Graham Cunningham casts his beady eye over the contingent from Japan ahead of Sunday's LONGINES HKIR action at Sha Tin.
The good news for Japan is that there are no Croatian horses – or penalty shootouts – at this year’s HKIR.
The bad news is that Hong Kong (and perhaps Ireland) will provide stern opposition in Sunday’s four G1 contests and now looks as good a time as any to allocate some Rising Sun Ratings on a scale of 1-3 for the key Japanese contenders.
PANTHALASSA (HK CUP)
Set to blaze a feisty trail in Sunday’s £3.6m showpiece and every opposing rider will need to be acutely aware of the dangers of giving him anything like too much rope. Cuts a fine trackwork figure in his vivid red apparel and, with an international rating of 121, is one of the marquee attractions of the week as he bids to give Japan a sixth Cup success in the last eight years.
Rising Sun Rating
JACK D’OR (HK CUP)
Bids to emulate his brilliant sire Maurice – who ran clean away from his Cup rivals under Ryan Moore in 2016 – and ties in very closely with Panthalassa based on two recent clashes. Another who constantly takes the eye in the mornings, this flashy chestnut is one of five Cup contenders rated within a couple of pounds of each other and he looks bound to come home strongly and go close if Panthalassa goes off as hard as expected.
Rising Sun Rating
Jack D'Or: ☀️☀️☀️
GENDARME, RESISTENCIA and NARAN HULEG (HK SPRINT)
Resistencia has Moreira booked and finished second in this race twelve months ago but last year’s Sprint was rendered far less competitive than expected by a dramatic mid-race accident and, with a rating of 111, she looks in deep.
Gendarme and Naran Huleg are closely matched on paper having finished first and third in the G1 Sprinters Stakes but the way they went about their job was very different, with the former travelling sweetly from the off and the latter struggling for pace before coming home well. Ratings and run styles suggest Gendarme is the pick of the Japanese. But whether he’s good enough to beat the best of the HK horses remains to be seen.
Rising Sun Ratings
GLORY VASE and WIN MARILYN (HK VASE)
Glory Vase doesn’t emerge from his box that often nowadays but he’s a dual winner of this – mastering elite horses like Pyledriver, Exultant and Lys Gracieux in the process – and success here would see him go one up on Luso, Doctor Dino and Highland Reel as the first triple winner of HK’s leading staying race.
Ratings suggest this is no stronger than the fields he beat in 2019 and 2021 and, medical permitting, Moreira will bid be back aboard. But it’s hard to be certain that Glory Vase is every bit as good as he used to be aged seven and WIN MARILYN’s solid placed form against some of Japan’s best makes her a fair alternative at what ought to be a decent price.
Rising Sun Ratings
Glory Vase: ☀️☀️
Win Marilyn: ☀️☀️
Find out more here regarding the Hong Kong International Races
SALIOS, SCHNELL MEISTER and DANON SCORPION (HK MILE)
This trio are rated 118, 118 and 116 respectively and so much depends on whether they can raise their game to hit the 120 plus level that will surely be needed to threaten Golden Sixty and California Spangle.
Salios finished third last year, swamped for pace once GS swept by, but he didn’t fire when well fancied under Ryan Moore in a messy Mile Championship at Hanshin last month and Danon Scorpion was also in the ruck that day.
All things considered Schnell Meister looks the Japanese pick. He’s 6lb behind Golden Sixty on ratings but has looked high-class on several occasions and certainly shouldn’t be overlooked as a place contender.
Rising Sun Ratings
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