Dubai: Ushba Tesoro ($28.30) rallies late in World Cup
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Eight was enough.
Eight Japanese horses came to Dubai for the 27th World Cup and Ushba Tesoro emerged with the second Japanese victory here following Victoire Pisa in 2011. Victoire Pisa won on the old Tapeta surface at Meydan, and Ushba Tesoro’s was the first for a Japan-based horse in a dirt World Cup.
Ushba Tesoro, a 6-year-old, is a newcomer to dirt racing himself. His first 24 starts came on turf before connections switched him to dirt last April. Voila – new horse. No more than a minor stakes winner on turf, Ushba Tesoro won his dirt debut by four lengths, got several months off, lost his comeback start in September, and then reeled off three dirt wins in a row, the most recent at the expense of T O Keynes, considered Japan’s best dirt horse the last two seasons. It was only after that performance on Feb. 1 that the horse’s owner, Ryotokuji Kenji Holdings, and trainer, Noboru Takagi, entertained notions of the $12 million, Group 1 World Cup.
Saturday’s race was the first outside Japan for the ownership group and a career highlight for Takagi. “My greatest honor,” he said.
Coming from last in a 15-strong field, Ushba Tesoro stormed past Algiers in the final furlong and went on to a 2 3/4-length victory under Yuga Kawada, leading rider in Japan last year. Algiers, easy winner of Rounds 1 and 2 of the al Maktoum Challenge this winter, had cruised to the lead in upper stretch under James Doyle, who said he thought, for a moment, he was the winner. But Algiers, racing wide throughout, had tracked fairly close to a testing pace. Stretching out from 1 3/16 mile to 1 1/4 miles, Algiers could not quite stay the trip.
Ushba Tesoro did, overcoming a very wide run around the far turn after trailing the field, several lengths last, early on the backstretch. Kawada traded ground loss for a clean run, and with the early and middle pace wilting the front-runners, Ushba Tesoro was the freshest horse the final quarter-mile.
Winning time over a fast track producing clockings about par for these high-class levels was a moderate 2:03.25. Ushba Tesoro paid $28.30 to win.
Emblem Road, winner of the 2022 Saudi Cup but just sixth in the 2023 renewal, finished with verve and missed nabbing second by a nose. Then came two more Japanese horses, T O Keynes and Crown Pride, and the local longshot Bendoog, who raced close to a pace duel between Remorse and Panthalassa.
Country Grammer, bidding to win his second World Cup in a row, never looked comfortable Saturday night, and loomed ever so slightly with a quarter-mile to run, and finishing sixth.
“He was tired,” jockey Frankie Dettori said. “He had a hard race last month in Saudi Arabia.”
Crossing the line after Country Grammer were Salute the Soldier, Remorse, Geoglyph, Café Pharoah, Vela Azul, Super Corinto, and Jun Light Bolt.
Ushba Tesoro is by Orfevre out of Millefeui, by King Kamehameha. All this dirt success might make one think a trip to American for the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November could be in Ushba Tesoro’s long-term plans. Nope. Japan horse people are somewhat obsessed with winning their first Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, and that, despite all indications that this is a dirt horse, could be Ushba Tesoro’s major goal.
This is a horse, his trainer said, that struggles in hot weather. Summer plans are uncertain. It was hot in Dubai this week. Ushba Tesoro kept his cool.
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