We proudly boast that Australia produces the best sprinters in the world, so surely it’s time more owners and trainers started thinking outside the square when it comes to testing our speed champions on the international stage.

The fixation with Royal Ascot has overtaken the Hong Kong Sprint as our major overseas focus, even if Buffering is going to head to Sha Tin this December in a belated bid for international recognition.

The international races in Singapore seem to have slipped off the radar and few Australian trainers have entertained taking on the World Cup meeting in Dubai despite the ground breaking win Paul Messara enjoyed at Meydan in 2012 with Ortensia before she went on to more success in England.

Local trainers maintain there is no need to travel overseas when our carnivals offer an ample array of rich races. They often add that the best in the northern hemisphere can always come to Australia if they want to test our homegrown champions.

But surely local owners and trainers of horses boasting ratings we know are good enough to stand up in any company are letting Australian racing down by ignoring the many international opportunities that exist on a wider stage where success would undoubtedly enhance the status of our racing and breeding industry.

A convex example of our international reticence is right here before us this spring. While we rarely muster more than a handful of horses to race overseas each year – principally at Royal Ascot – we will see almost 30 high class horses flying in from the northern hemisphere to challenge our best at the Melbourne carnival.

Sure our prizemoney is good, and the majority of the visitors are coming to exploit our obvious weakness in the homegrown staying ranks, but it’s still a situation that irks many in the Australian industry knowing that we have we have the talent good enough to perform at similar levels across a broad spectrum of top international races.

Consider the many opportunities in the UK and France that exist beyond Royal Ascot. Elsewhere there is three months of international racing in Dubai, Japan’s widening calendar of international races, the numerous Hong Kong and Singapore features that are open to international competition, and last,. but certainly not least, the all but ignored challenge that is the USA.

Yes, American racing is rarely, if ever, mentioned as an overseas target for Australia’s best – but why not?

Australian horses that have ventured to the US boast a strong record on both the turf and dirt. Even if the dirt and synthetic tracks in the US are a turn off, there is still a host of top level turf events where surely our best products would hold their own.

And, travel wise, California is closer than the long haul to Europe.

Yet we ignore these opportunities while the more adventurous from other countries - especially South Africa, Japan and Hong Kong - readily rise to new international challenges.

For instance Hong Kong trainer Michael Chang - barely known away from Sha Tin - is now in the US with Rich Tapestry, a sprinter he took to Dubai in March to finish second in the G1 Golden Shaheen.

His aim is to make history as the first HK trainer to have a starter in the Breeders Cup Sprint at Santa Anita in November.

Rich Tapestry’s campaign starts this weekend as he is scheduled to start in the G1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship on Saturday.

Win or lose you have to admire Chang for his daring that, if successful, will really make the US industry sit up and take notice of Hong Kong racing.

It’s the type of challenge we should hope to see taken up by more of Australia's best horses – if they are as good as we think they are!