The world's richest race meeting, the Dubai World Cup meeting, was held at Nad Al Sheba racecourse last Saturday, and Japan turned up with its biggest representation ever. With a runner in every race except the Purebred Arabian Dubai Kahayla Classic, the Japanese runners were expected to perform well, and they certainly did.
Utopia, the winner of 4 NAR Group 1 races in Japan, and placegetter in 3 others, kicked off procedures with a scintillating win in the Group 2 US$1,000,000 Godolphin Mile. Ridden by champion Japanese jockey Yutaka Take, Utopia took the lead shortly after the start, and was always going very well in the run, before kicking away at the top of the straight. He eventually won by 4 lengths eased down, beating the Turkish challenger Win River Win (2nd) and Jack Sullivan who finished 3rd.
Trainer of Utopia, Mr. Kojiro Hashiguchi (who would experience further success later in the night with Heart's Cry) said, "The start was very good, so I thought he had a good chance. The primary factor of his winning was that he could keep his pace. I believed his win in the middle of the stretch, and I shouted in a loud voice. I am very happy to win for Japan."
Utopia has been a consistent Group 1 performer in Japan, although he is yet to break through for a JRA Group 1 win. He is owned by Mr. Makoto Kaneko who has owned some wonderful horses over the years (including the 2005 JRA Horse of the Year Deep Impact), and was bred by Northern Farm in Hokkaido, Japan. He is a 6yo entire by Forty Niner (USA) out of the Northern Taste mare Dream Vision (JPN).
The next runners up for Japan were the exciting 3yo colt Flamme de Passion and the Australian bred 4yo Gaburin in the Group 2 US$2,000,000 UAE Derby. After toying with a field of the best Japanese dirt performed 3yos in the Listed Hyacinth Stakes in his last lead-up run before flying to Dubai, the hopes were high for Flamme de Passion, and he showed that he is entitled to be considered one of the best 3yo dirt horses in the world by finishing 3rd behind the very impressive Godolphin star Discreet Cat, and Testimony. It was a promising performance by Flamme de Passion, as he was caught back in the field early from the difficult inside barrier. Rounding the straight, Take had very little galloping room to work with, but the horse managed to push between horses to finally get into the clear midway down the straight. By that time, Discreet Cat was well and truly clear, and in the shadows of the post, Testimony grabbed Flamme de Passion to finish 2nd.
The winner was far too good, and is likely to be considered one of the favourites for the Kentucky Derby - if Godolphin choose to aim him there. However, trainer Katsuhiko Sumii has mentioned he also has Kentucky Derby plans for Flamme de Passion, so Japanese fans will be watching with interest to see if next time, the Japanese star can bridge the gap.
Japanese fans were not expecting too much from the Australian bred Gaburin, as he was yet to win out of restricted 3yo races in Japan before traveling to Dubai. Yet, once again trainer Hideyuki Mori showed that he knew what he was doing with traveling horses overseas, with a the horse finishing a very creditable 7th after setting the early pace in the race. Olivier Peslier rode the horse and let him run along in front as he had done in both his two wins on dirt in Japan, but he was no match for the top 3 horses. No doubt he will have learnt a lot from the experience, and it is likely he will return to Japan and enjoy success in the future in some of the major dirt races domestically.
Flamme de Passion is by former World Champion Miler Kurofune, out of the Tony Bin mare Curly Passion. He is owned by Sunday Racing Co Ltd, and was bred by Northern Farm.
Gaburin is by Fusaichi Pegasus, out of the Danehill mare Dashing Eagle. He is owned by Mr. Yoshinori Sakae, and was bred by Mr. J. R. Fleming of Australia.
The next race was the US$2,000,000 Group 1 Golden Shaheen over 1200m. The Japanese entrant in this race was the Mori trained Agnes Jedi, who was also expected to struggle by Japanese racing fans. However, as with Gaburin, this horse he showed he was definitely worthy to make the long trip to Dubai with a very brave 6th. Lacking the early pace to keep up with the leaders, Agnes Jedi steadily made ground through the field, and was finishing just as strongly as anything else in the race at the post being beaten just over 3 lengths. However, the US sprinters were simply too fast and too strong, and they eventually filled the top 5 places. The winner Proud Tower Too led all the way to beat Thor's Echo and Jet West.
Agnes Jedi had been competitive in Group 2 and Group 3 events in Japan - both JRA and NAR, but he had not shown he was a true Group 1 horse in Japan. However, in beating all but the top 5 US sprinters on Saturday, he has shown that he may well come back to Japan as a force to reckon with in future Japan dirt group racing - as may young NAR jockey Hiroto Yoshihara, who took the ride here and performed well under pressure.
Agnes Jedi is by former international Group 1 sprinter Agnes World, out of the Crafty Prospector mare Crafty Pisces. He is owned by Takao Watanabe, and was bred by Shadai Farm in Hokkaido, Japan.
The first turf event for the night was the US$5,000,000 Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic, and the Japanese entrant in this race was the champion Japan middle distance performer Heart's Cry. Expected to be very hard to beat in the race after becoming the only horse to ever beat the 2005 JRA Horse of the Year Deep Impact, in the 2005 Group 1 Arima Kinen, Heart's Cry exceeded expectations, proving several lengths too good for the high class turf field. Prior to the Arima Kinen last December, Heart's Cry had always been a very strong finisher who tended to get too far back in races before closing strongly. However, since first getting the ride on him in October last year, jockey Christophe Lemaire has turned the horse around, and he shocked everyone last year (not least Take on Deep Impact) when he had Heart's Cry sitting 3rd throughout the Arima Kinen before holding off Deep Impact's challenge.
On Saturday, Lemaire went one step further, and took Heart's Cry straight to the lead. He rated the horse beautifully in the run, and coming around the turn, Heart's Cry was the only horse still traveling smoothly, with the rest of the field being pushed along to keep up. The field was well into the straight before Lemaire asked Heart's Cry for an effort, and when he did, the star horse pulled away from the challenging European brigade of Collier Hill (who eventually finished 2nd), Falstaff (3rd) and Ouija Board (4th).
Lemaire said, "Heart's Cry seemed to be very relaxed and in good condition. It has been three months since last race, but he gets stronger. Now, he can go and run everywhere in the world. At the 1000m to the post, I felt pressure, but when I trailed the horse responded well. He was very strong."
Trainer Hashiguchi, who made it 2 out of 2 on the night after Utopia's win said, "I am really excited. Heart's Cry was very good, so I brought him to Dubai. If I had no confidence, I would not have come here. In last year's the Arima Kinen(Gr.1), one of the biggest races in Japan, he was very strong. But now, he is stronger than then. We will look to going for the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes next."
It is expected that Deep Impact will also be traveling to Europe this year, and Japanese fans will be staying up late again if there is the chance of these 2 great horse clashing in some of the world's most famous races in summer this year.
Heart's Cry is by champion Japanese sire Sunday Silence, out of the Tony Bin mare Irish Dance. He is owned by Shadai Race Horse Co Ltd, and was bred by Shadai Farm.
The other major turf race of the night was the US$5,000,000 Group 1 Dubai Duty Free over 1777m. 2 Japanese horses traveled for this race - the same 2 that made the trip to Hong Kong for the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile in December last year - Hat Trick and Asakusa Den'en. Both are high level performers with Group 1 mile victories to their name, so much was expected but it was not to be. Hat Trick had been disappointing in his final lead up for the Dubai race finishing 2nd last in an 1800m Group 2 race, and although connections tried everything to get him right in time, he was still not in the best of condition last Saturday. Peslier rode the horse as always, and set him up for his traditional big finish, but it did not eventuate and the horse finished 12th.
Asakusa Den'en had Japanese racing fans worried when he dropped conspicuously out of the race coming into the turn after sitting outside the leader in the early stages, as everyone was concerned that he had been injured when crushed between the two leading horses coming around the final turn, and he finally finished last in the field, 14 lengths behind the 2nd last horse. However, reports after the race revealed that he only had his face scraped by the horse on his outside and there was no major damage done. It was disappointing for connections for that to happen in a major race after traveling so far, but he will return to Japan and continue racing.
The race was won by David Junior, winner of the Group 1 Dubai Champion Stakes, who finished three and a half lengths ahead of The Tin Man, with Seihali in 3rd place.
Hat Trick is by champion Japanese sire Sunday Silence, out of the Lost Code mare Tricky Mode. He is owned by Carrot Farm Co Ltd, and was bred by Oiwake Farm.
Asakusa Den'en is by Singspiel, out of the Machiavellian mare White Water Fair. He is owned by Mr. Genichiro Tahara and Mr. Teruya Yoshida, and was bred by Mr. Fusao Sekiguchi.
The main and final event of the evening was the richest race in the world - the US$6,000,000 Group 1 Dubai World Cup, and once again, Japan had 2 entries. The 2005 JRA Dirt Horse of the Year, Kane Hekili was the star Japanese attraction, while Mori produced another consistent performer in Star King Man.
Kane Hekili was expected to be competitive in the race, and in the early stages, Take had him sitting behind the leaders, and looked to be going easily. However, once in the straight, Kane Hekili could not really make any ground on the leaders, while favourite for the race, Godolphin star Electrocutionist, under heavy urging by champion jockey Frankie Dettori, powered down the outside to victory. Kane Hekili eventually finished 5th in the race, which although not quite in line with the high expectations, was a reasonable effort, and no doubt he will be brought back to Japan for further success.
Star King Man was never traveling well for Peslier in the run, and although he fought on well to finish 8th in the field of 11, he never looked reproducing the very brave 3rd in the 2005 Japan Cup (Dirt) that convinced trainer Mori and the other connections to make the trip.
Kane Hekili is by Fuji Kiseki, out of the Deputy Minister mare Life Out There. He is owned by Mr. Makoto Kaneko (who was victorious with Utopia), and was bred by Northern Farm.
Star King Man is by Kingmambo, out of the Blushing Groom mare Princess Timide. He is owned by Gold Racing Co Ltd, and was bred by John R. Gaines Thoroughbred Ltd, in the US.
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