been more interested in trousering the bulk of the R1-million prize money than waving about a piece of dinnerware. (The race itself has changed too, with a Froggy-sounding winery sponsor and an image makeover turning the meeting into a highlight of the social celebrity whirl, with everyone dressed in blue and white.)

Now the Queen's Plate's defining feature could be the winning horse's automatic entrée into one of the most prestigious events in the US. With racing in crisis, international competition offers a ray of hope.

National pride cranks up interest in rugby, golf and sheep-shearing. Why not racing?

Recognising this, and seeing the profile that Singapore and Dubai get from international races, locals got planning. First we had foreign jockeys visiting. The next step was to bring in top foreign horses.

African Horse Sickness paranoia had to be overcome. But the hurdle was cleared by establishing an elaborate disease-surveillance regime and an AHS-free zone around Cape Town, with overseas horses being given the okay to fly directly into the Mother City, race, then fly out again with minimal quarantine hassles.

The venerable Queen's Plate was earmarked as the first international spectacular in January 2012.

Disastrously, an isolated case of AHS wrecked everything, with stringent new quarantine controls slapped on South Africa making the import of horses impossible.

Jonathan Snaith, the racing man and party organiser who turned Queen's Plate day into a beacon of style and fun, bounced back by engaging the Breeders' Cup people on a tie-up - to maintain an international link in anticipation of import-export protocols being relaxed in future.

The plan is for the 2012 Queen's Plate winner to gain automatic entry into the Breeders' Cup Mile - alongside the best milers from around the world.

The Queen's Plate honours board shows that winners in most years would do this country proud on that stage.

Pocket Power won four renewals. Two-time victors have included legends Jet Master, Wolf Power, Politician, Sledgehammer and Sea Cottage, while other standout winners were Empress Club and London News.

A horse that didn't win the Plate, but did take the Met, is River Jetez. She raced with distinction in Chicago last weekend, finishing third in the Beverly D Stakes, which is already a "Win and You're In" feeder race for the Breeders Cup.

If Yanks needed proof that South African horses are good enough, the mare delivered it - on a plate, so to speak.

Turffontein tomorrow: PA - 8,9 x 4,5,14,16 x 1,3,6 x 2 x 3 x 2,8 x 2,11 (R96)