This time last year I headed off to Toyko to see the final race of the great Equinox, and this year I have been lucky enough to be invited back by the Japan Racing Association with every chance we will have three or four European challengers for the main event – exciting times and a trip I have been looking forward to.
For those unfamiliar with the race, we are talking about a Grade One over a mile and a half on turf, and with 500,000,000 Yen (£2.55 million) to the winner in prize money plus potential bonuses.
As a European I can safely say we haven’t been sending our “A” team over in recent years, though the recent retiree Sir Michael Stoute does sit joint top of the training tree having won this with Singspiel in 1996 and Pilsudski in 1997.
Why we don’t target such a valuable race in a country where they spoil and welcome the connections is beyond me I’m afraid – but that was then, and this is now as we launch a very strong challenge for 2024 with a Derby and a King George winner for starters.
Arriving on Wednesday night, my first trip Thursday morning was to trackwork at silly o’clock (I am NOT a morning person these days, trust me), and it was an interesting comparison to others jurisdictions with less horses working than, for example Hong Kong, but we were still lucky enough to get a decent if distant view of Derby winner Auguste Rodin (Aidan O’Brien), King George winner Goliath (Francis Henri Graffard), Grosser Preis von Baden winner Fantastic Moon (Sarah Steinberg), and Le Nomade (also Francis Henri Graffard and racing on the Saturday card) ) – more and stronger interest from Europe than last year, perhaps proving just how unbeatable Equinox was aways going to be.
Despite sitting nodding wisely with the other scribes as we watched them gallop in the rain, I learned very little other than they still all have four legs, (thankfully). Unless you watch them work on a daily basis, how can you possibly tell if they are working better or worse, but what I could do was listen astutely to their connections in the post gallops interviews.
First up we had Monsieur Graffard and jockey Christophe Soumillon. Call me childish if you like, but there was something amusing about questions being asked in Japanese, translated into French and then answered in English, but whatever the language there seemed a lot of confidence behind the King George winner, who has travelled well, is working well, and is here as his post Ascot target with a prep race in between to put him spot on – or 150% as Francis described him.
I did like their attitude I admit, with his American owner joining the fray and extremely enthusiastic about taking on the world with the son of German Derby winner Adlerflug, though I am not sure how diplomatic he was to tell the Japanese media that everyone knows the best turf racing is in Europe!
Next up was Aidan O’Brien who to be fair is very generous with his time to us media, sitting quietly and thoughtfully as each long question in Japanese was translated to English for him to answer.
Although saying all the right things as always, and reporting Auguste Rodin to be in fine fettle, the usual enthusiasm seemed strangely absent – though he could have been tired, of course.
Unsurprisingly, there were more questions about Auguste Rodin’s Japanese sire Deep Impact than there were about the actual horse, but we did find out there will be a retirement ceremony for Auguste after the race and before he heads off to stud – setting conspiracy theory alarm bells ringing in my head – is that the reason he runs here, with the additional publicity increasing his value for his next career?
Lasty, we had both Frau Steinberg and jockey Rene Piechulek, representing Germany and Fantastic Moon, and they seemed politely positive, though my main source of amusement was hearing the German language peppered with the occasional “Fantastic Moon” or better still, “turn of foot” – little things please little minds I suppose?
Sadly, we only get to physically see the “foreign” horses and their connections, and as we have all learned to our cost over the years, there is such a thing as home advantage, and that needs to be taken into account before any conclusions are made – thankfully, there is just the one race to deal with.
Decision Time.
Despite some light rain, as I write we are expecting a decent surface come race day, probably on the fast side of good by the time we get to Sunday afternoon (24th November).
The King George form confuses me totally with Auguste Rodins’ connections attributing his poor showing to softer ground – and race readers putting the quicker ground down as the reason future Arc winner Bluestocking got beaten – so which one was it?
I am inclined to think that the O’Brien colt can have an off day and that may be the truth of the matter in July at Ascot, and they are duty bound to have him at his peak for his swansong – but will that be good enough, or has the bubble burst, that is the big question and we won’t know the answer until after the race?
Japanese horses are as good as any in the World these days, and I can only applaud them for continuing to see a mile and a half as a true test for the thoroughbred, unlike Europe where we continue on a slippery slope of breeding for speed, but who is the best of their contenders?
If the betting is to be believed, then Japanese Oaks winner Cervinia is the one to beat after the daughter of Harbinger followed that victory with success in the Shuka Sho, but she is up against the boys here and may not find these rivals quite as simple to deal with.
Do Deuce sits next in the betting, and I get the feeling that the five-year-old could prove too good for all of these.
His latest win in the Tenno Sho had to be seen to be believed coming from second last and miles off the pace to win going away at the line without needing to be hard ridden, and a repeat of that may be more than enough, though those with a weak heart may be best avoiding a bet if he is ridden here with similar restraint!
As for the Europeans, I am wary that the big field won’t suit them as much, but I will come down on the side of Goliath to come out best of the trio, though to be honest, all things seem possible.
80,000 people will be inside Tokyo Racecourse on Sunday afternoon, and thousands will have queued all night after the Saturday card finishes to get a decent viewpoint – that is what racing means to the Japanese public, and if I could buy some of that enthusiasm to bring home to the UK, I would risk trying to smuggle it through customs.
Sean’s Tips for the Japan Cup Sunday 24th November 2024
1pt to win Do Deuce
1/2pt each way Goliath
Sean Trivass is a guest of the JRA but has written this article independently – with a review of the day and the race to follow.
