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New Challenger to Last Year's Top Finishers in Japan Cup.
Welcome back to our annual series of newsletters leading up to the 2018 Japan Cup (G1, 2,400m). The fall racing season is heading towards the Japan Autumn International Series, which will be held over four weekends between November 11 and December 2 and comprise four prestigious G1 races: the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1, 2,200m), the Mile Championship (G1, 1,600m), the Japan Cup and the Champions Cup (G1, dirt, 1,800m). Total prize money for the four G1 events will amount to ¥1.33 billion (US$12.1m), with additional bonuses for winners of designated overseas G1 events who also finish within the top three in any of the four races. Also, winners of designated overseas races who finish outside the top three places in the Japan Cup will still be guaranteed an incentive of US$100,000.
Cheval Grand (JPN, H6, by Heart’s Cry) entered the 2017 Japan Cup as fifth favorite and succeeded under Hugh Bowman for his first G1 title. He defeated the season’s Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1, 2,400m) victor Rey de Oro (JPN, C4, by King Kamehameha) as well as Horse of the Year and race favorite Kitasan Black (JPN, by Black Tide), who finished second and third, respectively. Four lengths behind in fourth was 2016 derby winner Makahiki (JPN, H5, by Deep Impact), followed by Idaho (IRE, H5, by Galileo), the top finisher among foreign contingents in fifth. Kitasan Black, who dominated turf racing in Japan the last couple of years before capping off a stellar career with his last G1 victory in the Arima Kinen (G1, 2,500m), has begun a new life at stud. The remaining three are still in training but only Rey de Oro has managed to come up with a win this season.
Cheval Grand, who encountered disadvantages and finished third in the Arima Kinen, kicked off this season in the Osaka Hai (G1, 2,000m), a step down from his ideal distance, and finished 13th. He was in great form for his spring target, the Tenno Sho (Spring) (G1, 3,200m), where he took command from a forward position at the straight but was caught at the wire by fast-closing Rainbow Line (JPN, by Stay Gold) and finished a neck second. The son of Heart's Cry (JPN, by Sunday Silence) is scheduled to follow the same fall campaign as last year, beginning with the Kyoto Daishoten (G2, 2,400m) on October 8 before the Japan Cup and the Arima Kinen.
Rey De Oro finished third and fourth in two starts this spring. For the Kyoto Kinen (G2, 2,200m), which was raced on softer going, Rey de Oro had to change riders after his regular partner, Christophe Lemaire, was suspended. In the following Dubai Sheema Classic (G1, 2,410m), the King Kamehameha (JPN, by Kingmambo) colt had trouble adapting to an extremely slow pace, starting strong but failing to use his trademark late charge to finish fourth against other front runners who had plenty left after running unpressured. Returning from a summer break following a frustrating spring campaign, the four-year-old bounced back to score his first win of the season in the All Comers (G2, 2.200m) on September 23, where the race favorite, who was positioned fifth from last early, gained ground on the leaders from between horses then out-dueled Al Ainfor a neck victory. While his partnership with Lemaire is uncertain because the popular jockey has committed to a number of other prominent mounts, Rey de Oro will likely head for the Tenno Sho (Autumn) (G1, 2,000m) on October 28 and the Japan Cup after that.
Makahiki, having sustained a fracture in his left hind leg last December, was sidelined the entire spring during a nine-month break but came back in the Sapporo Kinen (G2, 2,000m) on August 19 and turned in an impressive runner-up effort. Near the rear behind a solid pace, the son of Deep Impact (JPN, by Sunday Silence) roared up the outside and just missed by a nose to Sungrazer (JPN, C4, by Deep Impact). Makahikihad struggled after a heavy defeat as a three-year-old in the 2016 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1, 2,400m), but since returning to Japan has consistently finished within sixth place in all six starts. His latest performance demonstrated that he is well on his way to full recovery, so a good showing in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) could indicate his readiness for the Japan Cup.
Among other Japan Cup starters of last year, sixth-place Rainbow Line was impressive this spring with back-to-back wins in the Hanshin Daishoten (G2, 3,000m) and the Tenno Sho (Spring), but a fracture in his right foreleg after the latter forced him to retire from racing. Tenth-place Satono Crown (JPN, H6, by Marju) won praise for his G1 victories in the 2016 Hong Kong Vase (G1, 2,400m) and the 2017 Takarazuka Kinen (G1, 2,200m) but recent performances have not been encouraging – 13th, seventh and 12th in three starts after the Japan Cup. He will head for either the Tenno Sho (Autumn) or the Japan Cup this fall.
Twelfth-place Sounds Of Earth (JPN, H7, by Neo Universe), while winless for quite some time, has been competitive in graded races with seven runner-up efforts against the top turf runners, but he failed to show much in the Japan Cup last year and capped off the season finishing seventh in the Arima Kinen. The son of Neo Universe (JPN, by Sunday Silence) was also disappointing in the Meguro Kinen (G2, 2,500m) in May, but showed improvement in the Sapporo Kinen by crossing the wire 0.1 second behind the winner in fourth. His next start will be the Mainichi Okan (G2, 1,800m) on October 7.
Possible newcomers that could be a threat in this year's Japan Cup include Suave Richard (JPN, C4, by Heart's Cry) and Mikki Rocket (JPN, H5, by King Kamehameha). Suave Richard was runner-up in the 2017 Tokyo Yushun and bested a field of older rivals in the Copa Republica Argentina (G2, 2,500m). Despite his weakness on right-handed tracks, he still managed to finish a close fourth in the Arima Kinen. This season, he kicked off his four-year-old campaign with a victory in the Kinko Sho (G2, 2,000m). He landed his first G1 title in the following Osaka Hai, also right-handed, making early headway from the rear, overtaking the field on the backstretch, hugging the rails and prevailing under Mirco Demuro for a 3/4-length win. He concluded his spring campaign with a third at a mile in the Yasuda Kinen (G1, 1,600m), but likely will step up in distance again this fall, including the Tenno Sho (Autumn) prior to his first Japan Cup.
Mikki Rocket, a fifth-place finisher in the 2016 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger, G1, 3,000m), scored his first grade-race title in his four-year-old debut, the Nikkei Shinhun Hai (G2, 2,400m), but was unable to finish better than sixth in three G1 starts that season. The son of King Kamehameha progressed well in his five-year-old season, finishing fourth in the Tenno Sho (Spring) as ninth favorite and then reaffirming his form to win the Takarazuka Kinen as the seventh favorite. He edged forward from mid-division, took command in the early stretch and held off a strong charge by Hong Kong raider Werther (NZ, G7, by Tavistock) for a neck win. His intended fall comeback in the Kyoto Daishoten was cancelled due to a conditioning delay, so he will head straight to his three G1 targets – the Tenno Sho (Autumn), the Japan Cup and the Arima Kinen.
Definite Tenno Sho (Autumn) entries, although still uncertain for the Japan Cup, are being watched closely. Sungrazer won the Sapporo Kinen, his first start in 1-1/2 years at 2,000 meters, having raced mainly between 1,400 and 1,600 meters, including his first grade-race victory in the 2017 Swan Stakes (G2, 1,400m) and a third-place finish in the Mile Championship (G1, 1,600m). He continues to excel over a mile, scoring another grade-race title in the Milers Cup (G2, 1,600m) in April and a close fifth in the Yasuda Kinen, but will be tested by the extended distance of the Tenno Sho (Autumn).
Danon Premium (JPN, C3, by Deep Impact) was undefeated in three starts as a two-year-old and continued with his fourth career win in his three-year-old debut, the Yayoi Sho (G2, 2,000m). Forced to pass up the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas, G1, 2,000m) with a stone bruise, he tasted his first defeat when finishing sixth in his comeback, the Tokyo Yushun. His connections remain positive with his progress and are preparing the 2017 Best Two-Year-Old Colt for the Tenno Sho (Autumn).
Al Ain (JPN, C4, by Deep Impact), winner of the 2017 Satsuki Sho, has been consistent this year, finishing second in the Kyoto Kinen, third in the Osaka Hai, fifth in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1, 2,000m) in Hong Kong and just missing by a neck in second to Rey de Oro in the All Comers.
Vivlos (JPN, M5, by Deep Impact), winner of both the 2016 Shuka Sho (G1, 2,000m) and the 2017 Dubai Turf (G1, 1,800m), was second in the Dubai Turf this year and fourth when stepping up in distance in the Takarazuka Kinen (G1, 2,200m). Notably, she was also defeated to fifth over the same distance in the fall 2017 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1, 2,200m). While she will be targeting the Tenno Sho (Autumn) to start her campaign this fall, she is expected to step down for the Mile Championship and then the Hong Kong Mile (G1, 1,600m).