English/Ire
King’s best bets - 14th December 2025
Sam King takes a look at the four major international contests at Sha Tin on Sunday.
There's no shortage of quality when it comes to Sha Tin's quartet of international races on Sunday, with both global superstars Ka Ying Rising and Romantic Warrior on show for the home contingent.
They both look like proving tough to beat in their respective contests but nevertheless, I've found alternatives alongside two other selections on the card.
The quartet of Group 1 contests kicks off with a cracking renewal of the Longines Hong Kong Vase and I'm sweet on the chances of Sosie, who bids to give trainer Andre Fabre a record-breaking fourth success in the race having already plundered the prize with Borgia, Flintshire and Junko.
There's no better man than Fabre when it comes to figuring out what it takes to win a Hong Kong Vase and it's worth noting that he feels Sosie is up to the task.
A four-year-old son of Sea The Stars, Sosie kicked off the season with back-to-back Group 1 successes in the Prix Ganay and Prix d'Ispahan before struggling to land a blow in a muddling Coral-Eclipse at Sandown in the summer.
He returned to action with an eye-catching second in the Prix Foy to tee-up a bid for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and on ground that wouldn't have suited that day, he ran an absolute stormer to finish one spot ahead of the reopposing in third.
With the return to this quicker surface and Sha Tin's right-handed track both expected to suit, he looks poised to put up a massive performance from stall eight under Maxime Guyon.
Selection – Sosie
The Longines Hong Kong Sprint looks to be all about Ka Ying Rising and even though stall one gives the race a slightly different dimension, it would be nothing short of a huge shock were he not to land a sixteenth straight success.
Fast Network followed him home in the Private Banking Jockey Club, but Satono Reve wasn't present there and he's surely the main threat to Ka Ying Rising this time around.
Already a two-time runner-up behind the Hong Kong star sprinter in a pair of course and distance Group 1's, Satono Reve put up a huge performance when going down narrowly to Lazzat in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot in the summer before perhaps not being at his best in Japan last time out.
He has a good draw to work from in stall four and with Ryan Moore in the saddle, Noriyuki Hori's charge looks like the one to fill the runner-up spot.
Selection - Satono Reve (Without Ka Ying Rising)
The Hong Kong Mile looks set to be a cracker and the home team will surely fancy their chances with My Wish, Voyage Bubble and Galaxy Patch all towards the top of the betting.
All three deserve major respect but they might well struggle to give weight and a beating to Embroidery, who has been progressive in Japan and runs off just 8st 9lb here.
Bred for the job being by Hong Kong Mile winner Admire Mars, she looked all class when prevailing by a neck in the Japanese Guineas at Hanshin back in April before clearly failing to stay the mile and a half when upped in trip for the Japanese Oaks.
Dropped back to a mile and a quarter, she readily resumed winning ways under Lemaire in the Grade 1 Shuka Sho and with the prospect of further progress on the cards back over a mile, she looks decent value to continue her upward trajectory.
Selection – Embroidery
Romantic Warrior has firmly established himself as one of the best horses in the world now and much like Ka Ying Rising in the sprint, it will be nothing short of a major shock were he to be beaten in the Hong Kong Vase.
With that in mind, it's again going to be best to look at who might be best suited to chase home the Hong Kong star and I'm hopeful that the French mare Quisisana might be up to the task.
A progressive daughter of Le Havre, she rattled off the four-time with a smooth win in the Prix Jean Romanet before creditable ninth and third place finishes in both the Arc and Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot.
Her latest two efforts came over a mile and a half, and trainer Francis-Henri Graffard has been completely open in the fact that he should not have stepped his filly up in trip.
It's therefore no shock to see her drop back to a mile and a quarter here and with the track at Sha Tin also expected to suit, she could well be the one to chase home the top-class Romantic Warrior or even capitalize should he fluff his lines.
Selection – Quisisana (Without Romantic Warrior)
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