THE pinnacle of Group 1 racing in the land of the rising sun, the Japan Cup, was run for the 40th time over 2,400 metres at Tokyo Racecourse last Sunday.
Fifteen participants lined up in front of just over 4,500 socially distanced spectators, with €4,500,000 on offer in the prize pool. (Typically, the Japan Cup draws crowds of about 100,000 in any ‘normal’ year.)
Never before had three Triple Crown winners clashed in a single race in JRA history. Two unbeaten three-year-olds, Contrail and Daring Tact, took on the darling of Japanese racing, Almond Eye, who has been at the summit of racing in Japan for three seasons.
Almond Eye was sent to post as the 5/4 favourite with Contrail and Daring Tact priced at 2/1 and 5/2 respectively. A total of €220 million was wagered on the Japan Cup alone, a 32.2% increase in betting returns on the 2019 renewal won by Suave Richard.
Despite a delayed start due to the reluctance of Way To Paris to enter the stalls, the three main protagonists enjoyed even breaks. Kiseki assumed his usual front-running tactics, stretching his lead to 30 lengths along the back straight.
Almond Eye raced predominantly in fourth with Contrail tracking Daring Tact in seventh and eighth.
As the field turned into the incline of Tokyo’s gruelling three-furlong home straight, Kiseki’s strength on the lead quickly began to wane. Still on the bridle, Christophe Lemaire calmly ushered Almond Eye to the head of affairs before ‘pressing go’ at the two-furlong pole.
Stretched clear
As always a willing partner, she quickly stretched clear to pass the line with Lemaire punching the air. Almond Eye received a standing ovation as she walked past the somewhat eerie Tokyo grandstand with an emotional Lemaire saluting the select crowd and members of the press in attendance. Contrail and Daring Tact finished second and third.
Contrail made a rattling late run towards the centre of the track to suffer defeat for the first time in his eight-race career. As Almond Eye was slowly eased to take closer order, his rider Yuichi Fukunaga, seemingly remained content to let the champion filly have first run.
The four-length head start and first-run proved enough for Lemaire and Almond Eye to capitalise despite Contrail setting the fastest final three-furlong section time, 0.4sec faster than the winner. The winning distance was officially one and a quarter lengths, or 0.2 seconds.
To suggest Fukunaga’s tactics were a considerable factor in the subsequent result would be doing a great disservice to the performance of Almond Eye. However, his decision was a deciding factor in Almond Eye running out a comprehensive and deserved winner.
A most notable mention must go to the third-placed Daring Tact. The previously unbeaten filly raced in midfield throughout. However, she suffered slight interference on the last bend causing her to lose her position and momentum.
Once into the straight, Daring Tact unleashed a quite brilliant sprint to the line, weaving between runners to claim the final podium spot in a photo-finish with Curren Bouquetd’or, the runner-up in this race in 2019. Five individual Group 1 winners filled the first six places.
Future stars
As the JRA bids farewell to the all-conquering Almond Eye, the future JRA stars in years to come will be Contrail and Daring Tact. The pair lost very little in defeat to a true great of Japanese racing, who is simply a sensational racehorse expertly trained by Sakae Kunieda.
The sole international runner in the race, Way To Paris (Champs Elysees) was reluctant to enter the stalls and raced at the rear of the field, staying on to finish a never-nearer 10th place.
Almond Eye will retire back to her breeder Katsumi Yoshida’s Northern Farm. Leading young stallion and the sire of Daring Tact, Epiphaneia has already been mentioned as the potential mate for Almond Eye in early 2021.
Almond Eye broke the record of the most amount of Group 1 wins for a JRA-trained horse, previously seven, when winning the Tenno Sho (Autumn) at the beginning of November.
While one of those wins was in Dubai, Almond Eye improved upon her own record, now a nine-time Group 1 winner and eight-time JRA Group 1 winner. She out of the Group 1-winning and Japan Cup-placed Fusaichi Pandora (Sunday Silence) and from the first crop of champion sprinter Lord Kanaloa.
Standing at Shadai Stallion Station, Lord Kanaloa stands for a reduced fee of €120,000 (-25%) from last year.
Almond Eye, the most successful racehorse in JRA history, retires as an 11-time winner from 15 starts, running just three times outside of Group 1 company. Her total of €14.5 million puts her third on the all-time list of top-earning racehorses, behind Winx and Arrogate.