Werther, a 4-year-old New Zealand-bred son of Tavistock, won the Group 1 Hong Kong Derby in March, but remained more lightly regarded in a QE II field regarded among the best in the 42nd running of the event. The lineup included the two recent winners of the race, as well as three highly Japanese challengers: Fourth-place finisher Lovely Day; 2014 Japanese Oaks winner Nuovo Record, with a disappointing sixth-place finish, and last year's Japanese Derby third-place runner, Satono Crown, able to do no better than twelfth in the 13-horse field.