AIDEN O'BRIEN BRINGS BRINGS THE BALLYDOYLE POLISH TO HONG KONG. WILL CONTEST THE VASE AND THE MILE

By Darren Winningham | Monday, December 8, 2025

Aidan O’Brien’s Hong Kong Raiders Poised to Make a Statement

Aidan O’Brien knows the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) like few others.
He has walked these Sha Tin corridors before, felt the electric tension, stared down the world’s best, and watched his colours flash in triumph on racing’s global stage.

And this year, he has returned with intent.

O’Brien is no mere visitor to the HKIR. He is one of its most loyal international generals. In 2023, he came within a breath—literally the width of a nostril—of toppling Hong Kong’s beloved Romantic Warrior, when Luxembourg and Ryan Moore launched a challenge that seemed destined for glory until the final desperate stride.

But the Irish master has tasted victory here.

He lifted the Vase in 2020 with the powerful Mogul, and before that, in 2015 and 2017, Highland Reel carved his name into Sha Tin folklore with two unforgettable, globe-trotting triumphs.

Now, in 2025, O’Brien is back—and he has brought reinforcements.

Los Angeles: The Flagbearer

Heading the team is Los Angeles, a colt with stamina, strength, and the kind of presence that commands attention. He steps into the HK$26 million LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m) carrying not only O’Brien’s hopes, but the weight of history—the stable’s fourth potential Vase crown.

His physique speaks of power. His record speaks of promise.

The Lion In Winter: The Young Challenger

Then there is The Lion In Winter, the lightly raced three-year-old who has turned heads across Europe and the USA. Three consecutive Group 1 placings over the mile have marked him as something more than talented—they have marked him as a dangerous threat to all-comers.

On Monday morning at Sha Tin, under the muted glow of dawn, he stretched out on the dirt track. Fluid, focused, full of intent and flamboyant.

Those watching nodded quietly. This colt had travelled well. This colt had settled. This colt was here to compete.

Pat Keating, O’Brien’s long-trusted travelling foreman, surveyed his charges with the calm confidence of a man who has seen champions bloom on faraway soil.

“They got here on Saturday and have settled in good,” he said. “Shipped great. Just a gentle canter today … we’ll build it up through the week.”

His tone said more than his words. These horses were thriving. These horses were improving. These horses were coming to peak at exactly the right moment.

A Statement In the Making

Aidan O’Brien never travels to Hong Kong lightly.

He arrives with purpose, precision, and a blueprint for success forged over decades of global conquest. This year feels no different. If anything—it feels charged.

Los Angeles brings the muscle. The Lion In Winter brings the spark.

And O’Brien brings the belief that, come Sunday, his team might once again carve their names into HKIR history.

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