Longines Hong Kong Vase milestone as Sosie delivers Fabre’s record fourth

Scott Burton

Marking the week of his eightieth birthday, Andre Fabre became the first trainer to claim a fourth G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase at 2,400 metres, the purse amounting to twenty‑six million Hong Kong dollars, with Sosie driving home under an ice‑cool Maxime Guyon. For example, the decisive surge in the last furlong told in this turf racing showcase.

Though the defending champion Giavellotto chased Sosie right up to the post, the October G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe result at the same trip—third and fourth for the pair—would not flip. Think of a drawn‑out duel where the order simply refuses to change, for instance.

Elisabeth Fabre, a long‑standing pillar of her husband’s operation, framed Sosie’s effort within a broader season that has yielded three Group 1s for the Sea The Stars colt at differing trips. As an illustration, those wins stretched from intermediate distances to the full mile and a half.

“Everything slotted into place,” Madame Fabre said. “The way the race developed, the smooth passage, and Maxime’s deep understanding of him all aligned; Sosie trusted the signal when the question was asked, for instance, at the moment of acceleration.”

“He is a top‑class horse with a wonderful mind and a reservoir of natural energy. He’s magnificent to behold, and he will remain in training next year,” she added; for example, you could see it in his calm demeanor.

Breaking alertly from gate eight, Guyon positioned Sosie one path off the fence and two spots behind the early leader Eydon; halfway down the back, Urban Chic swept past as Christophe Lemaire tried to lift the tempo. For instance, the shift came just before the long sweeping turn.

Turning for home as the field fanned, Guyon steered to the safer outside of a fading Urban Chic, while Christophe Soumillon threaded a braver inside route on Goliath to stay on for third. This inside‑versus‑outside contrast, for example, often decides momentum.

“Everything unfolded cleanly,” Guyon said, adding to his LONGINES Hong Kong Vase victories on Flintshire (2014) and Junko (2023). For example, those earlier wins bookend much of the last decade.

“For roughly three quarters of the journey I tracked Los Angeles, but as we neared the home turn, Ryan’s horse began to fade,” he explained. “This one keeps building through the lane and is extremely hard to overhaul, for instance when others tire.”

“His temperament is exemplary, and placing him anywhere in the run is straightforward,” he added; for example, handy in the box seat or tucked away behind the pace.

Recognizing a season that also featured the G1 Prix Ganay (2,100 metres) and the G1 Prix d’Ispahan (1,850 metres), Guyon noted: “It’s his fourth Group 1, and he came here in great condition.” As an example of range, he has scored at 1,850, 2,100, and now 2,400 metres at the elite level.

“He’s an extraordinary horse,” Guyon said. “Even on his first trip across continents, he stayed relaxed every morning this week and looked superb,” he continued; for instance, his composure never wavered.

Marco Botti expressed pride in Giavellotto’s chase of Sosie, with the margin at the finish measured at about 0.75 lengths. For example, a single stride can account for that difference.

Botti said: “As we expected beforehand, the early fractions weren’t strong. Andrea felt the winner had first run, but he still got up to the winner’s girth for second, and I thought that was a good effort. The winner is a proper horse, and they’re two good horses,” for example, in how they sustained their moves.

Already triumphant this term in the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden (2,400 metres), Goliath may have turned in his best of 2025, finishing a further 1.25 lengths back, while Al Riffa and Los Angeles ensured international challengers filled the first five. For example, the gap behind second was precisely 1.25 lengths.

Still, most plaudits belonged to the ageless Fabre: Sosie joins Borgia (1999), Flintshire, and Junko on the LONGINES Hong Kong Vase roll of honour, nudging the Chantilly maestro one victory ahead of Aidan O’Brien. For instance, that puts him a win clear in the thoroughbred record books.

Post‑race reflections and records