Vodka "hot" for Japan Cup.

Japan Cup (Grade 1) 1m4f turf 3yo+

ONLY twice in the first ten years after its inauguration in 1981 was the Japan Cup won by the home team. Only twice in the last ten years has it gone abroad.

Given the development in Japanese stock in recent years, one of the world's most prestigious races is no longer marked strictly for export only.

On Sunday in Tokyo, three British-trained five-year-olds are out to reverse the modern trend – but Papal Bull, Sixties Icon and Purple Moon will face the stiffest competition from a domestic team featuring the usual collection of Grade 1 winners, headed by the last three winners of the Japanese Derby, the Tokyo Yushun, in MeishoSamson, superstar filly Vodka and this year's Classic winner Deep Sky.

Throw in the last two Japanese St Leger winners plus a couple more with victories at the top level, and perhaps the visitors could be forgiven for being grateful there is prize-money down to tenth place.

With an overall prize fund totalling $5.34m, the Japan Cup is the fifth-richest race in the world. According to British bookmakers, King George runner-up Papal Bull is the visitors' best chance asSir Michael Stoute bids to win the race for the third time after Singspiel and Pilsudski in 1996 and 1997.

Champion jockey Ryan Moore partners the son of Montjeu, who is having the final run of his career in Tokyo, having finished fast from the rear to take seventh after missing the break in last year's Japan Cup.

Although the ground at Tokyo racecourse is still expected to ride pretty fast, the city has seen plenty of rain this week. Any more rain would not be good news for last year's Melbourne Cup runner-up Purple Moon, who represents Luca Cumani, the last British-based trainer to win the race with Alkaased in 2005.
Sixties Icon - Frankie Dettori - York 2006

On the other hand, Sixties Icon is happy with a little give, and he alone of the Brits can boast a Group 1 win thanks to his St Leger success in 2006.

Marsh Side, who won the Canadian International for California-based Englishman Neil Drysdale, would appreciate even more rain and the five-year-old seems to have shaken off the fever that hit him on arrival in Japan.

Still, the visitors – sure to be available at inflated prices on the Japanese tote – will have their work cut out to master a Japanese team featuring a plethora of Grade 1 winners. Certain to start a hot favourite is Vodka, who in 2007 became the first filly for 64 years to win the Japanese Derby. She may well be overbet on the Japanese tote as her followers get stuck in following a narrow victory four weeks ago in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) over 1m2f.

In third place there, beaten less than a half-length, was this year's Derby hero Deep Sky, who looks a major player reverting to his optimum 1m4f trip.

As Yutaka Take is sidelined with a broken arm, Arc flop Meisho Samson is reunited with jockey Mamoru Ishibashi, who rode him to two Classic successes in 2006.

Although likely front-runner Matsurida Gogh beat every top-class horse in the nation when winning last year's season-ending Arima Kinen at Nakayama, he is a specialist there and prefers going right-handed.

Others likely to gain strong each-way support from mad-keen Japanese punters are the two most recent winners of the Kikuka Sho (St Leger) namely late-maturing three-year-old Oken Bruce Lee and Asakusa Kings, the mount of Christophe Lemaire.

Last year's runner-up Pop Rock was a late defection after bleeding from the nose and his name did not appear in the final list of 18 declarations, leaving Olivier Peslier to switch to rank outsider Tosen Captain.

Hidetaka Otonashi,trainer of Oken Bruce Lee
"He just doesn't want to run if the surface is bad but the jockey told me he thinks he's good left-handed. Even though we're up against some tough horses, I'm excited to see how he can do."

Shigetada Takahashi, trainer of Meisho Samson
"He's not tired - if anything, I think he's grown as a racehorse. I think he's complete now. I'm expecting a lot, maybe he can show us something he's never shown us before."

Yasunari Iwata, rider of Vodka
"Everythingwill come down to rhythm - she won the Yasuda Kinen at 1,600 metres and the Tenno Sho at 2,000 metres and this time it's 2,400 meters. Very different, and I need to watch out for that.

"She felt dynamic when I last rode work on her and I know we have something special here. It's such a privilege to be riding this horse, and hopefully she can win another title.'

Luca Cumani, trainer of Purple Moon
"He's in very good condition - he looks well and I am very happy with him. He comes into thisrace a fresh horse after only two runs so he ought to be at his very best - I just hope the ground will dry up and be nice and firm on raceday.

"It's always very difficult to compare horses in different years but Purple Moon is a similar horse to Alkaased in as much as he does like fast ground and he likes a strong pace and likes to come from behind.

"But Japanese horses nowadays are very competitive worldwide so I'm sure that they will be tough to beat."

Hirofumi Shii, rider of Deep Sky
"The more he runs, the better he gets. He is without question in better shape since the last race. He didn't back down in his last race, and we came awfully close. We'll find out this time how good he really is compared to Vodka. He's a fighter and hasgiven me so much hope."

David Bradley, workrider of Sixties Icon
"He's is in really good condition. He's boisterous, bright, alert - we are very happy with his wellbeing, we've had no problems.

"He's had a busy month with the travelling and racing in LA so basically we're just happy to get into the race in good order. The signals he was giving in England was that he was up for it again - there's another big run in him for sure. I think we've been very lucky with the weather really. We've had a drop of rain on the track and it's made it perfect."

Neil Drysdale, trainer of Marsh Side
"He ran a temperature and was a little bit under the weather in the quarantine centre but fortunately he hasn't coughed. He's not been at his bestbut hopefully he will be by Sunday.

"This course will suit him very well - he's a galloping horse who needs a wide turn and a length of stretch. This track is very similar to Woodbine which is the primary reason for bringing him here. Other than the hiccup with the fever, it's all systems go."

Masayoshi Ebina, rider of Matsurida Gogh
"He's in very good condition - he's at a point where he's so good that if he can't win now, he'll never win."

Ryan Moore, rider of Papal Bull
"Ijust think that he's strengthened up and is a bit more mature this year - I'd like to think he has improved a good few pounds on last year and he travelled over a lot better.

"He stays the trip and it is a lovely galloping track. It's always tough to get to the inside but the draw in 14 is okay and if he gets a good trip, he'll be finishing strongly. I would be perfectly happy with the ground as I felt it on Friday - he does want good ground, but that doesn't mean he wants a road.

"Obviously this is a very hard race to win but Papal Bull is a horse with an awful lot of quality and on his best form he's got every chance. I'd have most respect for the filly Vodka - she's top class when things go her way."

Christophe Lemaire, rider of Asakusa Kings
"I think the Tenno Sho was too short for him. He was very good at his last workout. I'm not so sure about Vodka with the distance."

Tokyo: Japan Cup (Group 1) 1m4f, turf, 3yo+

BRITAIN'Schallenge for the Japan Cup was utterly vanquished in Tokyo on Sunday as domestic horses completed another clean sweep in one of the world's most prestigious international races.

However, not too many in a hugely enthusiastic crowd of102,567 on a beautiful autumnal afternoon can have predicted the outcome of the $5.34 million contest.

At a racecourse set against the backdrop of Mount Fuji plainly visible in the distance, it was 40-1 shot Screen Hero who led the rout, just holding the challenge of a pair of Japanese Derby winners in Deep Sky and Vodka, who vied for favouritism before finishing second and third.

The three Newmarket-trained visitors were all outsiders and ran as if the huge priceswere not generous, although a muddling pace did not help any of them.

Purple Moon emerged with most credit, finishing in ninth and thereby earning a few yen for his connections in a race with money down to tenth. Sixties Icon and Papal Bull came home 13th and 14th of the 17 runners, but none of the trio was really seen with any sort of chance.

Purple Moon was settled in mid-division by Jamie Spencer, just in front of his compatriots, who raced in tandem. But the usual early pace was absent, which hardly helped a team of strong stayers, and both Papal Bull and Sixties Icon were under pressure as soon as it quickened up down the back straight.
Luca Cumani - October 2008

Spencer attempted to move Purple Moon up the inner at that stage, but he was tapped for toe and then forced wide in the straight. While he did not exactly finish with a flourish, at least he stayed on while the other two British horses toiled towards the rear.

Purple Moon's trainer Luca Cumani confirmed the five-year-old remains on course for the Hong Kong Vase.

"The pace was too slow," he said. "They dropped anchor on the far side and he was off the pace, but when he got into open running in the straight he started to run on well. I wasn't disappointed with the run."

Up front, Italian jockey Mirco Demuro had produced Screen Hero with a sustained effort after turning for home and the four-year-old son of Grass Wonder was always just holding Deep Sky and Vodka, both of whom had every chance in the straight.

Vodka, who became the first filly in 64 years to win the Japanese Derby in 2007, inspired a huge roar from the crowd when she saw clear water a furlong and ahalf out but her legions of fans were to be disappointed as she could claim only third. The margins were a half-length and three-quarters.

Screen Hero, who is trained by Yuichi Shikato, carries the famous colours of Teruya Yoshida of the ultra-powerful Shadai operation, Japan's answer to Coolmore, and the victory capped a remarkable comeback as the colt was on the sidelines for 11 months before returning to action in August.