Snow, Rain in Lead Up to Japan Cup

A freak snowstorm on Thursday, Nov. 24 and the prospect of weekend rain could produce off going for the 36th running of the Japan Cup (Jpn-I) Sunday, Nov. 27 at Tokyo Racecourse.

And that could be a dream come true for the connections of German invader Iquitos, one of three foreign entrants in the 17-horse field.

"His advantage will be if it keeps raining like this," said jockey Ian Ferguson at Thursday's press conference shortly after taking Iquitos on a satisfactory workout through driving snow; the first measurable November snowfall in Tokyo in 54 years.

Two of Iquitos' best performances have come over wet turf. The 4-year-old Adlerflug colt won the Grosser Preis von Baden (Ger-I) over soft going Sept. 4, defeating one of Sunday's rivals, Nightflower, by 2 3/4 lengths. Two races earlier he finished second behind 2014 Melbourne Cup (Aus-I) winner Protectionist in the Grosser Hansa Preis (Ger-II) at Hamburg over heavy turf.

While off going will suit Iquitos, Ferguson was quick to add that the turf condition is only one element of winning a race that has gone to local horses for the past 10 years. "The difficult part," he said, "will be finding the right lane in the straight."

Iquitos will start the 2,400-meter (about 1 1/2-mile) journey over the left-handed course from gate No. 5.

Nightflower, a 4-year-old filly by Dylan Thomas, got a double whammy with the prospect of rain and a No. 15 draw. Trainer Peter Schiergen said his filly would prefer firm ground and a starting position better than last year's No. 18, which produced an 11th-place finish.

"We felt she didn't run to her optimum performance last year," said Hilda Andree, representing owners Stall Nizza. "That's why we decided to come back."

Also back for another try is the French-trained 4-year-old Dubawi colt Erupt, a Niarchos Family homebred by Dubawi. He finished sixth in last year's Japan Cup and comes to this race fresh after a victory in the Pattison Canadian International (Can-I) at Woodbine on Oct. 16 for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard.

"Last year he had a 3-year-old campaign and ran in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-I)," said Niarchos racing manager Alan Cooper. "This year, his racing has been more spaced out. Mr. Graffard has brought him here in very good condition."

However, all of Erupt's best performances have come on good to firm turf. In his only outing on soft going, he finished last of nine in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (Fr-I) in July.

 

Erupt also is entered for the Longines Hong Kong Vase (HK-I) Dec. 11 at Sha Tin. Cooper said "everything is in place" for him to go on to that race should he come out of the Japan Cup well. "International racing is the most important thing," he said.

The visitors all have to contend with a well-credentialed local lineup featuring the likes of Dubai Turf (UAE-I) winner Real Steel, Tenno Sho (Spring) (Jp-I) winner Kitasan Black, 2015 Arima Kinen (Jp-I) victor Gold Actor and 3-year-old Dee Majesty, winner of this year's Satsuki Sho or Japanese 2000 Guineas (Jp-I).

Real Steel has not won in two starts since Dubai but finished second behind Maurice in his most recent start,

the Tenno Sho (Autumn) (Jp-I) on Oct. 30. Maurice, who would have been well regarded in this race, instead is being prepared for Hong Kong. Real Steel, a 4-year-old colt by Deep Impact, is reunited with jockey Ryan Moore, who piloted him in the Dubai win. Moore won the 2013 Japan Cup aboard Gentildonna.

Kitasan Black and Gold Actor both won group II events in preparation for the Japan Cup. Dee Majesty finished fourth in the Kikuka Sho or Japanese St Leger (Jpn-I) at 3,000 meters.

The race starts in front of the main grandstand, which on a clear day also affords a splendid view of Mount Fuji in the distance beyond the first turn. The sweeping course features an uphill climb in the long stretch run, which can produce some interesting finishes requiring racing luck.