A terrifying spurt in the last 600 metres of the race enabled Do Deuce, a son of Heart’s Cry, to win the Japan Cup held this morning in Tokyo. The 55-year-old jockey Yutaka Take, unquestionably one of Japan’s best whips, took him from the penultimate position to scurry away from everyone and threw him into the middle of the track in the finishing straight where he overtook all his opponents one by one finishing ahead of Shin Emperor and Durezza who completed the podium. A decent fifth place for our Cristian Demuro with Justify Palace who was always in the thick of the race. By the way, the Italian jockey absolutely distinguished himself during the afternoon by achieving two successes in the other races of the convention.
For Yutaka Take this is the fourth success in the most important race in the ‘far east’, a real record. It should be noted that Do Deuce had won the Japanese Derby in 2022 by beating champion Equinox, but then in the same year had perhaps disappointed a little in the Arc de Triomphe by finishing fifth. Since then his form has had its ups and downs, but his victory at Tenno Sho last month had put him back among the favourites for this Japan Cup.
The European fasting in the great Japanese race continues. The best of the horses from the old continent was Goliath (the King George winner) who finished sixth, while Auguste Rodin disappointed in only eighth. It must be said that Shin Emperor, who came second, trained and owned by the Japanese, was however born in France. The last totally European victory therefore remains that of Alkaased with Frankie Dettori for Luca Cumani (2005), while before him the likes of Falbrav, Pilsudski, Singspiel and Jupiter Island had prevailed.
