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Four-Year-Old T O Keynes Grabs First JRA-G1 Title in Champions Cup

Race favorite T O Keynes claimed this year’s Champions Cup to register his first JRA-G1 title with a six-length margin, the largest margin set since the race moved to Chukyo Racecourse in 2014. Having raced only on dirt since his debut in October of his two-year-old season, the son of Sinister Minister marked a win and two thirds during his debut year and landed three more wins out of seven starts the following year, which included his first graded challenge in NAR’s year-end Tokyo Daishoten (G1, dirt, 2,000m) where he finished sixth. T O Keynes kicked off this season with three consecutive wins, which included the Antares Stakes (G3, dirt, 1,800m) in April and the Teio Sho (dirt, 2,000m) in June, and came off a fourth in the JBC Classic (dirt, 2,100m) on November 3. This win marked trainer Daisuke Takayanagi’s first JRA-G1 and third JRA graded title and jockey Kohei Matsuyama’s fifth JRA-G1 win following his victory in the Shuka Sho with Daring Tact last year.

T O Keynes, overcoming his weak start, broke smoothly from stall six and traveled two wide around sixth from Sodashi who set a slow pace. Though meeting traffic at the top of the stretch, the four-year-old chestnut shifted to the outside toward a narrow space outside Inti and, once finding an open space, broke loose from the pack 300 meters out and produced a remarkable turn of speed that timed the fastest last three furlongs to pull away for an overwhelming six-length victory.

“Though the JBC Classic result was disappointing due to the slow start, he broke smoothly today, thanks to the gate practice he went through at the stable. I was able to ride him in good rhythm and he responded remarkably well turning the fourth corner, so everything was perfect. I think he’s a very strong horse and I’m glad I was able to bring out his strong performance,” commented Kohei Matsuyama.

Defending champion Chuwa Wizard traveled wide toward the rear of the front pack, around 10-11th from the front, and rounded the last two corners the widest of the field. The King Kamehameha brown ran persistently in the stretch, passing his rivals one by one, and, while no match for the winner, managed to overtake Another Truth 50 meters out for a runner-up effort.

Other Horses:
4th: (4) Inti—tracked leader in 2nd, took lead at early stretch, soon overtaken by winner, weakened in last 100m
5th: (3) Sunrise Nova—positioned around 13th, showed 3rd fastest late kick but belatedly
6th: (9) Auvergne—ran around 8th, dropped position turning last corners, accelerated in last 200m
7th: (15) Meisho Hario—made 3-wide trip around 11th, driven after 3rd corner, lacked needed kick
8th: (8) Suave Aramis—settled along rails near rear, passed tired rivals after meeting traffic 200m out
9th: (5) Air Spinel—saved ground around 8th, showed brief effort, outrun in last 100m
10th: (2) Casino Fountain—hugged rails inside winner around 5th, failed to respond at stretch
11th: (16) Cafe Pharoah—raced 3-wide around 11th, made headway to 6th, showed little at stretch
12th: (1) Sodashi—set pace, maintained lead up to 400m pole, dropped back
13th: (10) K T Brave—trailed in rear, gradually advanced, never fired at stretch
14th: (12) Clincher—sat 3-wide around 7th, found little room after entering stretch
15th: (7) Sunrise Hope—chased leaders around 3rd, checked at early stretch, faded
16th: (14) Danon Pharaoh—traveled in 13th early, fell back to last in backstretch

THE 22ND CHAMPIONS CUP (G1) – Japan Autumn International –
3-year-olds & up, 1,800 meters (about 9 furlongs), dirt, left-handed
Sunday, December 5, 2021       Chukyo Racecourse           11th Race           Post Time: 15:30
Total prize money: ¥ 216,000,000 (about US$ 2,057,000 <US$1=¥105>)
3-y-o: 56 kg (about 123-124 lbs), 4-y-o & up: 57 kg (about 126 lbs)
2 kg allowance for Fillies & Mares, 2kg allowance for Southern Hemisphere-bred born in 2018
Course Record: 1:47.6              Race Record: 1:48.5 [Chrysoberyl (JPN, by Gold Allure), 2019]
Safety factor: 16 runners     Going: Standard    Weather: Cloudy

Turnover for the Race alone: ¥ 16,731,125,400       Turnover for the Day: ¥ 22,781,499,800       Attendance: 3,368

Winner= 15 starts, 8 wins, 2 seconds, 2 thirds / Added money: ¥ 103,402,000 / Career earnings: ¥ 303,117,000

* 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. Sixteen of the past 21 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 in 2018.
Defending champion Chuwa Wizard came off a third in the JBC Classic (dirt, 2,100m), followed by Teio Sho (dirt, 2,000m) victor T O Keynes in fourth, 2018 JBC Classic winner K T Brave in fifth, NAR’s Funabashi-based Casino Fountain in sixth and last year’s Japan Dirt Derby champion Danon Pharaoh in seventh. Key runners coming off other prep races were: from the Miyako Stakes (G3, dirt, 1,800m, Nov.7), winner Meisho Hario along with Another Truth (3rd), half-brother to 2016 Champions Cup winner Sound True, Clincher (6th), winner of two graded titles this season, Suave Aramis (7th) and Auvergne (12th), victor of this year’s Elm Stakes (G3, dirt, 1,700m) and Tokai Stakes (G2, dirt, 1,800m), respectively; and from the Musashino Stakes (G3, dirt, 1,600m; Nov.13), Air Spinel (2nd), runner-up of this year’s February Stakes (G1, dirt, 1,600m). The field also included two February Stakes champions, Inti (2019) and Cafe Pharoah (2021), Sirius Stakes (G3, dirt, 1,900m; Oct.2) winner Sunrise Hope and white filly Sodashi who is the winner of two G1 races over turf and made her dirt-race debut with this race.