While the superstars provided the gaudiest fireworks in the Hong Kong Cup (G1) and Hong Kong Sprint (G1), the two supporting races in the Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin Racecourse ably upheld the "international" part of the year-ending event.
Local hero Voyage Bubble won a renewal of his rivalry with Japan's Soul Rush in the Hong Kong Mile (G1) while Sosie salvaged one of the quartet of trophies for the international raiders, taking out the Hong Kong Vase (G1).
Voyage Bubble, a 7-year-old Australian-bred, defeated Soul Rush by 1 1/4 lengths in the 2024 Mile and the two had gone separate ways since, Voyage Bubble winning three group 1 events in Hong Kong while Soul Rush, also 7, scored his only previous 2025 victory in the Dubai Turf (G1T) in April, ironically defeating Hong Kong's Romantic Warrior.
In their Sha Tin Racecourse rematch, both horses raced close to the front through the early stages, then hooked up when Australian-bred pacesetter Pray For Mir had enough midway down the straight and faded back. With Voyage Bubble and jockey Zac Purton on the inside and Soul Rush and Cristian Demuro outside, they matched strides until Voyage Bubble found a little more and won by a half-length.
It was another 1 3/4 lengths to Red Lion in third.
Voyage Bubble, who now has six group 1 wins to his credit, had been running at distances from 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles) to the 1,600-meter metric mile and finished second to Romantic Warrior in his last start at 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles). Purton said the switch back to the mile "gave me confidence" and trainer Ricky Yiu said he decided on the cutback to avoid another meeting with Romantic Warrior.
"I think he just showed what type of horse he is," Purton said. "He's not a horse that's going to give you a wow performance but he's got such a big heart that he's always up for a fight. In his own right, he's an extremely good horse, a (Hong Kong) Triple Crown winner. He's come back today off the canvas to win. What an effort."
Demuro said Soul Rush "ran very good. We had a good trip. I came maybe a little bit too early but the other horse was so strong."
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French-trained Sosie Snatches Vase
With Hong Kong horses winning the other three group 1 races, the 2,400-meter Vase was the only remaining target for the visitors. It's a rare distance in Hong Kong and few locals make it a specialty.
Sosie, fresh off a good third-place finish in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1), got the job done with a strong effort from off the pace.
The 4-year-old Sea The Stars colt, with Maxime Guyon up for trainer Andre Fabre, traveled in mid-field through most of the 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles), moved up on the stretch turn, and seized the lead early in the stretch. He was in control heading for the finish and held off last year's winner, Giavellotto, by 3/4 length.
Another French-trained runner, Goliath, finished third with Al Riffa coming from a seventh-place showing in the Melbourne Cup (G1) to report fourth. Ireland's Los Angeles finished fifth and the best of the Hong Kong runners was the Australia-bred Bundle Award, who finished sixth.
Sosie had scored a pair of group 1 wins in France early in the season but had been in a slump before coming to life in the Arc Oct. 5 in Paris, where he had finished fourth a year earlier. Despite the relatively narrow margin in the Vase, Sosie was holding his rival safe enough that Guyon was saluting the crowd as he flashed past the finish.
"He is very easy to ride," said Guyon, his regular rider save for the Arc, when Stephane Pasquier took the mount. "Very quiet. He won on soft ground and he won today on good."
"We know he's a really good horse. He ran really good two times in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and today he won the group 1. It's amazing."
Giavellotto's rider, Andrea Atzeni, said he thought he had the winner in his sights late.
"It was a good run in defeat. We followed the right horse," Atzeni said. "I know the pace wasn't overly strong. When I moved up to the winner I thought I had him covered but the winner found just a little bit better."
Sosie, out of the Shamardal mare Sosia, races for his breeder, Wertheimer and Frere. The victory was his seventh from 13 starts and fourth at the top level.
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