W Heart Bond Gives All Heart in Japan's Champions Cup

Four-year-old filly W Heart Bond (JPN), making her first grade 1 start, got the best of a field full of more experienced males with a gutsy victory in the Champions Cup (G1) on the Chukyo Racecourse dirt course Dec. 7 -- but just barely. W Heart Bond, with Ryusei Sakai in the irons, came to the Champions Cup with a sterling record of six wins and a second from seven starts. In her previous start, she won the Miyako Stakes (G3) on a muddy track at Kyoto. However, the Miyako triumph was her first start in a graded event, making it tough to evaluate her against rivals who had run well at the top level, some of them internationally. She answered the challenge impressively. Starting from the No. 2 gate in a field of 16, the Kizuna filly briefly contested the lead with two other runners, then let them go and raced down the backstretch in third position, comfortably poised for her chance. That came as the field turned into the straight. Sakai asked her to go and W Heart Bond willingly took the lead. As the 100-meter marker neared, trouble loomed as Wilson Tesoro (JPN) found an opening along the rail and quckly drew up on W Heart Bond's inside, full of momentum. The filly was up to the challenge, matched her 6-year-old, globetrotting rival stride for stride and held on to win by a nose—a familiar spot for Wilson Tesoro, who has competed in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and Korea. He was also second in the Champions Cup in 2023, by 1 1/2 lengths, and in 2024, by a nose. It was another 2 1/2 lengths back to 2024 Tokyo Derby winner Ramjet (JPN) in third as W Heart Bond finished the 1,800 meters (about 1 1/8 miles) in a rather pedestrian 1:50.2. The favorite, promising 3-year-old colt Narukami (JPN), reported 13th. Luxor Café, who finished a traffic-troubled 12th in this year's Kentucky Derby (G1), got home next-last under Florent Geroux, beating only William Barows (JPN). "We didn’t have a specific race plan, so I focused on riding her while keeping an eye on our rivals," Sakai said. "She felt good turning the final corners and I trusted that she would give her best run when she geared up as Wilson Tesoro came from the inside. "She was really strong today." Sakai landed his third straight victory in the Champions Cup after piloting the now-retired Lemon Pop in the past two editions. "I'm just happy that she became a grade 1 winner and the first filly/mare in ten years to win the Champions Cup, rather than my third consecutive title in this race," he said. "She's simply magnificent. Just making it to a grade 1 is tough enough, so winning it is truly amazing." W Heart Bond carries the familiar powder blue with red dots colors of Silk Racing. She was bred by Northern Farm and produced by the Smoke Glacken mare Persistently, a Phipps Stable homebred who won the 2010 Personal Ensign Stakes (G1) at Saratoga. The Champions Cup is one of just two grade 1 dirt races offered by the Japan Racing Association with the National Association of Racing handling most events on the surface. With the recent success of Japanese dirt runners in rich international competition, interest has picked up and W Heart Bond is now poised to benefit.