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▼ Japan Battles Past Crystal Ocean In Final Strides To Win Juddmonte International
- Category:Other
Japan’s season started with a stutter here in May but he returned to the Knavesmire to set the record straight on Wednesday by beating Crystal Ocean, the 11-10 favourite, in the Juddmonte International Stakes and establishing a strong claim to be the season’s best middle-distance three-year-old in the process. Ryan Moore did not get Japan’s nose in front until the final strides but he is still improving and bookmakers now see him as the main danger to Enable when she attempts to win the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for an unprecedented third time at Longchamp in October.
York’s most prestigious Group One event was not an obvious target for Japan when he crossed the line in fourth behind Telecaster in the Dante Stakes three months ago. It was a promising run from a horse that had suffered a slight setback over the winter but no more than that and he was a 20-1 shot for the Derby a fortnight later, with Moore aboard Aidan O’Brien’s first-string contender, Sir Dragonet, the 11-4 favourite.
The stable companions’ paths have taken very different directions since Epsom. While Sir Dragonet was beaten at odds-on on his only start since Japan has reeled off three straight victories, the last two of which have come at Group One level. His possible targets now include the Irish Champion Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup meeting in November. But the Arc appears to be his primary aim and on his form with Crystal Ocean here, there should be very little between Japan and Enable at Longchamp on 6 October.
There is still some distance between them in the ante-post market, however, as before her run in the Yorkshire Oaks on Thursday Enable is a 6-5 chance to become the first horse to win three Arcs. Japan, who was a 5-1 shot on Wednesday, is the same price to add Europe’s showpiece event to his CV while Crystal Ocean, still officially the best horse in the business, is 8-1 alongside Sottsass, the French Derby winner. It is 16-1 bar the four.
“He’ll have no problem going back up [to a mile-and-a-half], he’ll be very comfortable,” O’Brien said.
“We always thought that he was very good, but he had a setback in the spring and we thought he wasn’t going to make the Derby. We let all the horses run in their trials, and the last one was the Dante, and we came here just in case he was going to make the Derby.
“We still thought the Derby was going to come a little bit quick but he ran a super race. We’ve always thought the three-year-olds have been under-rated; it’s a good crop and we’ve been very happy with them.”
Japan was one of the most expensive yearlings of his generation when going through the ring at Tattersalls’ Book 1 sale in October 2017 for 1.3m gns [£1.36m]. Wednesday’s success all but guarantees that he will repay that several times over when he retires to join the Coolmore Stud’s breeding roster, possibly as soon as the end of the season, but further Group One victories will add significantly to his value as a stallion.
The Irish Champion Stakes is one possible assignment before Paris while a run at the Breeders’ Cup in California in early November is likely afterwards, with the Turf looking a more plausible target than the Classic despite the International Stakes’ status as a “Win-And-You’re-In” event for the meeting’s showpiece.
“He’s progressed from day one this year and the second horse [today] is the highest-rated horse in training,” O’Brien said. “That’s the best form anywhere at the moment. There was nothing between the second horse and Enable at Ascot so it’s exciting.”
York’s most prestigious Group One event was not an obvious target for Japan when he crossed the line in fourth behind Telecaster in the Dante Stakes three months ago. It was a promising run from a horse that had suffered a slight setback over the winter but no more than that and he was a 20-1 shot for the Derby a fortnight later, with Moore aboard Aidan O’Brien’s first-string contender, Sir Dragonet, the 11-4 favourite.
The stable companions’ paths have taken very different directions since Epsom. While Sir Dragonet was beaten at odds-on on his only start since Japan has reeled off three straight victories, the last two of which have come at Group One level. His possible targets now include the Irish Champion Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup meeting in November. But the Arc appears to be his primary aim and on his form with Crystal Ocean here, there should be very little between Japan and Enable at Longchamp on 6 October.
There is still some distance between them in the ante-post market, however, as before her run in the Yorkshire Oaks on Thursday Enable is a 6-5 chance to become the first horse to win three Arcs. Japan, who was a 5-1 shot on Wednesday, is the same price to add Europe’s showpiece event to his CV while Crystal Ocean, still officially the best horse in the business, is 8-1 alongside Sottsass, the French Derby winner. It is 16-1 bar the four.
“He’ll have no problem going back up [to a mile-and-a-half], he’ll be very comfortable,” O’Brien said.
“We always thought that he was very good, but he had a setback in the spring and we thought he wasn’t going to make the Derby. We let all the horses run in their trials, and the last one was the Dante, and we came here just in case he was going to make the Derby.
“We still thought the Derby was going to come a little bit quick but he ran a super race. We’ve always thought the three-year-olds have been under-rated; it’s a good crop and we’ve been very happy with them.”
Japan was one of the most expensive yearlings of his generation when going through the ring at Tattersalls’ Book 1 sale in October 2017 for 1.3m gns [£1.36m]. Wednesday’s success all but guarantees that he will repay that several times over when he retires to join the Coolmore Stud’s breeding roster, possibly as soon as the end of the season, but further Group One victories will add significantly to his value as a stallion.
The Irish Champion Stakes is one possible assignment before Paris while a run at the Breeders’ Cup in California in early November is likely afterwards, with the Turf looking a more plausible target than the Classic despite the International Stakes’ status as a “Win-And-You’re-In” event for the meeting’s showpiece.
“He’s progressed from day one this year and the second horse [today] is the highest-rated horse in training,” O’Brien said. “That’s the best form anywhere at the moment. There was nothing between the second horse and Enable at Ascot so it’s exciting.”
- August 22, 2019
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