USHBA TESORO (Orfevre – Millefeui Attach by King Kamehameha) capped yet another memorable night for Japan on the greatest stage of all by finishing strongest in the 27th Dubai World Cup (2000m) sponsored by Emirates Airline at Meydan.

The six-year-old son of Orfevre scored by a widening two-and-three-quarter lengths from local hope Algiers and Saudi Arabian-trained Emblem Road in third.

Ushba Tesoro is trained by Noboru Takagi for Ryotokuji Kenji Holdings and was ridden with great poise by Yuga Kawada.

Earlier on the lavish Dubai World Cup card, Canadian-owned and trained SHIRL’S SPEGHT (Speightstown) had early trouble along the inside midway through the $5 million Dubai Turf, got out of a crowd into the stretch run and rallied to be fourth behind Lord North, who was winning his unprecedented third straight Dubai Turf.

Shirl’s Speight, owned by Charles Fipke and trained by Roger Attfield, was coming off an unplaced run in the February Stakes on dirt in Japan after his strong second place run in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland.

Jockey Antonio Fresu on Shirl’s Speight said, “I got in traffic and was sent back further than I wanted, he was shuffled big time. He finished very well, had to find his way through horses. He was unlucky not to be closer.”

DUBAI WORLD CUP: Favoured COUNTRY GRAMMER (Tonalist), from the US, was asked for run right out of the gate in the World Cup by Frankie Dettori and never appeared to be comfortable. It was a race where the picture changed markedly in the final two furlongs. As the field turned into the home stretch, the principal Emirati fancy Algiers was travelling with conspicuous ease and as he assumed the lead with a furlong and a half to race, the lion’s share of the $12 million purse race appeared at his mercy.

However, about five lengths further back, jockey Yuga Kawada was unfurling a lethal burst from Ushba Tesoro who he had settled at the rear of the field before making his move out wide with 600 metres to race. The winner trailed the field in the rear by 15 lengths in the very early stages of the race. What a nerveless ride Kawada delivered.

Winning trainer Takagi said the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, still the one race Japan has yet to conquer and the one it covets most, will come under consideration later in the year, all going well.

The draw for the Dubai World Cup had placed three of the main favourites – Country Grammer, Algiers and Panthalassa – out wide and the latter could never dominate the way he did when landing the Saudi Cup a month ago. He tired to finish well beaten in 10th. Last year’s hero Country Grammer was always a bit laboured and ran seventh.

Despite the dominance by Japan in the world’s biggest races in recent years, it was their only success in the $12 million feature since Victoire Pisa broke through in 2011. It was also their first on dirt, with Victoire Pisa’s success coming on the synthetic Tapeta surface.

Yet such is the quality and quantity of the Japanese challenge in Dubai these days, it will hardly be as long before their next success arrives in the Meydan showpiece.

The victory by Japan’s almost jet-black, white-faced EQUINOX (Kitasan Black – Chateau Blanche by King Halo) in the Sheema Turf had the racing world abuzz.

After seven races that produced some thrilling finishes and compelling storylines, the Japan-bred Equinox produced a dominant performance of rare quality in the $5-million Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) Saturday at Meydan to stamp his authority on global middle-distance turf racing.

Equinox looks quite simply untouchable if trainer Tetsuya Kimura can keep him at Saturday’s level of form and the Silk Racing syndicate can have their pick of the world’s great races at 2,000 meters and 2,400 meters.

That Equinox was able to run away from his rivals in the straight was predicted by plenty of people beforehand, though few could have foreseen Christophe Lemaire’s decision to lead into the first turn and dictate from the front.

It might well be that tactics were immaterial, such was the superiority of this dazzling son of Kitasan Black, a new champion for both Lemaire and Silk Racing that has come hard on the heels of their horse of a lifetime, Almond Eye.

But, convinced he was on the best horse in the race, Lemaire took chance out of the equation, never taking his hands off the reins, let alone shaking them at Equinox; his measured yet irresistible stride taking him out of range of the pursuing Zagrey and the running-on Westover.

Equinox won by 3 1/2 lengths and covered 2,410 meters (about 1 1/2 miles) in a stakes record 2:25.65.

Dubai Turf Replay – Shirl’s Speight (back on the rail)

 

 

Tags: Dubai Turf, Dubai World Cup, Japan Racing, Shirl's Speight, Ushba Tesoro,

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