Japan Cup (G1) - Just as Well, Interpatation arrive in good form

Just as Well

Interpatation

Two American horses scheduled to run in the Grade 1 Japan Cup - Interpatation and Just as Well - arrived safely to Japan on Monday, Nov. 16, and both horses were transported to the JRA Horseracing School Quarantine Center to prepare for the 29th running of Japan's largest prize money race.

Both horses arrived at the Horseracing School at 1:53 p.m., completing a 17-hour trip from the United States. They handled the trip well, despite this being their first time crossing the Pacific.

"No problems at all with transportation. He is in good form," said Robert Sigouin, assistant trainer for Interpatation. "We won't go into the tracks tomorrow, but will just have him walk around the stable area. We'll pick up the pace of his training with each day."

"The horse is relaxed after the trip, in great shape," said Just as Well's assistant trainer Barry Wiseman. "Like Interpatation, we won't go to the tracks tomorrow and will walk him around the stable area. We will gradually speed up his training."

Interpatation, the 7-year-old veteran, is coming off a 1 3/4-lengths victory in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Stakes on Oct. 3 at Belmont Park, the same Grade 1 race in which the gelding finished second in 2008. Trained by Robert Barbara and owned by Elliot Mavorah, the son of Langfuhr has won six times, with four second-place and 11 third-place finishes, earning $1,156,630 in 50 starts.

Just as Well, the 6-year-old horse by A.P. Indy, has won twice and finished runnerup three times in his 2009 campaign. Before finishing fifth in the Canadian International Stakes (Grade 1) in October at Woodbine, the Jonathan Sheppard-trained-and-owned horse took the crown in the Northern Dancer Turf Stakes (G1) and came in second in the Grade 1 Arlington Million and Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap. Just as Well is 5-for-20 with five runnerups and three third-place finishes, earning $1,034,912 in the process.

With a total purse of 533.5 million yen, the Japan Cup will be held over 2,400 meters at Tokyo Racecourse on Nov. 29. The race will be the third leg of the "Japan Autumn International," a four-race series with a total value of 1,217,100,000 yen in prize money - not including the bonuses allocated to the qualified horse.