 In January 2014 he finished second to the favoured Able Friend Hong Kong Classic Mile, before defeating the same horse to record his first major success in the Hong Kong Classic Cup a month later.Designs On Rome met Able Friend for the third time in the Hong Kong Derby over ten furlongs in March and won again, prevailing over his rival by half a length.In April Designs On Rome won the Queen Elizabeth II Cup, beating Military Attack by a neck, with the South African runner Vercingetorix in third and Epiphaneia in fourth.