Chuwa Wizard Springs Upset in Champions Cup

 Chuwa Wizard rallied to a late lead and went on to win the Champions Cup (G1) Dec. 6 at Chukyo Racecourse, conjuring up not only his first grade 1 score but also an invitation to the $20 million Saudi Cup in February.

Gold Dream, the runner-up in last year's Champions Cup, was second again, 2 1/2 lengths behind the winner. The 2019 winner, Chrysoberyl, finished fourth this time around the Chukyo dirt oval, with promising 3-year-old Cafe Pharoah flattening out late to finish sixth.

Jockey Keita Tosaki got Chuwa Wizard away cleanly in the 1,800-meter (about 1 1/8-mile) race and settled the 5-year-old son of King Kamehameha handily behind a solid early pace through the rip down the backstretch.

Turning into the straight, the field spread out across the track, and Chrysoberyl, the favorite, made an early move for jockey Yuga Kawada. As that effort faltered, Chuwa Wizard found another gear, hit the front, and edged clear for the win, finishing in 1:49.30. Inti was along for third, between Gold Dream and Chrysoberyl.

"The horse was in very good condition and felt really good," Tosaki said. "With Chrysoberyl traveling in front, I was able to feel his response while marking the race favorite. As it takes time for him to accelerate, I urged him to go early, and the horse responded with great strength."

Bred by Northern Racing and owned by Shinobu Nakanishi, Chuwa Wizard has been a consistent performer with 16 placings from 17 previous starts. His only unplaced finish was a fourth in last year's Champions Cup—formerly known as the Japan Cup Dirt. Most of his wins have come while competing under the jurisdiction of the National Association of Racing, which oversees local public racing tracks.

His trainer, Ryuji Okubo, notched just his third Japan Racing Association grade 1 win, and Tosaki scored his eighth. By contrast, Christophe Lemaire, who rode Cafe Pharoah, won four grade 1 races in November alone.

After the 2019 Champions Cup, both Gold Dream and Chrysoberyl traveled to the inaugural Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, finishing sixth and seventh, respectively. That defeat was Chrysoberyl's only previous loss.

The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia subsequently designated the Champions Cup and the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park as automatic qualifying races for the 2021 Saudi Cup, set for Feb. 20.

Chuwa Wizard, Chrysoberyl, and Gold Dream were all part of the Japanese contingent set to contest the Dubai World Cup (G1) at Meydan Racecourse in March before that program was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Okubo said the resulting seven-month layoff impacted his season.

"With Dubai being canceled earlier this year, his racing got going a bit late, but he's improved with his races so far, and he looks good now," the trainer said during the barrier draw for the Champions Cup.