Fabre celebrates 80th birthday with Sosie’s Hong Kong Vase win
In the week he celebrated his 80th birthday, Andre Fabre became the first trainer to win the HK$26 million Group 1 Hong Kong Vase (2400m) four times, as Sosie surged to success under a cool and confident Maxime Guyon.
Defending champion Giavellotto pursued Sosie all the way to the line but ultimately could not reverse the placings from October’s Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (2400m), in which the pair finished third and fourth.
Elisabeth Fabre has long been an integral part of her husband’s training empire and her concise summary of Sosie’s performance placed his victory in the wider context of a year which has brought the Sea The Stars colt three Group 1 wins over a variety of distances.
MORE: Hong Kong racing
“Everything went perfectly,” Madame Fabre said. “The race unfolded perfectly, he had a great trip and Maxime knows his horse very well, while Sosie had trust in him when he asked him for his effort.
“He is a very good horse with a wonderful mind and a lot of natural energy. He is magnificent to look at and he will stay in training next year.”
Alert from stall eight, Guyon had Sosie handily placed one off the rail and two slots back from the early leader Eydon, who was passed halfway down the back straight by Urban Chic as Christophe Lemaire attempted to inject some urgency into proceedings.
As the field fanned out turning for home, Guyon went the safe route to the outside of the fading Urban Chic while Christophe Soumillon took the daring route up the rail aboard Goliath, staying on well for third.
“Everything went very smoothly,” Guyon said, who added to wins in the Hong Kong Vase aboard Flintshire (2014) and Junko (2023).
“I followed Los Angeles for three-quarters of the race, but halfway round the home turn, Ryan’s horse began to falter. This horse can really sustain his run, and he is such a hard horse to pass.
“The horse has such a great temperament and he is so easy to put anywhere in a race.”
Guton payed tribute to a fine season in which Sosie also triumphed in the Group 1 Prix Ganay (2100m) and the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan (1850m).
“It’s his fourth career Group 1 and he was in such great shape,” Guyon said.
“We know he is capable of winning big races like this, and this year he has won at the top level over 1850 metres [in the Ispahan], 2100 metres [Ganay] and now the 2400 metres.
“He is an incredible horse. This was the first time he’d travelled across continents, and yet he’s been relaxed every morning this week, and he’s looked amazing.”
Marco Botti expressed his pride at the effort of Giavellotto, who chased Sosie hard and was three-quarters of a length down at the line.
“As we thought beforehand, it wasn’t going to be a strong pace,” he said. “Andrea said he thought the winner had first run, but he got to his girth for second and I thought it was a good effort. The winner is a proper horse, and they’re two good horses.”
Already a winner this season of the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden (2400m), Goliath turned in arguably his best run of 2025, finishing a further length and a quarter back, while Al Riffa and Los Angeles ensured that international challengers filled the first five places.
But the plaudits mostly belong to the ageless Fabre, for whom Sosie joins Borgia (1999), Flintshire and Junko on the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase roll of honour, edging the Chantilly maestro one win ahead of Aidan O’Brien.
