Greatfacilities, awarm welcomeand generous prizes awaitchallengers
equates to £6m or €6.9m,and means the Japan Cupwill eclipsethe Prix de l’ArcdeTriomphe and the Breeders’ CupTurfinits prizefund, with place moneypaiddowntotenth
Thebonus for doublingupinthe
JapanCup after winningone of 24 majorinternational middle-distance races tops outat$3m for awin in Tokyo, with anyofthe qualifying horses attractinga minimum of €200,000 for running.
needsofthe horse throughout the entireadventure.
“The quarantine centrereally is perfect,”hesays. “The care and attention paid to thetiniestdetails surroundingeachbox is impressive, down to thefact that thereisan individual area of grassfor every horsetograze andrelax in.
“The trottingtrack and inner sand gallop suit horseswho have just arrivedand need to unwind.
me were the efforts the JRAmadefor the horses; theyalwayslistenedto anyrequests and went to great lengths to make sure they met them
“Theysourced an enormous range of feed with awide variety of oats –includingfromthe US –and it was this care for the welfareofthe equine athletes whichwas extraordinary.”
acrossTokyo on arrivalbeforethe 2021 Japan Cup.
Therestrictionsongatheringsthat year due to the Covid-19 pandemic meantthatwhenhereturnedwith the samemarein2022 on hercareer swansong, Bietolini waskeentoenjoy thefull JapanCup experience
THE race replays and recordbooks will tell you that the 2022 JapanCup wasdominated by the home team,withVela Azul weavinghis waythrough the Tokyotraffic under an ice-cool Ryan Mooretoland the greatprize,edging outShahryarand Weltreisende
Butinone senseatleast,the race reinforced itsinternational credentials,attractingfourtop-class contendersfromEurope.
They would be the firstJapan Cup runners to finish their preparations at Tokyoracecourse’s new, state-of-theartquarantine centre.
From France therewas Grand Glory, trainedbyexpatriateItalian GianlucaBietolini in Maisons-Laffitte and alreadyaJapan Cupveteran, havingbeenfifth to Contrail in 2021.
Joiningher wasOnesto,abrilliant winner of the Grand Prix de Paris beforebeingnarrowly beaten in the Irish Champion Stakes,and afirst runner in Japan for Classic-winning trainer Fabrice Chappet.
ThethirdFrenchcontender,Simca Mille,had chased home Onesto in the Grand Prix de Parisbeforewinning one of the keytrialsfor the Prix de l’ArcdeTriomphe,the Prix Niel.
Hisvastlyexperiencedtrainer, Stephane Wattel, hadthen targeted theJapan Cupinpreference to the Arcitself, headingtoTokyo in search of fastground for SimcaMille
TheEuropean contingent was completed by the Peter SchiergentrainedTunnes,who arrivedona roll of fivestraightvictories –most recently when winningthe Group1 GrosserAllianz-Preis vonBayernby ten lengths. He wasGermany’s seventhchallengerfor the JapanCup since Alkaased became the most recentinternational winner in 2005, a tally matchedbyBritain’sraiders
Prize-money increased by 25 percent
Alreadyamong the richest turf races in the world,the 43rdrunningofthe JapanCup in association with Longines hasreceived aremarkable 25 percentincreaseintotal purse compared to the 2022 edition.
Lastyear’s ¥864million hasbeen upgradedto¥1.085 billion, which
Top-classquarantine facility
Theneedfor anew quarantine centre at Tokyo racecoursehad longbeen understood by the JapanRacing Association,with successive visiting trainers underliningthe limits of the previous systemfor horses when they arrivedahead of anyofthe major international races that punctuate the autumn season in Japan.
Thosefacilities were at the JRA’s racingschool, morethananhour away at Shiroi. That meanta horse beingflown in to observethe sevendaymandatory quarantine would have to be taken by road from Narita airporttoShiroionthe eastern outskirts of Tokyo, only to then be movedbacktothe racecoursein Fuchuonthe other sideofthe city when the isolation period hadended Havingaquarantine ‘one-stop shop’was avital partofthe strategy to reinvigorate internationalinterestin the Japan Cup, alongwiththe bonus system and increased prize-money.
Thenew centre is surroundedbya 300m sand trottingring, while after the first 48 hoursofquarantine the international runnerscan work on the main racecoursedirttrack, a regime that canbesupplemented after sevendayswith work on theturf. Sixtwo-horsebarns eachbenefit from aseparategrass paddock, air conditioningand remote monitoring.
Prize-moneyand prestige maybe majordraws fortrainers and owners when decidingtheir bigend-of-year targets, butwiththe newly completed facility in Tokyo, therewould nowbe even greater incentivetoundertake the Japan Cupchallenge
ForWattel,SimcaMille would be breakingnew ground in headingto Tokyo. While the trainer had campaigned hishorses across many of Europe’s biggestmeetings from his baseinDeauville duringacareer spanning30years,Wattel hadnever ventured to Asia with arunner
It is fair to saythat the bar hasnow beenset high in termsofexpectations for futuretrips to other jurisdictions
In particular Wattel wasimpressed with the attention to detail paid to the
“The levelofwelcome offered is superior,not just for horses butfor staff travellingwiththem,who have optimal conditions in whichtowork.
“Thereisalwaysa taxionstandby and everyevening thereissomething organised for stable staff such as tours of the city; theyare as well treatedas anyone elsetravellingwith the horse.
“It’sa really importantdetailthat the grooms and riders arewelllooked after and that is certainlythe case
“Inthe level of welcome it is an example that everycountry andevery racetrackwould do well to follow.”
Japan Cupweekisfull of glittering ceremoniesand high-end hospitality for everyone connectedwith arunner. Wattel certainly appreciatedall that waslaid on for eachhorse’s team.
Butasbefitsa graduateofwhat mightbecalledthe classical French school of training– he cut his teeth as assistanttoAlain de Royer-Dupreat the AgaKhan’sAiglemontstables in Chantilly –Wattel returns time and again to the facilities for the horse and the staff caring for them
“The eveningreception for owners and trainers wasgreat fun and helped build atmospherebeforethe race,” says Wattel.“That mightbethe case elsewherebut what really impressed
Therewould be no fairytale as SimcaMille fadedturningfor home to finish down the field, although Wattel hasnoregrets aboutrunning.
“The race wasadisappointmentin that the horse didn’t showhis best butnone of that could be putdownto either the transport or the wayhewas received over there,”saysWattel.
“And the trip hasnot preventedme from rediscovering the real Simca Mille this year;quite the opposite, he is better than ever at four “Hewas so well looked after before, duringand after his trip to Japan that he never felt anyeffects from it.After that, arace remains arace and there arenoguarantees you will runwell.”
‘The setupissecond to none’ Onestoarrivedwith perhapsthe biggestreputationamong the visitors and increased visibility because of his partnership with Japan’sfavourite French jockey, ChristopheLemaire.
Chappethas experiencedracing the worldoverand is unstintinginhis praise: “The welcome and facilities were excellent. Havingthe quarantine centreinthe centreofthe racecourse, youcan’t improveonthat.
“The setupissecond to none, which wasn’treally the case under the old quarantine system.Now the horses areinone boxfor their whole stay so there’snoswitchingstables and beingtransported on multiple occasions.Itcouldn’t be better.”
Onesto found elf behind awallof rsesasLemaire eadiedhim to challenge,poor luckinrunning hasdone nothing to dull Chappet’s memories
“The weekisa wonderful xperience,from ly morningtolate evening,”hesays.
And when you consider therewerestill restrictions on crowdsizeafter Covid, the racecourse crowdcreated asuperb atmosphere.”
‘The atmospherearoundthe race is incredible’
Bietolini is in the best position to appraisethe new quarantine arrangements,given Grand Glorywas housed at the older Shiroi facility
“InEuropewehavethe Arc, Royal Ascot and the Derby,”hesays. “But there arefew moments when you are surroundedby100,000 people on a racecourse.Ithas aunique atmosphere.
“All weekthereisafeeling this is a special event, with huge media attention. Thepress conferences were abig deal and, much likethe care paid to the horses,everythingwas done to ensureeverybodycould be clearly understood when they spoke.”
Bietolini feels the new international stables in the centreofthe racecourse area huge step forwardinthe welcome affordedtotravellinghorses
“The newquarantinecentreissuch apositivedevelopment,”hesays. “The JRAhas builtanincredible facility and puts everythingatyourdisposal
“The boxesare likehouses! There arecamerasineachwhichconnect to an applicationonyourphone and you couldsee that therewas never anyloudsounds or disturbance in the quarantine block;nothingtoagitate the horses, whowereall very relaxed.”
Bietolini adds:“Everythingisso well organised andthereisa frisson of excitementaround events that lead up to the Japan Cup; the atmosphere around the race is incredible.”
No expensehas been spared in creatingworld-class facilities for the horses,while events such as thegala dinner,when the ownersare the stars of the show, aresuperb experiences for Japaneseand visitors alike.
Butwhat really struckBietolini was the warmth of the personal welcome from all levels of staff
He says:“Everyone who worksfor the JRA–atevery level –issokind and welcoming, theymakeyou feel extremely special
“You have the feelingeveryoneis delightedyou have made the trip and that theywill do their maximumto ensureeverythinggoeswellfor you.”
With asixth place to complement fifth in 2021, Grand Gloryclearly enjoys Japan, whichisnobad thingas she remainedinthe countryto become abroodmare at Teruya Yoshida’s Shadai Farm
As for Bietolini –and his fellow trainers –the desiretoreturnfor another crackatthe Japan Cupburns brightly. Bietolini says:“My only disappointmentisthat this year I don’t have ahorsegoodenough to go back. It wasaremarkable momentin my life,aswellasthoseofmyfamily and my team.”
‘Anexample everyracetrack would do well to follow’
While hims hor re c w ex earl the “And whe
ScottBurton talks to theconnections of theEuropean challengersfor last year’s JapanCup
‘The quarantine centre really is perfect. Thelevelof welcome offeredis superior, notjustfor thehorsesbut forthe staff travelling with them, whoreallyhave optimalconditionsin whichtowork’
ADVERTISEMENTFEATURE Friday,September 22, 2023 racingpost.com 14
Stephane Wattel
The prize-money
1st £2,762,000 €3,185,000
2nd £1,105,000 €1,274,000
3rd £718,000 €828,000
4th £414,000 €478,000
5th £276,000 €318,000
6th £221,000 €255,000
7th £193,000 €223,000
8th £166,000 €191,000
9th £83,000 €96,000
10th £55,000 €64,000
Total £5,994,000 €6,911,000
The bonuses
1st $3m (£2.43m, €2.82m)
2nd $1.2m (£972k, €1.12m)
3rd $750k (£608k, €705k)
4th and below $200k (£162k, €188k) $100k (£81k, €94k) appearance money included Bonuses are awarded to foreign-based winners of these races (right) in 2023
The appearance money
$100,000 (£81,000, €94,000) guaranteed to international runners as appearance money,regardless of finishing position, as long as they start the race
The qualifying races
Britain
Betfred Derby
Prince of Wales’s Stakes
Coral-Eclipse Stakes
King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes
Juddmonte International Stakes
Qipco Champion Stakes
Ireland
Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby
Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes
France
Qatar Prix du Jockey Club, Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, Grand Prix de Paris, Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
Germany
Wettstar.de Grosser Preis von Baden
US
Manhattan Stakes, Arlington Million, Sword Dancer
Stakes, Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, Breeders’ Cup Turf
Canada
Canadian International
Australia
HE Tancred Stakes, Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate, Melbourne Cup
UAE
Dubai Sheema Classic
Race details
When Sunday, November 26 Where Tokyo racecourse Track Turf, left-handed Trip 2,400m (1m4f)
Maximum field 18
Nomination deadline
Tuesday, October 3
Nomination fee Free Deadline for arrival
Thursday, November 16
Declaration
Thursday, November 23
Declaration fee
300,000JPY (£1,657, €1,911)
*Currency conversion rate
£1 181JPY, €1 157JPY, US$1 147JPY
For further information contact the JRA teams London Office 4th floor, 11 Argyll Street, London W1F 7TH, UK Tel +44-20-7437-5053
Email jralon@jrauk.com
Paris Office 15 Boulevard Douaumont, 75017 Paris, France Tel:+33-7-84-38-78-96
Email contact@jraparis.com japanracing.jp/en/contacts/
LO CHUN KIT GETTY IMAGES
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Vela Azul and Ryan Moore take the 2022 Japan Cup from Shahryar and Weltreisende
Racing Post Friday, September 22, 2023 15