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Legendary French trainer Andre Fabre will be aiming to record a fourth G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase with G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly second Marquisat.
Andre Fabre will be defending his title in the race, after Junko beat Zeffiro to win the prestigious prize last year, twenty-four years after his first success in the Hong Kong Vase.
This season, his main hope represents different connections - Marquisat runs in the Godolphin colours and will be ridden by the newly crowned LONGINES International Jockeys' Championship champion Mickael Barzalona.
The son of Zarak finished only a nose behind stablemate Junko in the G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly before taking a similar route through the season, placing a good third behind Goliath and Hamish in the G2 Prix du Conseil de Paris before finishing fifth in the G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern at Munich.
Marquisat cantered on Friday 6 December, with Fabre providing an update on his colt's chances: "Obviously his rating doesn't give him a leading chance and his preparation was not the ideal; the German race was not really what I was hoping for.
"The ground was too heavy. He enjoys soft ground but not that heavy; he's not a strong horse, he has a light action."
France's 32-time champion trainer has the joint-best record in the LONGINES Hong Kong Vase, succeeding three times, first in 1999 with Borgia and then fifteen years later with Flintshire.
Fabre is known for his skill in identifying which horses will be best suited to the different styles of international racing and says that Marquisat should enjoy conditions at Sha Tin: "We always learn by travelling and meeting other horses and, hopefully, getting a stronger pace.
"He's a horse who is a very easy-going type. Over a mile and a half, the draw won't matter, as long as there is some pace, which there should be.
"He looks well now and on his form with Junko he has a very good chance."