Chrysoberyl, Cafe Pharoah Chasing Saudi Cup Slot In Japan’s Champions Cup

After a thrilling Japan Cup last Sunday, this week will see some of Japan's top dirt horses take on the Grade 1 Champions Cup at Chukyo Racecourse on Sunday, Dec. 6. The race offers a guaranteed slot in February's $20 million Saudi Cup in the UAE.

There are 18 nominations for a maximum 16-runner field this time around. The race is for 3-year-olds and up and is run over 1,800 meters (approximately nine furlongs) on the dirt track at Chukyo.

The now 4-year-old colt Chrysoberyl not only won last year, but shaved 1.6 seconds off the previous race record time, which had been equaled by three horses in consecutive years, namely Sound True (2016), Gold Dream (2017), and Le Vent Se Leve (2018). Chrysoberyl will be back for another go at the race this year, as well as an attempt to beat his own time of 1:48.50. This year's winner's check is JPY100 million (just under US$1 million).

Here's a look at some of the top dirt horses expected to take on the race:

Chrysoberyl – Last year's winner, the colt by Gold Allure will take some pegging back this time as well. The only loss to his name came when he raced in Saudi Arabia in February this year. Otherwise he has a perfect record of eight wins in all his other eight races, where he has started favorite six times, and has produced some impressive wins, including his latest race, the JBC Classic at Oi in November over 2,000 meters.

Assistant trainer Kenichi Shono said: “It was a strong win last time in the JBC Classic, and his responses were really very good. He had some time at the farm after that and came back to the stable on the 14th, and since returning he's looked in good order.”

The horse's regular jockey, Yuga Kawada, looks set to take the ride again.

Cafe Pharoah – The American bred 3-year-old colt by American Pharoah has loomed large on the dirt scene recently, with just one loss from his five-race career to date. He was a short-priced favorite last time when he won the Grade 3 Sirius Stakes over 1,900 meters at Chukyo in October.

Trainer Noriyuki Hori said: “His prize money total has turned out to be enough to get him into this race without a run in the Musashino Stakes, so given this situation, he's been at the stable since his last race. We're able to prepare him for a run here and he's trained well up to now.” J

ockey Christophe Lemaire, who notched four G1 victories in November alone, will be in the saddle seeking another one here.

Arctos – It will be just the second start in a JRA Grade 1 race for the 5-year-old, after he finished ninth in this year's February Stakes. He was able to turn the tables, however, on the latter race's winner when he beat Mozu Ascot in his latest race, the Mile Championship Nambu Hai at Morioka over 1,600 meters in October, which he won narrowly.

“After his last race, he went to the farm. He might get a bit stiffer in winter, but he's in very good condition, as he showed in his last race, and with the power he's got, he should be fine taking on the 1,800 meters this time,” said trainer Toru Kurita.

Arctos has eight wins from seventeen starts.

Sunrise Nova – The 6-year-old has a good race record in his thirty starts, finishing in the first three eighteen times, which have included ten wins. He was sixth in the Champions Cup in 2018, and he's tuned up for this year's race with a strong win in the Grade 3 Tokyo Chunichi Sports Hai Musashino Stakes at Tokyo in November.

Assistant trainer Kenichi Shono said, “He got to run his own race last time and showed good finishing speed. It's the best way for him to race, if he can save things until the end and then get switched for a late run down the outside.”

Trainer Hidetaka Otonashi looks like being doubly represented in the race, for as well as Sunrise Nova, he also trains Chrysoberyl. The trainer has thirteen JRA Grade 1 wins, and the latter gave him his only Champions Cup victory last year.

Chuwa Wizard – Another runner whose consistency is certainly his top salespoint, the 5-year-old by King Kamehameha has only been unplaced once in seventeen starts, and has nine wins to his name. He finished fourth in last year's Champions Cup. He had his first race since June at Oi last month, when he finished third to Chrysoberyl in the JBC Classic. Trainer Ryuji Okubo was pleased with his latest race.

“It was his first race in a while last time, and I thought he might need the run, but he ran smoothly, and with an aggressive first up race, I think it leads him nicely into this one,” said the trainer.

Gold Dream – If there's one horse to be a flag-bearer for dirt racing in Japan over the past five years, it would be Gold Dream. The Northern Farm bred 7-year-old won the Champions Cup in 2017, and ran second in the race last year, as well as having very good overall race results. He finished just sixth in the Mile Championship Nambu Hai last time, but trainer Osamu Hirata believes he's capable of better.

“Last time out, the rain made it a quick race, and he couldn't finish any closer than he did. In the meantime, he's been working well on the woodchip course with two other horses and seems very well, not showing his age at all,” said Hirata.

Clincher – The 6-year-old by Deep Sky is better known as a turf performer, and it's on that surface that he's competed in seven JRA Grade 1 races, as well as being a 2018 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe representative for Japan. He's been taking on dirt races since the beginning of this year, and after a good win in the Grade 3 Miyako Stakes last time, he comes into the reckoning here.

“It was a perfect win last time when he showed his power, and the jockey must also take credit for it. The horse has been tuning up nicely in training and he'll put in some strong work before the race,” commented trainer Hiroshi Miyamoto.

Jockey Kosei Miura looks set to get the big race ride.

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Chrysoberyl, Cafe Pharoah Clash in Champions Cup

Chrysoberyl (Jpn) (Gold Allure {Jpn}, the reigning champion dirt horse in Japan, and the nation’s top 3-year-old dirt galloper Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah) meet for the first time in Sunday’s G1 Champions Cup (1800m) at Chukyo Racecourse, one of two top-level events on the main track each season.

Chrysoberyl is undefeated in eight starts at home, including a narrow defeat of 2017 winner Gold Dream (Jpn) (Gold Allure {Jpn) in this event 12 months ago (see below). Seventh to Maximum Security (New Year’s Day) in the US$20-million Saudi Cup in February, he was an intended runner in the G1 Dubai World Cup before that meeting’s cancellation and has since defeated the talented Omega Perfume (Jpn) (Swept Overboard) in his last two, including the Listed JBC Classic at Tokyo City Keiba Nov. 3. Omega Perfume misses the Champions Cup in favour of a three-peat attempt in the G1 Toyko Daishoten at month’s end.

Like the race favourite, Cafe Pharoah has only tasted defeat once in his career and emerged as the top dirt runner of his generation with victories in the Listed Hyacinth S. in February and the G3 Unicorn S. in June. He struggled when only seventh to Danon Pharaoh (Jpn) (American Pharoah) in the Listed Japan Dirt Derby in July, but resumed with a smart defeat of older rivals in the G3 Sirius S. (1900m) at Chukyo Oct. 3.

Clincher (Jpn) (Deep Sky {Jpn}), who finished well down the field in the 2018 G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, has been reinvented as a dirt horse and carries the Koji Maeda silks successful aboard Transcend (Jpn) (Wild Rush) in 2010 and 2011. He has a record of 1-4-1 from seven tries on the dirt and exits a comfortable success in the G3 Miyako S. at Hanshin Nov. 8.

Mozu Ascot (Frankel {GB}), winner of the G1 Yasuda Kinen on turf and a G1 February S. on dirt, makes the final start of his career before heading off to stud for 2021.

 

WATCH: Chrysoberyl takes out the 2019 Champions Cup

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Notable US-Bred Runners in Japan: Dec. 6, 2020

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Nakayama and Chukyo Racecourses. The latter plays host to the G1 Champions Cup Sunday, which features an intriguing clash between reigning Japanese champion dirt horse Chrysoberyl (Jpn) (Gold Allure {Jpn}), the country’s top dirt 3-year-old Café Pharoah (American Pharoah) and dual-surface Group 1 winner Mozu Ascot (Frankel {GB}), having his final career start:

Sunday, December 6, 2020
4th-CKO, ¥9,680,000 ($93k), Maiden, 2yo, 1200mT
JASPER GOLD (c, 2, Khozan–Gracious Lady, by Put It Back) went very close in his first two career starts–both over this trip and surface–missing by a half-length when favored at Fukushima Nov. 8 and by a neck over course and distance two weeks later. The Florida-bred is the first foal from his dam, an unplaced half-sister to SP Lucky Peridot (Itsmyluckyday), and cost $100K at this year’s OBS March Sale after breezing an eighth of a mile in :10 flat. The deeper female family includes Eclipse Award winner Storm Song (Summer Squall). B-Randy Lee Myers (FL)

6th-NKY, ¥13,400,000 ($129k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m
SKY NILE (f, 2, Pioneerof the Nile–Joyful Victory, by Tapit) is the final US-bred produce for her Grade I-winning dam, whose foal of 2017, the colt Saqqara King (American Pharoah) was stakes-placed three times in France as a juvenile. Joyful Victory was acquired privately by this breeder after being withdrawn from Fasig-Tipton November in 2017, dropped this foal and was covered by Kitten’s Joy before being exported. That produce, a colt, fetched ¥105 million ($982,202) as a yearling at this year’s JRHA Select Sale. Joyful Victory produced a colt by Daiwa Major (Jpn) this year. B-Teruya Yoshida (KY)

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