World Racing Weekly: Giavellotto, Docklands And Bella Ballerina

Botti On Giavellotto’s Bid To Go Back-To-Back

Marco Botti knows winning the G1 Hong Kong Vase two years on the bounce with Giavellotto will be difficult to pull off at Sha Tin a week Sunday. Then again, the market rated him only the fifth likeliest winner last year, at $12 odds, and yet here he is, returning as the defending champion with a career best run in the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe immediately behind him.

That ‘Arc’ finish – fourth of 17 – as satisfying and hope-inducing as it was, is also the prime piece of evidence showing just how difficult a second Vase win at Sha Tin will be. Sure, Giavellotto had the likely-reopposing Los Angeles well behind him in last place at Longchamp, but Botti’s greatest concern is the horse that pipped him for third by a head: Sosie.

“The Andre Fabre horse, Sosie, is a proper horse,” Botti told Idol Horse. “He beat us in the Arc, even if it was just a short margin. Of the Europeans, Sosie would be the main danger, so it might be a bit different this year in terms of the quality of opposition: comparing to last year is always difficult but I think it’s a good field.”

The experienced and well-travelled Group 1 winners Goliath and Al Riffa count among the Europeans, too. Then there’s the Japanese contender, last year’s G1 Kikuka Sho winner Urban Chic. 

But the Newmarket-based Italian also has the confidence of knowing Giavellotto’s health and fitness are as good as a year ago, and that even at six years old, the form book says the entire is a better horse now than then.

“He’s a year older but you can only be pleased with what he’s done in his last two runs, at Kempton and then the way he ran in the Arc. Those runs suggest he’s at the peak of the game.”

Giavellotto has flourished since dropping down to 2400m from longer staying races; this year he also benefitted from an enforced summer break due to a “slight setback”.

“When he missed the Princess of Wales’s Stakes (in July) we thought we’d freshen him up and bring him back at Kempton,” said Botti, referencing his G3 September Stakes win against Kalpana, a filly who at that stage was prominent in the Arc betting.

“We knew he would probably come on and improve for the run and when he beat Kalpana we thought well we’ve got to keep an eye on the Arc. The decision was if we got good ground we’d run in the Arc, so we did, but then close to the race it rained and it wasn’t really in his favour.

“That was the positive to take out of the Arc, he performed really well on soft ground, which is not the ideal surface for him, he likes fast ground. Kalpana didn’t run well in the Arc but then she won the Group 1 fillies and mares race on Champions Day.”

The plan this week was for a piece of fast work a day or two before boarding a flight to Hong Kong on Friday, arriving just after 4pm on Saturday.

“So far everything has gone according to plan,” Botti added. “We couldn’t be happier with him, his work is fine, he looks well and his coat looks great.”

Andrea Atzeni maintains the ride having taken over from Oisin Murphy at Longchamp.

“We said to Andrea, if you ride him in the Arc, you probably keep the ride in Hong Kong,” Botti said. “It’s a difficult decision because both the jockeys have done really well on him.”

Docklands Heads International Arrivals Ahead Of HKIR

The Sha Tin quarantine stables have started to buzz this week ahead of the Hong Kong International Races. The Ritto-based horses from Japan landed on Wednesday and the place will be a hive of activity by Saturday night with three planes of European-trained runners due in from London, Paris and Chicago.

All the overseas contenders will be on the ground by Sunday afternoon, with flights from Shannon in Ireland and the Miho contingent from Japan heading in from Tokyo. 

Docklands and his handlers, Laura Pike and Michael Volkins, will welcome the extra company. They have been on their own since they landed a week ago from Osaka following the well-travelled British five-year-old’s mid-pack finish in the G1 Champions Mile at Kyoto.

“He’s taken the journey from Japan very well,” trainer Harry Eustace told Idol Horse. “It’s a much easier trip obviously from Japan and he’s got plenty of time to acclimatise. He’s race fit and really we’re just ticking him into the race.

“Michael and Laura have been very happy with how he’s arrived. He’s had a quiet time, he’s just been exercising in the arena but he’ll have a little blow at some point, I just need to work out when that’ll be.”

Docklands was only 12th last year in the G1 Hong Kong Mile but has since won the G1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and Eustace believes he is better placed to do well this time.

“He’s had the experience of travelling, which I think holds him in good stead,” Eustace said of his charge, who will be ridden by Tom Marquand. “We’re arriving a better horse this year than last year, so if we could get a good draw in Hong Kong, the race might not have quite the depth of the Japanese race.”

This Week In Horse Racing History

December 1, 1982 was a historic one for the sport and for the Barton family when Patti Barton, 38, and Leah Barton, 19, became the first mother and daughter to ride against each other in a professional horse race. The venue was Latonia racetrack, northern Kentucky, and  Patti riding Tam’s Angel finished fifth, with Leah 10th on Diane’s Ms. Lolly.

Kane Hekili made history at Hanshin on December 7, 2008 when he became the first two-time winner of the G1 Champions Cup, then known as the Japan Cup Dirt. His victory came under Christophe Lemaire, three years after Yutaka Take rode him to win the race when it was staged at Tokyo.

Idol Horse Reads Of The Week

Shane Dye’s “Idol Thoughts” column this week answers the question “what makes a great jockey? Dye describes the role of risk when it comes to being a great rider.

Shane Dye

What Makes A Great Jockey? They're Not Afraid To Lose

It has taken until the relative twilight of David Hayes’ career to find the best horse he has ever trained. Now that he has Ka Ying Rising, he wants to make the ride last as long as possible.

Michael Cox

Longevity And Legacy: Hayes On Ka Ying Rising In 2026 And Beyond

Almond Eye has found a new legion of fans through the game and anime series Umamusume. Christophe Lemaire pays tribute to the mare whose famous 2400m track record at Tokyo was broken this week.

David Morgan

Lemaire Still In Awe Of Almond Eye, The Japan Cup's 'Final Boss'

Racing Photo Of The Week

Date
30 November, 2025

Photographer
@ReveReve27

Location
Tokyo Racecourse

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Global Blackbook

The G2 Golden Rod Stakes at Churchill Downs is always a race worth having an eye on. It has been used as a stepping-stone towards Grade 1 glory by the likes of the champions Rachel Alexandra and Silverbulletday among others. They both numbered the G1 Kentucky Oaks among their hauls of top level wins, and last year the Brad Cox-trained Good Cheer competed the Golden Rod-Kentucky Oaks double.

But last weekend it was trainer Brendan Walsh and jockey Tyler Gaffalione teaming up for their second Golden Rod win in three editions, thanks to Godolphin’s homebred Street Sense filly Bella Ballerina. She had won her maiden over six furlongs on debut at Keeneland the time before by four and a quarter lengths.

In the Golden Rod over a mile and half a furlong, Bella Ballerina broke fast from the widest gate and soon led but quickly handed up the lead to race a keen second under restraint.  The youngster reeled in the tearaway leader on the home turn, led early in the straight, kicked on and held on from the deep-closers to win by half a length. Grade 1 racing beckons.

World Horse Racing Calendar: What’s Coming Up

Champions Cup
Chukyo, December 7

There’s an opportunity right now for a new star to step up and take command of Japan’s domestic dirt track scene, given that Forever Young has offshore targets and Godolphin’s Lemon Pop, the winner of this race for the last two years, is retired. This is setting up as a  clash between Godolphin’s exciting three-year-old Narukami, winner of the Jpn1 Japan Dirt Classic, and Silk Racing’s four-year-old filly W Heart Bond, whose win in the G3 Miyako Stakes last time gave her a career tally of six wins from seven. But they face some hardy old contenders including Wilson Tesoro and Meisho Hario, while the multiple Group 2-winning turf runner Sixpence will make his second start on dirt. 

Hong Kong International Races
Sha Tin, December 14

Hong Kong’s end-of-year showcase is shaping as a classic. Each of the four Group 1s hold either intriguing storylines or compelling match-ups.

Ka Ying Rising will be a dominant favourite in the G1 Hong Kong Sprint but all eyes will be on the clock and whether or not he can lower his own track record again. Voyage Bubble dropping back in trip has injected fresh life into the G1 Hong Kong Mile, with My Wish looking to get back on track and Japanese filly Embroidery bringing class. Romantic Warrior will be out to make history when he guns for a fourth consecutive Hong Kong Cup. The race of the day might be the Vase, with defending champion Giavellotto taking on Sosie, Urban Chic and Al Riffa.

Hanshin Juvenile Fillies
Hanshin, December 14

With multiple graded stakes winners ruled out, this year’s Hanshin Juvenile Fillies has become a hard race to read, but the unbeaten-in-two Alankar is expected to be the main focus. A victory here would give her a Group 1 title to follow in the footsteps of her dam Sinhalite and make the prospect of mother-and-daughter Classic victories a realistic one. The Safran Sho impressive winner Arbanne, and Star Anise who has a narrow second in G3 company on her record, are also highly regarded. Garavogue, a full sister to Danon Scorpion, would be an interesting contender if she can make the field by coming through the ballot. Meanwhile, Sodashi’s sister Marga is expected to skip the race.

Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes
Hanshin, December 21

Realize Sirius, who powered away to a four-length victory in the G3 Niigata Nisai Stakes in August, is expected to attract major attention. He was a seven-length winner on debut in June and is a standout talent with dominant wins in both of his two starts. At the same time, Admire Quads who captured the G2 Daily Hai Nisai Stakes in a two-year-old track record, is a similarly exciting prospect. Graded stakes winners such as Ecoro Alba and Diamond Knot also come into the race with strong reputations, and although the field is not large in number, it looks set to be a race stacked with high-class performers.

Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix)
Nakayama, December 28

This is a race in which the main focus will be on Regaleira’s bid for back-to-back victories. Having captured last month’s G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup, she is expected to start as the favourite, in contrast to last year when her true ability was viewed with some skepticism. Danon Decile experienced an incident in which he ran loose after the finish in the Japan Cup, where he finished third, but he was uninjured and will line up in the Arima Kinen. Byzantine Dream, who finished fifth in the Arc, and Satsuki Sho winner Museum Mile have also been declared. For Justin Palace, this race will be his final start. ∎

David Morgan

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Calandagan Restores The Japan Cup’s Global Spark