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Warp Speed flirts with Melbourne Cup triumph, finishes runner-up to Knight's Choice after photos
Warp Speed
So close - yet so far away. Warp Speed certainly lived up to his name in the 164th Lexus Melbourne Cup on Tuesday (Nov. 5) at Flemington but missed out by a hair on the JRA’s first victory in the 3,200-meter race in almost two decades. The five-year-old horse trained by Noboru Takagi came out on the losing end of a photo finish with Knight’s Choice, the long-shot under Robbie Dolan from John Symons and Sheila Laxon’s stable who crossed the line first in 3 minutes, 19.53 seconds to snare more than half of the A$8.56 million purse. Warp Speed was inches away from becoming the first Japanese-trained horse to win since Delta Blues capped a one-two with Pop Rock - both who ran for former trainer Katsuhiko Sumii - back in 2006. It remains as Japan’s only Melbourne Cup triumph to this date. “As close as it was, it stings,” a dejected Takagi said after the race. “The turf was in excellent condition today and he looked great during the trip, ready to pounce at all times. “I really thought we had it going into the final straight but it wasn’t meant to be. He had it rough in his last race because of the bad turf. Second place is not easy to accept given the way the race unfolded, but he left everything out there.” Warp Speed was coming off a 13th-place finish out of 18 in the 2,400-meter Caulfield Cup last month, his first start overseas which did not go down well on less than ideal track conditions. The result was not the one expected from Warp Speed, who had offered hope at the long distance in Japan, finishing second in the Hanshin Daishoten (Grade 2, 3,000 meters) and then fifth in the Tenno Sho (Grade 1, 3,200m). But on firm going Tuesday, the son of Drefong, out of the Deep Impact-sired Japanese dam Deep Love, bounced back in a big way against a field of 23. Warp Speed left from gate No. 2 and sat back near the inside during the journey before making his move turning for home. Jockey Akira Sugawara did well to weave his way through traffic on the stretch, rushing Knight’s Choice - who had 3kg on the Japanese raider - fast to his outside. It came down to a bobbing of the heads at the wire but unfortunately for Warp Speed, he came up short by the narrowest of margins. Sugawara gave his partner a pat on the back after a near-miss with his own chapter in history and what would have been the horse’s first graded win, let alone a Grade 1 victory. “It’s incredibly frustrating. We had a plan for either scenario - traveling in front or from the back - so I was comfortable with where we were throughout the race,” Sugawara said. “I thought I navigated the stretch well but maybe the weight made the difference in the end - the winning horse was slightly better for the wire. But Warp Speed showed a lot of heart, really closing the gap at the finish. “I had an invaluable opportunity to tour overseas this time and I couldn’t be more grateful. Finishing second is frustrating for sure so when I get back to Japan, I want to ride each and every race better than I have been.” Please visit the following website for more information.
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