Chukyo: Champions Cup Gr1
Ryan Moore works miracles to land Champions Cup on Gold Dream
BY KEITH MELROSE 3:24PM 3 DEC 2017
Report: Japan, Sunday
Chukyo: Champions Cup (former Japan Cup Dirt) (Grade 1) 1m1f |dirt | 3yo+
Ryan Moore produced a thunderous finish from Gold Dream (trained by Osamu Hirata) as the pair got up late to win the £1.25 million Champions Cup at Chukyo, one of Japan's premier dirt races.
Turning into the straight, Moore and Gold Dream were just a length ahead of the last-placed runner and it was not until well inside the final furlong that it became apparent their thrust down the outside had any chance of landing the prize.
Up until that point, the main question had looked to be whether favourite T M Jinsoku would get past Copano Rickey. As it happened, he edged ahead about 50 metres from the line, but within a couple of strides Gold Dream had supplanted him in front.
The winner's odds of 12-1, making him the eighth choice in a 15-runner field, belied his class. He had won Japan's other Grade 1 dirt race, the February Stakes, earlier in the year but had struggled since.
Moore said: "He had a lovely run. He was a little bit upset in the stall but he landed in a good spot, the race was very smooth for him and he showed good acceleration at the end. He's a very talented horse. It's a hard thing to do [to win both Grade 1 dirt races in the same year] and hopefully, he can improve and win some more."
T M Jinsoku's jockey Yoshihiro Furukawa said: "I thought we had won. He was able to show his best against Grade 1 horses at the first attempt so I'm looking forward to his performances going forward."
The Champions Cup was formerly run as the Japan Cup Dirt but assumed its current title in 2014, the same year it moved to Chukyo from Hanshin.
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