In a year when foreign horses wanted a chance at the Japan Cup (G1), it was local horses — for the 17th year in a row — dominating the country’s signature race, with Vela Azula top-level newcomer, in the lead role.
Traffic became important, with some rivals never able to contend as the 18-horse race descended on the Tokyo Racecourse on November 27 during the 42nd run of the Japan Cup.
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Inside the 100 meter mark, it appears favorite, Shahryar on the way to victory, chased by rich people Weltreisende. But the sea parted and that was Vela Azul, starting in first grade 1, slide between those opponents to win 3/4 of the way. Shahryar holds the second place, one place above his 2021 record, with Weltreisende third.
Well-certified travelers were out of luck. great glory , finished third in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (G1) at Ascot Racecourse in June, sixth, the best of the quartet. Grand Prix de Paris (G1) Winner Onesto ranked seventh; tunnel group 1 winner in Munich in the final, ninth and Factory Simca Ranked 15th after winning the Qatar Prix Niel (G2) in the most recent opening match.
🌏 If Tokyo Racecourse is not on your to-do list…
👀 Thousands of people watched Vela Azul under Ryan Moore finish Shahryar and Weltreisende in 2022 #JapanCup #ヴェラアズール #ジャパンカップ pic.twitter.com/DI75BdR1M5
– World horse racing (@WHR) November 27, 2022
The only international visitor smiling after the 2,400-meter race (about 1.5 miles) was the winning jockey, British-born Ryan Moore, who admitted to the traffic gods in turn, smiled at his horse. , a 5 year old child. the son of Eishin Flash .
“The horse never had much room,” said Moore. “We had a nice spot. It wasn’t too far from the pace and followed a good horse. The horse in front (his) had to wait and I had to wait too and when he found a bit of a place to be.” drums, he accelerates very well. He is very impressive.
“I suppose today, going inside is not a disadvantage.”
Vela Azul and relationships after the Japan Cup
His story is quite different from others.
Grand Glory and jockey Maxime Guyon had to check behind the horse early in the long run, then move outside for a seat.
Guyon said: “We got stuck behind the horses from the last corner and couldn’t find a place to run.
Onesto was even more difficult in the beginning. Equestrian Christophe Lemaire ducked inside searching in vain for an empty road but said, “There’s no room for us. The horse ran fine, but we were unlucky.”
Neither Tunnes nor Simca Mille showed much. Tunnes’ coach, Peter Schiergen, and jockey, Bauyrzhan Murzabayev, both said the hard court was against them.
Murzabayev, Germany’s top driver, said: “He had a bad break and the race didn’t go as we wanted. “A softer ground would be better for this pony.”
Victory was a major breakthrough for Vela Azul, bred at the North Farm from Kurofune mare Vela Blanca. He spent his first two seasons running on dirt with just two wins in his first 16 starts. He picked things up a bit when coach Kunihiko Watanabe switched him to grass and won three of his first six starts on the field.
Vela Azul’s only previous start in the ranked event was on October 10 at Hanshin Racecourse—winning at Kyoto Daishoten (G2), also in the 2,400 metres.
Watanabe said: “The reason for him racing on dirt early in his career was because he had leg problems as a pony and to race him with less risk, he was run on dirt road. “However, I did think that he had a good aptitude for racing on grass, and a switch to grass racing was only a matter of time.
“He’s in good shape for this race but he’s exceeded our expectations. He’s only five years old, but he’s getting better and better and there’s still room for improvement.”
While Vela Azul was a bit of a surprise, Shahryar is back in shape despite losing in the last few strides to finish second behind an up-and-coming opponent. Shahryar, 4 years old Deep impact colt, won Tokyo Yushun (Japan-G1), then finished third at the 2021 Japan Cup. He started 2022 with a win in the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) at Meydan but then finished fourth. at Prince of Wales’s, one head behind Grand Glory and back from a short summer break for a fifth run in Tenno Sho Autumn (G1) October 30.
tactical daring , the 2020 Japan Dirty Triple Tiara winner, finished fourth at the Japan Cup, being beaten only by about 1 1/2 lengths. She placed third in the 2020 renewal, winning first almond eyes .
