Lemon Pop Gate to Wire in Japan's Grade 1 Champions Cup

Lemon Pop  popped right out of the outside gate at the start of the Champions Cup (G1) Dec. 3 at Chukyo Racecourse, led the way, and won by a 1 1/4 lengths, surely sewing up year-end honors as Japan's top dirt runner.

Lemon Pop takes the Champions Cup (G1)!

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— IFHA's Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings (@worldsbesthorse) December 3, 2023

The Kentucky-bred son of Lemon Drop Kid , the only non-Japanese bred in the field of 15, backed up a win in the February Stakes (G1) at Tokyo Racecourse, the only other grade 1 event conducted on dirt under Japan Racing Association auspices. He is the fourth horse to claim that double.

Jockey Ryusei Sakai noted Lemon Pop had some questions to answer in the 1,800-meter (about 1 1/8 miles) event. It was his first race going that far and his first start since Oct. 9—that in a minor event at a regional track.

"He was quick out of the gate and wanted to go, so I chose to race him in the front," Sakai said. "Though it was his first 1,800-meter race and the outermost stall was not to his advantage, I think he handled it well with his remarkable ability. He was really strong. That's all I can say."

In addition to the seasonal honors indicated by the February Stakes-Champions Cup double, the victory could open further international opportunities for the 5-year-old, should his connections opt to keep the Godolphin-owned runner in training.

The February Stakes victory was good enough to convince trainer Hiroyasu Tanaka to send him to Dubai in March, where he finished 10th in the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1). That 1,200 meters (about 6 furlongs) against some of the world's top sprinters was his shortest-ever start and likely too short for him.

"I'm really looking forward to his future races," Sakai said.

Tanaka said going into the race the 1,800 meters was "a worry" for Lemon Pop, adding, "It'll be interesting to see what kind of race he can run. We'll rely on the jockey to get the best out of him."

Lemon Pop was never really challenged in the Champions Cup. The quick and clean jump enabled Sakai to get him mount over quickly to the rail, where he was allowed to set a moderate pace, eventually reporting in 1:50.6, a full 3 seconds off the course record.

Wilson Tesoro made a bold late run to take second at odds of 92-1 with 31-1 chance Dura Erede  third. Lemon Pop was the post-time favorite with second-favorite Seraphic Call finishing 10th and third-favorite Crown Pride  11th.

Lemon Pop won his first two starts in 2020, including the Cattleya Stakes, a leg of the "Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby". He then was out of action for a full year and made only one start as a 3-year-old.

He returned to a full schedule in 2022 with four wins and two seconds from six starts and made his graded stakes debut in November, finishing second in the Tokyo Chunichi Sports Hai Musachino Stakes (G3). The Dubai defeat was his only loss in four previous starts in 2023.

Lemon Pop was bred by Mr. and Mrs. Olvier Tait. His dam, Unreachable , by Giant's Causeway , was unplaced in just two career starts in Ireland for Juddmonte Farms in 2012. Lemon Pop fetched $70,000 from the Blandford Stud consignment at the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.