For the second straight year, the Japan Cup in Association with Longines (G1) shapes up as a farewell to a star as Contrail, the 2020 Japanese Triple Crown winner, looks to head off to his second career on a high note.
To accomplish that, however, the lightly raced 4-year-old will have to prevail over three tough foreigners and some promising locals—no mean feat for a horse winless in more than a year.
The 2020 Japan Cup was the swan song for Almond Eye, who put a dramatic exclamation point to her career, and an end to Contrail's undefeated record, with a convincing victory. Contrail had every chance to catch her in the final 100 meters but could not, finishing second.
Almond Eye hung up her tack with a much more robust résumé than Contrail, even should he win the Japan Cup. The Lord Kanaloa mare won 11 of 15 starts with nine of the wins at the top stakes level, both at home and in Dubai.
Contrail is by the late Deep Impact, who also won the Triple Crown while undefeated. Unlike Almond Eye, his campaign has been severely limited. After the 2020 Japan Cup, he returned April 4 to finish third in the Osaka Hai (G1) at Hanshin. He got another long break, then reported second behind Efforia in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) (G1) Oct. 31.
He comes to the Japan Cup the winner of seven races, four at the top level. While the overall record falls shy of Almond Eye's—or his own sire's—it makes no difference to his connections.
"A horse, born of a horse that won the Triple Crown unbeaten, that goes on to win the Triple Crown unbeaten, is not something you see very often in racing history," said jockey Yuichi Fukunaga.
Fukunaga noted Contrail rose to glory during the pandemic and said the colt "has been a presence that has shone light into a very dark world ... A very important task awaits him on the next stage in his life. But it is my mission to close out his stage as a racehorse and to give him the very best ride I can give him."
Contrail will need to be at his best as he launches from the No. 2 gate for the 2,400-meter (about 1 1/2 miles) trip around the Tokyo Racecourse turf.
The international raiding party has two Coolmore horses—Japan and Broome—coming direct from the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) and Grand Glory, last seen finishing second in the Prix de l'Opera Longines (G1) Oct. 3.
Broome and Japan, whose ownership is shared by Coolmore with Japanese connections, finished second and fourth, respectively, at Del Mar and both have traveled extensively this season.
"Both horses are very well and happy, eating up all their feed," Patrick Keating, assistant to trainer Aidan O'Brien, reported mid-week. "Condition-wise, both horses are moving very well and the grooms riding them in training are confident with the preparations leading up to the race."
Ryan Moore, no stranger to Japanese racing and a winner of the 2013 Japan Cup on Gentildonna, is in to ride Broome while Yutaka Take, already a four-time winner of the race, takes the reins on Japan, who drew the No. 18 gate.
Grand Glory's assistant trainer, Anais Dumont, said the 5-year-old Olympic Glory mare "is eating well and the fatigue from the trip is gone. I think she is in good form."
Cristian Demuro will ride Grand Glory.
The last foreign-trained winner of the Japan Cup was Falbrav in 2002. Since then, the only foreign entrant finishing in the first three was Ouija Board, third in 2006 behind Deep Impact after reporting fifth the previous year.
The Japan Racing Association, as part of an effort to lure more high-quality foreign participants, is building a new stabling facility at Tokyo Racecourse. That will allow foreign horses to travel from abroad directly to Tokyo, rather than a holding facility for quarantine, and to spend more time on the track where they will race. The stables are due for the 2022 race, along with the hope the current pandemic mitigation measures will have been eased.
The other local runners for this year's Japan Cup include four winners of the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1). In addition to 2020 winner Contrail, they are this year's winner, Shahryar, 2018 victor Wagnerian, and 2016 winner Makahiki. Also in the 18-horse field is Uberleben, winner of this year's Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1).
Kiseki, a 5-year-old son of Rulership, also figures to draw support as do developing 4-year-olds Authority and Aristoteles.
Tetsuya Temura, who trains Authority, summed up the quality of this year's field for Japan's iconic race:
"Even if my horse wasn't racing, I'd be excited just looking at this lineup," he said. "There are a number of Derby winners and a Triple Crown champion. But, with all that, I just want to be able to say that it was a great race when it's over."
