Dubai World Cup: Ignore Japan's 23 runners at your own risk
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The Japanese breeding industry in the later years of the 20th century set about acquiring many of the best broodmares and broodmare prospects in the world. And as a result, Japanese racehorses have increasingly been making their presence felt all over the world.
Last November, Japan-based horses for the first time won Breeders’ Cup races, Loves Only You capturing the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, Marche Lorraine posting a massive upset in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Loves Only You went on to win the Group 1 Hong Kong Cup in December at Sha Tin, where the Japanese horse Glory Vase won the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase. Things got out of hand Feb. 26 at the Saudi Cup, where Japan-based horses won four rich stakes races in a row on the program, with French transplant Christophe Lemaire riding all of them.
Now, 23 Japanese horses have shipped to Dubai for Saturday’s Dubai World Cup card. At this point, it would be foolish thinking several won’t be strongly competitive.
“It’s been slow grown into global excellence. There’s enough choice out there in international racing to be able to pick and choose the right races for the horses. And now they’ve built up a strong enough base that there are enough good horses to travel aboard,” said Kate Hunter, who traveled with the Japanese horses that raced in America, Hong Kong, and Saudi Arabia and is in Dubai this week.
Hunter, from Tennessee, moved to Japan 14 years ago and has dived headlong into Japanese Thoroughbreds. Hunter is the Japan quarantine coordinator at these international stops, managing logistics for the Japanese shippers. She also operates Marugai (which means “foreign bred”) Racing, which has contracts with Churchill Downs, Keeneland, the Breeders’ Cup, and the New York Racing Association to facilitate Japanese participation. Marugai also is the Triple Crown nominator representative in Japan, which has a series that is part of Churchill Downs’ Road to the Kentucky Derby.
“Technically, the number of Japanese mares bred has gone down, but the quality has gone up. It’s a smaller crop but better horses. They’ve built a tremendous industry,” Hunter said.
Japanese horses Victoire Pisa and Transcend finished one-two in the 2011 Dubai World Cup, Japan’s lone win in the race. Chuwa Wizard was second in 2021 and is back for another try this year while facing a much tougher field. Japanese horses will start in all eight Thoroughbred races here Saturday. Schnell Meister, entered in the $5 million Dubai Turf, is one of the more likely winners on the card, while all four Japanese runners in the $6 million Sheema Classic – Glory Vase, Authority, Shahryar, and Stella Veloce – are legitimate. Stay Foolish is a strong chance in the $1 million Gold Cup and another foursome – Sekifu, Combustion, Crown Pride, and Reiwa Homare – are expected for the UAE Derby.
Sekifu made a good run at UAE Derby favorite Pinehurst while finishing second in the one-mile Saudi Derby last month and is expected to appreciate a stretch to about 1 3/16 miles in the UAE Derby, a major qualifying race for the Kentucky Derby. Japan racing long has coveted a victory in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe but more recently a focus on the Kentucky Derby has arisen. Sekifu already has undergone the required blood testing for Japanese horses going to Churchill Downs and the groundwork has been laid for a Kentucky Derby trip if he runs to expectations Saturday.
The final race in Japan’s Road to the Derby, the Fukuryu Stakes at Nakayama, comes Saturday, and the connections of Cafe Karma, who is high in the Derby qualifying points standings, have Kentucky Derby designs.
World Cup fields set
Final declarations were made Monday for Saturday’s World Cup card, though the entries remain provisional and post positions were assigned only for the races lacking Group 1 status.
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Nothing has changed in the World Cup since likely fields were released by the Dubai Racing Club last week, with 11 horses provisionally entered, topped by the American quartet Life Is Good, Hot Rod Charlie, Midnight Bourbon, and Country Grammer.
Post positions were drawn for the $1 million Godolphin Mile, which has 16 entrants, and the $1 million Gold Cup, which drew 13. Japan’s Stay Foolish is the top-rated horse in the two-mile Gold Cup, while Steve Asmussen trains the two Americans in the Godolphin Mile, Snapper Sinclair and Bankit. Snapper Sinclair, a tough-trip fourth in this race a year ago, drew post 9, one stall outside Bankit.
The Doug O’Neill-trained Strongconstitution was a late addition to the Golden Shaheen, contested over about six furlongs on dirt. More a miler, Strongconstitution broke out of the gate Monday morning and was allowed to do a moderate workout while well held by local jockey Antonio Fresu.
Dr. Schivel, who just missed winning the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Sprint, was one of a handful of horses posting workouts Monday on Meydan’s main track, going about three furlongs in roughly 36 seconds.
“We blew him out a little bit and he did it well, nice and easy,” said Melissa Saldana, assistant to trainer Mark Glatt. “Everyone was on a Saturday work schedule, but we gave him a couple extra days. We came the furthest from Los Angeles. He’s handled everything well here.”