Japan Cup Dirt (G1) - Preview

The 12th Japan Cup Dirt, with first-place prize money of 130 million yen from a purse of 275 million yen, will wrap up the 1.49 billion yen Japan Autumn International on Dec. 4 at Hanshin Racecourse.

The Japan Cup Dirt, along with the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup (2,200 meters) and the Mile Championship (1,600 meters) at Kyoto, and the Japan Cup (2,400 meters) at Tokyo, make up the four-race Grade 1 series that started in 2008.

For most of the first eight years since its inception in 2000, the Japan Cup Dirt was held the day before the Japan Cup at a distance of 2,100 meters at Tokyo, the exceptions being in 2002 and 2004. In 2002, it was held at Nakayama and in 2004, the dirt and turf versions of the Japan Cup were held on the same day. In 2008, the Japan Cup Dirt was relocated to Hanshin, shortened to 1,800 meters and pushed to the weekend following the Japan Cup.

Hanshin Racecourse

Much like the way the Japan Cup did with Japanese turf racing, the Japan Cup Dirt has been significant in helping raise the level of dirt racing in Japan. The year 1995 was a turning point for the nation's dirt program, which got a boost as the Japan Racing Association expanded its relationship with the National Association of Racing governing the local races. The Japan Cup Dirt aided in the wind by providing Japanese dirt runners a platform to take on some of the best horses in the world.

Twenty-five visitors have made the trip from abroad for the Japan Cup Dirt in the past, from the United States, France, Germany, Great Britain and Hong Kong. Through the first 11 runnings, however, only two overseas horses have finished inside the top three, and they were both from the U.S.: Lord Sterling, who came in third in the inaugural Japan Cup Dirt, and Fleetstreet Dancer, who won in 2003.

Hanshin Racecourse is a right-handed course where the riding skills of the jockey, tactics and luck come far more into play than Tokyo. The Japan Cup Dirt starts on the homestretch, about 280 meters from the winning post, and continues flat for 80 meters with a 1.2-meter rise for 130 meters. The first turn is flat followed by a slight undulation until halfway down the backstretch. There is a gradual 1.2-meter slope over the 100 meters leading into the 353-meter homestretch, which is flat the first 200 meters but rises by 1.2 meters over the next 130 meters before flattening out to the winning post.

With no foreign contestants in the field this year, the 2011 Japan Cup Dirt is shaping up to be a showdown between the last two champions in 2009 winner Espoir City and defending champion Transcend, the runnerup to Victoire Pisa in the Dubai World Cup.

The 5-year-old Transcend went wire to wire to win last year's Japan Cup Dirt before capturing the February Stakes and going on to cap a Japanese one-two with Victoire Pisa in Dubai. Transcend, by Wild Rush out of Cinema Scope by Tony Bin, is coming off a second-place finish behind local warrior Smart Falcon in the 1,600-meter JBC Classic on Nov. 3, but trainer Takayuki Yasuda expects the horse to full rebound in the Japan Cup Dirt.

"He's shown no signs of fatigue since his last start," Yasuda said. "We're expecting a good result from him because he's in very good condition.

"He had a hard time staying focused in his last race, especially around the turns, but he never gave in to the winning horse which, to me, said everything about his ability. He came off the pace again and that showed he's learning. Racing in the mile has really gotten him going."

After winning the Japan Cup Dirt two years ago, the 6-year-old Espoir City went into a long slump after disappointing in the Breeders' Cup Classic (he finished 10th out of 12), but the Gold Allure Son finally appears to be back in form, having won 2 of 5 this season. He won last month's 1,800-meter Miyako Stakes in an impressive time of 1 minute, 48.4 seconds.

Espoir City and Transcend should face a decent challenge from the likes of the Agnes Digital-sired Yamanin Kingly, who won his dirt debut in the Sirius Stakes on Oct. 1, Tosho Freak, the Miyako Stakes runnerup who has won four of his last five, and Danon Come On from the Triple Crown-winning stable of Yasutoshi Ikee.

The Japan Cup Dirt is open to 3-year-olds and up. Three-year-olds carry 56 kilograms, older horses 57 kilograms. Fillies and mares , receive a 2-kilogram handicap, as do 3-year-olds born in the Southern Hemisphere.

The race record is held by defending champion Transcend, who posted a winning time of 1 minute, 48.9 seconds in the 2010 race.

Post time for the Japan Cup Dirt is 3:40 p.m. It will be the 11th race on the card.

* Notes and Abbreviations

1. Weight: 1 pound = approximately 0.453 kg
2. Rating: Please add four pounds to the ratings because of weight allowances for fillies and mares, when comparing the ratings of fillies and mares to the ratings of colts, horses and geldings.
3. Abbreviations:
   Gender and Sex:
   C = Colt (2-4 Y/O), H = Horse (5 Y/O & UP), G = Gelding, F = Filly (2-4 Y/O), M = Mare (5 Y/O & UP)