Giavellotto 'the one to beat' in Hong Kong Vase says Andrea Atzeni as Marco Botti's globetrotter bids to join select club

Andrea Atzeni believes Giavellotto is "the horse to beat" when he bids to defend his Longines Hong Kong Vase crown at the lucrative international meeting at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Giavellotto readily won the 1m4f Group 1 under Oisin Murphy 12 months ago, keeping on strongly in the straight to pull comfortably clear of Dubai Honour.

The six-year-old has since been to Dubai, Epsom and Kempton, before producing a fine effort to finish fourth in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, when his partnership with Atzeni was renewed.

Atzeni will stay in the saddle for the Vase as Giavellotto bids to join the select club of Luso (1996, 1997), Doctor Dino (2007, 2008), Highland Reel (2015 and 2017) and Glory Vase (2019 and 2021) as a two-time winner of the HK$26 million (approximately £2.7m) race.

He said: "It’s obviously a great ride to get. He won the race very impressively last year and I was lucky to ride him in the Arc last time. He ran a brilliant race there, and I’m glad to get the leg up on him in the Vase. 

“It’s probably a better race than last season, but the way he won last year and the way he ran in the Arc, I think he’s the horse to beat. One thing I need is a Group 1 in Hong Kong, so hopefully he can give me that!”

Standing in his way is a high-class international field, including Los Angeles and Al Riffa from Ireland, Goliath and Sosie from France, Japan's Urban Chic and a four-strong home defence.

Botti is looking forward to the opportunity and said: "We’re a step closer. We gave him a piece of work on Wednesday. Marco Ghiani rode him and said he felt as good as ever. It was a nice piece of work, without asking too many questions. 

“We used a heart monitor and his recovery time was less than a minute, so that suggests he is very fit. We also looked at his stride length, which is actually the same as it was last year. He’s race-fit and I don’t think he needs much.

“Any trip abroad, but especially Hong Kong after the experience last year, I’m really looking forward to." 

On the decision to keep Atzeni aboard, he said: "Obviously, Oisin Murphy has ridden Giavellotto in most of his races since Andrea [Atzeni] left for Hong Kong. Sadly, we couldn’t have Oisin for the Arc, so we were lucky to secure Andrea. The owners said if Andrea comes to ride him in the Arc, then we will have to consider Hong Kong and who will ride him there. 

“Of course both are very good jockeys, very experienced, but in the end the decision was made to reward Andrea because he came to ride him in the Arc. We felt that we should let Andrea ride him in Hong Kong.”

Hong Kong Vase (Sha Tin, Sunday)
bet365: 9-4 Giavellotto, Sosie, 100-30 Al Riffa, 5 Urban Chic, 16 Bundle Award, Goliath, 20 bar.

Read more:

200 up! Billy Loughnane joins elite group of jockeys as he claims double century of winners for the year 

Have we seen the next Constitution Hill? Seven key takeouts from a cracking jumps weekend 

Former racehorse owner receives suspended prison sentence and fined £290,000 for role in illegal bookmaking operation 

Looking for free bets? Racing Post have got the best offers, all in one place. Visit racingpost.com/freebets to find out more.