Tin Cup Chalice, the Finger Lakes Horse of the Year and one of three contenders from the United States scheduled to run in the Grade 1 Japan Cup Dirt, arrived at Narita Airport on Thursday.
The 3-year-old Crusader Sword gelding arrived in Narita Airport at 8:52 a.m. and was transported to the JRA Horseracing School Quarantine Center in Shiroi City at 12:48 p.m. Tin Cup Chalice is in fine condition after a 24-hour travel from his home stable.
“It was his first long-distance flight, but he is not showing any fatigue and is doing great. He has good appetite and I’m just relieved,” said groom Jan Keuer. “It’s his first day here, so we’ll only walk him around. We’ll enter the track from tomorrow and begin light training. If all goes well here (at Shiroi), we’ll give him one hard workout before we move to Hanshin Racecourse.”
Tin Cup Chalice swept the "Big Apple Triple" for New York-bred three-year-olds. He was presented with the horse of the year honors from the Finger Lakes Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association awards on Nov. 16.
The Japan Cup Dirt, which had traditionally been run the day before the Japan Cup, will be held as the last leg of the “Japan Autumn International” – a four-race series with a total purse of more than 1.2 billion yen – at Hanshin Racecourse on Dec. 7, one week after the Japan Cup at Tokyo. The Japan Cup Dirt will have total prize money of 277.9 million yen.
>More news/information on Grade 1 Japan Cup Dirt
© Japan Association for International Racing and Stud Book (JAIRS). All Rights Reserved.
