HONG KONG - On his best behavior, Pakistan Star won the most important race of his career in Sunday’s Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse. On April 8, Pakistan Star landed on the Hong Kong steward’s list for an incident in the Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy at Sha Tin when he pulled himself up midway through the race, only to resume running in the latter stages of the race. Pakistan Star finished fourth. The incident led to a mandatory trial workout at a mile on turf on the morning of April 19. Pakistan Star finished fifth of 13 in the trial race, which was completed without a major incident. Pakistan Star was cleared to run in Sunday’s $3.059 million Queen Elizabeth II Cup, the second-richest race of the Hong Kong season. Ridden for the first time by British-based jockey William Buick, Pakistan Star was flawless in Sunday’s race at 1 1/4 miles on turf. Buick positioned Pakistan Star in third place while racing on the rail behind early leader Time Warp. After saving ground throughout, Pakistan Star found a clear path with more than a furlong to go and quickly took control of the race to win his first Group 1. “He felt beautiful today and when he quickened up in the straight he felt like a world-class mile and a quarter horse,” Buick said. Pakistan Star (9-2) was timed in 2:00.21. “We showed the public his true ability,” winning trainer Tony Cruz said. The 61-year-old Cruz, who won six riding titles here, swept the exacta when 33-1 Gold Mount closed from last in a field of eight to finish 1 1/4 lengths in front of Eagle Way, a 21-1 outsider. Ping Hai Star, the winner of the Hong Kong Derby in March, finished fourth, followed by Al Ain, Dinozzo, Danburite, and Time Warp, the 7-5 favorite also trained by Cruz. Pakistan Star, a 5-year-old German-bred gelding, has won 4 of 14 starts, all in Hong Kong. Sunday’s race was his first win in a Group 1 and first win in eight starts. Pakistan Star was second by a nose in the 2017 Queen Elizabeth II Cup, his first career start in a Group 1. Buick was a late replacement for Australian jockey Kerrin McEvoy, who was named when entries were taken on Thursday, but was forced to take off his rides in Australia on Saturday because of an ear infection. McEvoy was advised by doctors not to fly to Hong Kong. Buick discussed strategy with Cruz in advance of the Queen Elizabeth II Cup. “Tony went through his past races with me,” Buick said. “He’s quite a famous horse for his antics, so I was aware of him and I was aware of what he can do. “When I found out that I was riding him, I took on board all of the information I knew about the horse and also thought it was quite important to ride him with a fresh mind and just be very positive about the horse.”