Loves Only You, Glory Vase Score for Japan in Hong Kong

Japan came away with half the spoils from the Longines Hong Kong International Races Dec. 12 at Sha Tin Racecourse as Breeders' Cup winner Loves Only You  produced a thrilling win in her final start and Glory Vase repeated in the day's staying race.

Those wins were plenty of salve for defeat in the sprint event and an expected bow before Hong Kong legend Golden Sixty, who continued his romp through the local record book.

Overall, it clearly was another successful raid for Japan on a day when even getting horses and personnel to the races was a major victory, thanks to Hong Kong's tight pandemic restrictions.

Loves Only You was Japan's big hope on the day as she lined up for the Longines Hong Kong Cup (G1), the last of the four top-level races. The 5-year-old Deep Impact  mare owned by DMM Dream Club was the heavy favorite after winning the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) at Del Mar in her last start. Earlier in the year, she won the FWD Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) at Sha Tin, defeating Glory Vase, and finished third behind Mishriff  and Chrono Genesis  in the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) at Medan Racecourse.

With Yuga Kawada in the irons, Loves Only You left her backers with their hearts in their mouths in the final 200 meters of the 2,000-meter (about 1 1/4-mile) Cup.

After racing fourth and fifth, saving ground, Kawada needed racing room as the finish line came into view and he saw another Japanese runner, Hishi Iguazu, rushing past local hope Russian Emperor  to take the lead. Kawada urged his mount between those rivals and she responded in the final 50 meters, winning by a short head over Hishi Iguazu with Russian Emperor relegated to third. The final time on the good turf was 2:00.66.

Among the other foreign starters, the William Haggas-trained Dubai Honour  was fourth, Coolmore's Bolshoi Ballet  faded from the early lead to finish ninth, and Jim Bolger's Mac Swiney  was eased late, finishing last of 12.

"She jumped well," said Kawada, who also rode Loves Only You to victory at Del Mar. "The pace was a bit slow but then she relaxed and I was able to find a good position. She's given me two big presents and is the best female horse I've ever ridden. I hope she will be a good mother."

The victory capped a remarkable year for trainer Yoshito Yahagi. In addition to Loves Only You's exploits, he also saddled Marche Lorraine  to a nearly 50-1 victory in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) and Contrail to a career-capping win in the Japan Cup (G1).

Yahagi watched the Hong Kong races from Japan but stable representative Yusaku Oka expressed confidence in Love's Only You's future as a broodmare and his yard's future in Hong Kong racing.

"She's got a good pedigree so we are looking forward to the next stage of her career," Oka said. "And, as we have quite a lot of good horses in the stable, we hope we will be back in Hong Kong with them in the future."

Why not? Japan now has won five of the last seven Hong Kong Cups and half of the eight HKIR races staged this year and last.

And, as for Loves Only You's "good" pedigree, she not only was sired by Deep Impact, a son of Sunday Silence , but produced from the Storm Cat  mare Loves Only Me , purchased by Katsumi Yoshida for $900,000 from consignor Lane's End, agent, at the 2009 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. Her owners bought her from the Northern Farm consignment to the 2017 Japan Racing Horse Association Sale of Yearlings and Weanlings for the equivalent of US$1,404,800.

As did Loves Only You, Glory Vase left things to the last moment in the Longines Hong Kong Vase (G1), the longest race of the quartet at 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles).

Silk Racing's Glory Vase, a 6-year-old Deep Impact horse trained by Tomohito Ozeki, languished at the back of the field through most of the race as Hong Kong-based rider Joao Moreira judged the timing perfectly. Swinging widest of all into the stretch, he found 4-year-old Coral Coronation Cup (G1) winner Pyledriver  sprinting for home with a clear lead.

Gobbling up ground, Glory Vase hit the front with 50 meters to go and edged away to win by one length over Pyledriver, completing the distance in 2:27.07. Ebaiyra , an Aga Khan homebred filly by Distorted Humor  based in France, was another 2 1/2 lengths back in third. Last year's Vase winner, Mogul , finished sixth in what turned out to be an overall disappointing day for the Coolmore forces.

"Everything went as I expected," Moreira said. "I had a smooth run, going to the fence and saving ground. I just made sure I got into the clear and I know he's a very strong horse at the finish and there was not a fight."

Glory Vase was bred by Lake Villa Farm out of the Swept Overboard  mare Mejiro Tsubone. He was purchased by Silk Horse Club for the equivalent of US$517,400 from his breeder at the 2016 JRHA Sale of Yearlings and Weanlings.

The horse was winless in three previous 2021 starts, including a second behind Loves Only You in the QE II Cup. He captured the Vase for the first time in 2019.