Meisho Hario Beats Returning Dubai Runner in Japan

Meisho Hario defeated Chuwa Wizard  after a desperate stretch battle in the Teio Sho June 29 at Oi Racecourse, continuing a string of home-country losses for Japan's triumphant early-season Dubai forces.

Chuwa Wizard split rivals to take the lead turning into the stretch, some 300 meters from home. Meisho Hario, after racing in the middle of the field, swung six-wide to launch a challenge and outlasted his rival in the final 100 meters to win by a neck.

Omega Perfume, winner of the Tokyo Daishoten (G1) in December, was third with the favorite, T O Keynes  fourth. Meisho Hario completed the 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) in 2:03.3.

Winning jockey Suguru Hamanaka said Meisho Hario "is a horse that stretches after chasing the pace. I was happy when I got to the front and, although the horses were approaching from the inside and the outside, I would like to thank Meisho Hario for clenching his teeth and coming out on top."

The victory was a breakthrough for Meisho Hario, a 5-year-old by Pyro , whose last effort against top competition was a seventh-place showing in the Champions Cup (G1) Dec. 5 at Chukyo Racecourse, won by T O Keynes. He started the 2022 campaign with a win in the March Stakes (G3) at Nakayama Racecourse.

The Teio Sho is one of the most important events on the Japanese dirt racing schedule, most of which is conducted under the auspices of National Association of Racing. That organization, composed of local racing jurisdictions, is working with the Japan Racing Association to improve the visibility and value of competition on dirt tracks as the country has experienced recent success in major international events on that surface.

So far in 2022, horses who ran well early in the year in Saudi Arabia and Dubai have had trouble finding the winner's enclosure back home. Chuwa Wizard was third in the Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1) in March on the Meydan Racecourse dirt after reporting second in that race a year earlier.

Only days before the Teio Sho, Panthalassa , dead-heat winner in the Dubai Turf Sponsored by DP World (G1), finished eighth and Stay Foolish , winner of the Longines Red Sea Turf Handicap (G3) in Saudi Arabia and the Dubai Gold Cup Sponsored by Al Tayer Motors (G2), finished ninth in the Takarazuka Kinen (G1) at Hanshin Racecourse.