Last weekend saw the biggest meeting of the Hong Kong season as Sha Tin staged the 2024 edition of the Hong Kong Cup meeting. As ever, the home team proved hard to beat at this prestigious fixture, with the victories of Ka Ying Rising (Hong King Sprint), Voyage Bubble (Hong Kong Mile), and Romantic Warrior (Hong Kong Cup), meaning the three most valuable prizes on the card remained on home soil.
That win for Romantic Warrior made him the first three-time Hong Kong Cup champ in history. Meanwhile, the £2,253,521.13 first-place prize money takes his career prize money to just under £18m, making him the highest-earning racehorse of all time.
An impressive performance from the hosts overall, but they didn’t quite manage to achieve a clean sweep of the £1 million events. The British trainers provided the upset with a 1-2 in the £2.4 million Hong Kong Vase. The William Haggas-trained globetrotter Dubai Honour ran an admirable race in second, but the prize fell to a Marco Botti star who had previously come up short in top-tier events.
If at First You Don’t Succeed…
Making a successful debut in a Kempton Novice in 2021, Giavellotto enjoyed a productive Classic campaign, winning Novice and Handicap events before taking a shot at the St Leger. Starting amongst the outsiders on his first crack in Group 1 company, he ran better than many expected to cross the line in fourth (later upgraded to third).
Giavellotto’s Form in 2022
| Date | Race | Course | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28th March | Novice Stakes | Newcastle | 1st |
| 22nd April | Handicap | Sandown | 4th |
| 4th June | Handicap | Doncaster | 3rd |
| 2nd July | Handicap | Haydock | 2nd |
| 5th August | Handicap | Newmarket | 1st |
| 11th September | St Leger Stakes | Doncaster | 3rd |
| 30th September | Noel Murless Stakes | Ascot | 2nd |
Moving on to 2023, Giavellotto gained revenge on his St. Leger conqueror Eldar Eldarov to pick up a first Group 2 win in the Yorkshire Cup. However, he again found Group 1 company beyond him when finishing a 6½l fifth in the Goodwood Cup.
Giavellotto’s Form in 2023
| Date | Race | Course | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th March | Dubai Gold Cup | Meydan | 9th |
| 19th May | Yorkshire Cup | York | 1st |
| 1st August | Goodwood Cup | Goodwood | 5th |
| 25th August | Lonsdale Cup | Doncaster | 3rd |
The familiar tale continued in 2024. Now five years old, Giavellotto proved more than capable in Group 2 company when adding the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes and a second Yorkshire Cup to his tally. Well fancied for the Group 1 Irish St. Leger on the back of those efforts, he proved no match for the Aidan O’Brien and Willie Mullins duo of Kyprios and Vauban. Would he ever achieve that Group 1 breakthrough?
Giavellotto’s Form in 2024
| Date | Race | Course | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24th February | Group 3 Handicap | Riyadh | 3rd |
| 30th March | Dubai Gold Cup | Meydan | 5th |
| 17th May | Yorkshire Cup | York | 1st |
| 11th July | Princess Of Wales’s Stakes | Newmarket | 1st |
| 15th September | Irish St. Leger | Curragh | 3rd |
Try Again in Hong Kong
Whilst predominantly known for his exploits over 1m6f+, the son of Mastercraftsman had won three of four starts over shorter trips, including that impressive win in the Group 2 Princess Of Wales’s Stakes. As such, it wasn’t too surprising to see the Marco Botti team turn their attention east for the riches on offer in the 1m4f Hong Kong Vase.
Possibly with those previous Group 1 failures in mind, Giavellotto started at the unusual odds of 113/10 in a field which included previous winners of the Melbourne Cup, St. Leger, Prix Ganay, and Irish Champion Stakes, in addition to the well-fancied Japanese filly with the South African name, Stellenbosch.
Despite the lofty standard of the opposition, Giavellotto travelled as well as anything in a race run at a crawl and looked a huge danger rounding the home bend. However, he was then swamped on both sides and fell from racing on the heels of the leaders to sitting third from last. Unfazed, the ice-cool Oisin Murphy switched Giavellotto into space and was rewarded with a blistering turn of foot. Reeling in the leaders in a matter of strides, Giavellotto hit the front inside the final furlong to score by 2½l.
Profitable Plan comes Together
Heading to Hong Kong with career earnings of £743,366.32 from 17 starts, Giavellotto earned almost double that for this single success to move past the £2 million mark. When reflecting on this remarkable win, Marco Botti was keen to lay praise at the feet of the winning rider, with the trainer stating:
“Credit to Oisin because the first thing he mentioned after the Irish St Leger was this race. We followed his advice, and it has worked out well.”
The stable star ⭐️ has arrived back at Prestige Place safe and well 🇭🇰 ➡️ 🇬🇧
Thank you @HKJC_Racing for your hospitality pic.twitter.com/jaqZOHGTQu
— Marco Botti Racing (@MarcoBotti) December 13, 2024
With a first Group 1 in the bag, expect to see Giavellotto dining at the top table again in 2025, with a tilt at the Dubai Sheema Classic rumoured to be on the agenda.