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Unbeaten Three-Year-Old Chrysoberyl Claims This Year's Champions Cup with Record Time

Second pick Chrysoberyl beat strong G1 dirt winners with race record time of 1:48.5 and claimed this year’s Champions Cup with an unbeaten six-race winning streak. He is the fifth three-year-old to claim the title following Le Vent Se Leve last year. Half brother to two-time G1 winner Marialite, Chrysoberyl broke his maiden in his debut start in September last year and was sidelined for six months due to a leg problem. The Gold Allure colt won his comeback start in March this year then claimed three major NAR races including the Hyogo Championship (dirt, 1,870m) in May, the Japan Dirt Derby (dirt, 2000m) in July and the Nippon TV Hai (dirt, 1,800m) in September, before making his first JRA G1 challenge. This win gave trainer Hidetaka Otonashi his 12th JRA-G1 victory following his Mile Championship title with Indy Champ last month and jockey Yuga Kawada’s 13th JRA-G1 win following last year’s Sprinters Stakes victory with Fine Needle.

Chrysoberyl broke sharply from stall five and took an economic trip behind frontrunner Inti in third. The Gold Allure colt, still hugging the rails at the heal of Inti entering the lane, waited patiently and steered slightly to the outside for a clear path around the 200-meter pole where he met the strong challenge of race favorite Gold Dream. As the two sons of Gold Allure dueled fiercely along the lane, Chrysoberyl was the first to nail the frontrunner 100 meters out and accelerated further to cross the wire a neck in front for his title.

“We were able to settle in good position behind Inti and the colt was able to race with good rhythm. Though it was difficult to advance, having to race between Inti and Gold Dream at the stretch, we were able to pull away and win the rally at the end. He is still unbeaten and I’m confident that he will continue to develop and become even stronger,” commented jockey Yuga Kawada.

Gold Dream traveled two wide behind Chrysoberyl in fifth and angled out as the field stretched wide entering the homestretch. The 2017 Champions Cup winner produced a powerful burst of speed in the lane, dueled strongly with the eventual winner in the last 200 meters but was a neck short in second. Third pick Inti took the front as usual and, though turning over the lead in the last 100 meters, held on well until the wire to secure third place.

Other Horses:
4th: (3) Chuwa Wizard—hugged rails behind winner, met traffic and switched to outside 200m out, showed effort but failed to threaten top finishers
5th: (12) King’s Guard—raced 2nd from rear, accelerated between horses, timed fastest over last 3 furlongs
6th: (6) Omega Perfume—traveled around 8th, found little room at early stretch, switched to outside then quickened
7th: (16) Vengeance—settled 3rd from rear, turned wide, passed tired rivals
8th: (1) Time Flyer—saved ground around 10th, checked 300m out, accelerated thereafter
9th: (8) Westerlund—positioned around 10th early, gradually advanced, showed brief effort
10th: (15) London Town—sat forwardly from wide stall, ran gamely until 200m out, weakened
11th: (7) Wonder Lider—settled around 13th, angled out, showed effort but never a threat
12th: (2) Mozu Attraction—trailed in rear, circled wide, showed belated charge
13th: (10) Mitsuba—took economic trip around 12th, even paced at stretch
14th: (13) Wide Pharaoh—raced 4-wide around 9th, checked 200m out, lost momentum
15th: (9) Satono Titan—traveled 3-wide around 7th, outrun in last 400m
16th: (14) T O Energy—tracked leader in 2nd, faded after turning final corner

THE 20TH CHAMPIONS CUP (G1) – Japan Autumn International -
3-year-olds & up, 1,800 meters (about 9 furlongs), dirt, left-handed
Sunday, December 1, 2019     Chukyo Racecourse         11th Race          Post Time: 15:30
Total prize money: ¥ 216,000,000 (about US$ 1,878,000 <US$1=¥115>)
3-y-o: 55 kg (about 121 lbs), 4-y-o & up: 57 kg (about 126 lbs)
2 kg allowance for Fillies & Mares, 2kg allowance for Southern Hemisphere-bred born in 2016
Safety factor: 16 runners

1. 1.Chrysoberyl (JPN), bay, colt, 3-year-olds
   Gold Allure / Chrysoprase (El Condor Pasa)
   

   Owner: U. Carrot Farm	Breeder: Northern Farm
   Trainer: Hidetaka Otonashi	Jockey: Yuga Kawada
   6 Starts, 6 Wins
   Added money: ¥ 103,402,000	Career earnings: ¥ 224,602,000

   
   
2. 2.Gold Dream (JPN), bay, horse, 6-year-olds
   Gold Allure / Mon Vert (French Deputy)
   

   Owner: Katsumi Yoshida	Breeder: Northern Farm
   Trainer: Osamu Hirata	Jockey: Christophe Lemaire

   
   
3. 3.Inti (JPN), chestnut, horse, 5-year-olds
   Came Home / Kitty (Northern Afleet)
   

   Owner: Shigeo Takeda	Breeder: Shigeo Takeda
   Trainer: Kenji Nonaka	Jockey: Yutaka Take

* Champions Cup (G1)

Formerly run under the name Japan Cup Dirt until 2013, the Champions Cup takes place at Chukyo Racecourse which is situated in Chubu region between Tokyo and Osaka. The Japan Cup Dirt, which began as the dirt version of the Japan Cup in 2000 at Tokyo Racecourse held over the 2,100-meter left-handed course until 2007, was temporarily shifted to Nakayama Racecourse over the 1,800-meter right-handed course in 2002, then held at Hanshin Racecourse, also a right-handed track and over 1,800 meters, between 2008 and 2013. Fourteen of the past 19 winners of the Champions Cup, which is one of JRA’s two dirt G1 races along with the February Stakes (G1, dirt, 1,600m), have won the season’s JRA Award for Best Dirt Horse.
Lord Sterling (USA, by Black Tie Affair), who finished third in the inaugural year, was one of the first foreign contenders, while Fleetstreet Dancer (USA, by Smart Strike) became the first foreign winner in 2003. In the past, 29 runners from not only North America but also from France, Germany, Great Britain and Hong Kong have participated in the race including 2018 Stephen Foster Handicap (G1, dirt, 1,800m) winner Pavel (USA, by Creative Cause) from the U.S. who finished 15th last year. This year’s lineup included Chrysoberyl, unbeaten winner of this year’s Japan Dirt Derby (dirt, 2,000m), who came off his fifth straight victory in the Nippon TV Hai (dirt, 1,800m). Coming off the Mile Championship Nambu Hai (dirt, 1,600m; Oct.14) were 2017 Best Dirt Horse Gold Dream (3rd), two-time Korea Cup (dirt, 1,800m) winner London Town (5th) and this year’s Kawasaki Kinen (dirt, 2,100m) victor Mitsuba (6th). Vengeance came off his first graded win in the Miyako Stakes (G3, dirt, 1,800m; Nov.3) followed by King’s Guard and last year’s Champions Cup runner-up Westerlund in second and third, respectively, while February Stakes champion Inti was a disappointing 15th. From the JBC Classic (dirt, 2,000m; Nov.4) were winner Chuwa Wizard and 2018 Tokyo Daishoten (G1, dirt, 2,000m) victor Omega Perfume who was a nose second. The field also included the top two finishers of the Musashino Stakes (G3, dirt, 1,600m; Nov.9)—winner Wonder Lider and runner-up, 2017 Hopeful Stakes (G1, 2,000m) winner Time Flyer—and the March Stakes (G3, dirt, 1,800m) victor Satono Titan who came off a win in the Brazil Cup (dirt, 2,100m; Oct.20).