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Danon Decile, Soul Rush, Admire Daytona in the winner's circle for Japan on Dubai World Cup Day
Danon Decile
Soul Rush
Admire Daytona
Dubai World Cup Day turned out to be a resounding day for the JRA’s best and brightest as Danon Decile, Soul Rush and Admire Daytona scored impressive wins at Meydan on Saturday evening (April 5). Last year’s Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) winner Danon Decile topped the US$ 6 million Longines Dubai Sheema Classic, Soul Rush the US$ 5 million Dubai Turf and Admire Daytona the US$ 1 million UAE Derby at the Emirates’ flagship racecourse. The JRA fielded 24 runners for seven of the nine races at the US$ 30.5 million showpiece after Jasper Krone was scratched from the US$ 2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen. Yet not all was rosy for the Japanese raiders as Saudi Cup champion Forever Young could manage only third place in the signature $12 million Dubai World Cup. The race’s 2023 winner, Ushba Tesoro who made his final career start, also failed to go out on a high, ending up sixth. Danon Decile class in Sheema Classic The 4-year-old colt trained by Shogo Yasuda, ridden by Keita Tosaki, put on a show down the stretch in the 2,410m, penultimate race on the card. The Epiphaneia son turned for home fifth out of nine before switching on his boosters to surge past the competition which included last year’s winner Rebel’s Romance. Danon Decile’s Japanese compatriot and 2023 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) champion Durezza crossed the line third. Danon Decile’s winning time was 2 minutes, 27.05 seconds, taking the tape more than a full length ahead of Calandagan who closed out strong from the outside. Both trainer and jockey were over the moon following Danon Decile’s second career Grade 1 victory. “We’ll have him thoroughly checked out but we’re really happy he finished the race without any issues,” Yasuda said. “He had a hard time staying focused at the stable and when he was being saddled, flirting with the fillies and what not. So we kept him away from the other horses during the paddock which helped his concentration and fired him up for the race. The jockey said he was locked in once he hit the racecourse and I think he went into it in a good state of mind. “I spoke with Tosaki yesterday and today and the competition was what we expected for the most part. We made no secret of how Danon Decile likes to race - and that’s how it went.” Added Tosaki, “He was a little excited when I straddled him but he was calm in his stall and I thought he raced well. The distance was the same as the Japanese Derby so I was hoping he could run a similar race. We were up against a tough field but I believed in his talent, that he didn’t take a backseat among some really good horses. I’m really glad we won and that we were able to prove Danon Decile’s ability.” Durezza took a backseat to Danon Decile on this night but his team was pleased by the 5-year-old’s effort that saw him hold off defending champion Rebel’s Romance for a place on the podium. “We went over a race plan with the jockey and that’s pretty much how it went,” trainer Tomohito Ozeki said. “He got off to a good start, traveled well and the race was there for him to win it. It wasn’t easy for the frontrunners but I think he had the opportunity to run his race. It’s frustrating but credit the winning horse.” Christophe Soumillon echoed Ozeki’s sentiment. “We had a good draw, a good position during the trip and the pace was right. He accelerated well going into the last turn and it all looked well up until he passed Rebel’s Romance on the straight. Unfortunately the top two horses overtook us. He has courage and ran his heart out till the end. He’s a very good horse,” the Belgian said. Star filly Cervinia placed sixth. Forever Young huffs and puffs in World Cup Hopes were high for Forever Young but his bid to become the third Japanese winner of the World Cup came up short. After beating the heralded Romantic Warrior to lift the Saudi Cup, the world’s richest race, in February, expectations for the Yoshito Yahagi-trained 4-year-old to do the same in Dubai soared. The punters had to like Forever Young’s chances even more after he also saw success a year ago at Meydan in the UAE Derby. But it wasn’t meant to be. The son of Real Steel labored throughout the 2,000m contest. Ryusei Sakai tried hard to get his partner going but by the next to last turn, Forever Young looked doubtful if he had enough to catch the front two from the United States, Hit Show and Mixto. Said a frustrated Yahagi, “It’s nothing short of disappointing. I don’t want to make excuses but the horse was really worked up before the race. It may have been a disadvantage but I think we needed to overcome it all given the field we were up against. There’s no excuse for us losing. “He was off to a good start and had he kept going he could have had second position. But the jockey said he wouldn’t go. He showed his class at the finish but had too poor of a first half to the race and just couldn’t make up for it. Sakai took the defeat personally, although the jockey was far to blame for the disappointing performance. “He’s a horse who had to win but he didn’t and for that, I am sorry. He gave it a 120 percent in his last race and I wasn’t expecting that again, but I thought he would still be good enough to win,” Sakai said. “Everyone was coming after Forever Young and there were no surprises from the other horses. But on this day he was struggling to finish where he finished and had nothing more to give. “He just couldn’t get forward after leaving his gate. I had to push and push and the race for him unfolded the way it did. He could barely walk afterwards. I knew full well it wasn’t going to be easy but I learned just how difficult it is to win on a must-win horse. I’m disappointed we couldn’t produce the result we were aiming for.” Eight-year-old Ushba Tesoro finished one place ahead of his stable-mate, Wilson Tesoro, unable to reproduce the magic of two years ago. Trainer Noboru Takagi and jockey Akira Sugawara agreed that the horse was inexplicably flat, despite appearing to be in solid condition. “He felt good until warmups but the jockey said he didn’t have the spark and was too quiet. Looking at his splits, he was chasing at a brisk pace and showed who he was on the straight. We’re glad he came home in one piece,” Takagi said. Added Sugawara, “He went from behind as he always does. I thought he was fitter than he was for the Saudi Cup but he was too calm during warmups. Only if he had a little more fight.” Soul Rush stuns Romantic Warrior Soul Rush may have orchestrated the shocker of the day when the 7-year-old veteran edged out Hong Kong star Romantic Warrior in a photo finish to capture the Dubai Turf. Arguably the world’s strongest turf horse, Romantic Warrior appeared poise to go under the wire first, bursting on the inside. But Soul Rush stayed with him on the outside, Cristian Demuro riding superbly to milk every drop of horse from him before tipping James McDonald’s mount by the slightest of margins. Meisho Tabaru (fifth), Brede Weg (seventh) and Liberty Island (eighth) were all witnesses to the drama. “I didn’t know if we had won,” a pleasantly surprised Yasutoshi Ikee said. “He always gets a good jump out of the gate but has a hard time picking it up from there. “My hope was to keep Romantic Warrior within striking distance and take it from there. When Romantic Warrior won the Yasuda Kinen last year Soul Rush was third so I didn’t feel like there was a huge gap. If the stars aligned, I thought we had every chance of winning.” Demuro was a proud rider - and rightfully so. “He beat the best horse in the world, Romantic Warrior, so I think you can say it was his best race ever. He felt good throughout and fought till the end. I’m super happy. Dubai World Cup Day is special and I feel blessed to be able to come here every year. I’m so glad I had an opportunity to be aboard a very good horse,” the Italian said. Admire Daytona punches ticket to Kentucky Derby Admire Daytona kept the Grade 2 UAE Derby trophy in Japan as the 3-year-old colt outhustled Heart of Honor and fellow JRA team-mate Don In The Mood for the winner’s check - and also securing a place in the Run for the Roses on May 3. Christophe Lemaire demonstrated why he is the best jockey in Japan by keeping the Yukihiro Kato-trained Admire Daytona engaged for the entire 1,900m. The UAE Derby is the last leg of the Road to the Kentucky Derby in Europe and the Middle East. Admire Daytona’s entry at Churchill Downs remains unconfirmed but Lemaire seemed convinced by his mount’s performance that could translate to the Kentucky Derby. Also from Japan, Shin Forever and Dragon placed fourth and sixth, respectively. “We drew an inside barrier. I thought we should run with it because we head straight into a turn,” the Frenchman said. “He was able to relax being on the lead and run at his own rhythm. There was a lot of pressure on us but he didn’t panic and was focusing on the race. “He fought hard on the home stretch and it was close - but we managed to come out ahead. Good that we were able to go wire-to-wire in Dubai.” Kato said ownership was adamant that the Drefong son, out of the dam Ice Pastel, won the race so they could take a shot at one of the most prestigious races in the world. “I thought I had a 50 percent chance of winning before the race. The owner wanted this and it’s been our goal all long. I felt like we didn’t need to be on the lead and thought we may have come in second right after the race. Either way, my mind was quickly on the Kentucky Derby,” Kato said. DUBAI WORLD CUP (G1, 2,000m Dirt) DUBAI SHEEMA CLASSIC (G1, 2,410m Turf) DUBAI TURF (G1, 1,800m Turf) DUBAI GOLDEN SHAHEEN (G1, 1,200m Dirt) UAE DERBY (G2, 1,900m Dirt) AL QUOZ SPRINT (G1, 1,200m Turf) DUBAI GODOLPHIN MILE (G2, 1600m Dirt) Please visit the following websites for more information.
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