Third favorite Vela Azul captured his first top-level win Sunday in the $7,513,043 Japan Cup (G1) at Tokyo Racecourse, giving his sire Eishin Flash his first Grade 1 winner.
With British-based three-time champion rider Ryan Moore aboard, Vela Azul was forced to travel in a tight, two-wide and midfield position up to the final corner behind a slow pace set by Unicorn Lion.
Trapped behind a wall of horses, Moore guided Vela Azul to running room 300 meters out, but then the colt was forced to switch paths to avoid the tiring Danon Beluga just after passing the furlong pole. He dug in fiercely on cue and overtook the dueling Shahryar and Weltreisende 50 meters to the wire to win by three-quarters of a length.
Time for the about 1 ½-mile race was 2:23.7 on turf rated as firm.
“He broke OK,” winning trainer Kunihiko Watanabe of Velz Azul, who began his career racing on dirt as a 3-year-old. “The pace was rather slow, but my horse has a good late charge and I trusted him to make a good run.
“He was in good condition coming into this race, but he exceeded our expectation. He is 5 years old, but he gets better and better and still has room for improvement. The reason for racing him on dirt early in his career was because he had leg issues (fractures) as a young colt, and in order to race him with less risk he was raced on dirt. However, I did think he had an aptitude to race well on turf and it was only a matter of timing as to when to shift to turf racing,”
Moore said he felt lucky to ride such a talented horse.
“The pace was very steady for the Japan Cup,” he said. “The horse never had much room, but when he did he quickened up very well, so he was very impressive today. I had a good horse that got me out front and we had a nice spot–it wasn't too far off the pace and following a good horse, the horse in front was having to wait and I was having to wait (too), and when he found a bit of room he quickened up very well. I suppose for today being towards the inside wasn't a disadvantage.”
Breaking from stall 15, race favorite Shahryar was eased to a lower rearward position after sitting in midpack as the bunched-up field cruised down the backstretch.
After meeting traffic then finding a clear path two furlongs out, the Sheema Dubai Classic (G1) victor kicked into gear and rallied with Danon Beluga and Weltreisende into the last furlong but was outrun by the strong-closing winner, while beating a stubborn Weltreisende and Danon Beluga, who dropped behind earlier, and cleared the wire three-quarters of a length behind in second.
Fourth pick Weltreisende sat in fifth from the pace, was blocked in early stretch and after squeezing through a gap for clear sailing, briefly took over the lead at the furlong marker but was caught by the runner- up 100 meters out and then the hard-closing winner for a neck third.
Vela Azul is campaigned by Carrot Farm Co. Ltd. and was bred by Northern Farm from the Kurofune mare Vela Blanca.
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