Equinox, the Japan Cup World Champion

Is it a race in two, or is Equinox already the World’s Best Racehorse for 2023, and with jockey Christophe Lemaire will it be victory in this 43rd Japan Cup, in association with Longines.

In carrying the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Ranking of 129 all season, he’s the $1.40 betting favourite with Longines and will start from Gate 2 of 18 runners for Miho based trainer Tetsuka Kimura.

Fielding such terms as ‘Titan of the Worlds Turf,’ Equinox was so dominant in scoring a 3½ length all-the-way victory in the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic, that he was awarded a 129 ranking.

Running a course-record 2:22.65sec for the 2,410 meters, from a three month spell, in the Sheema Classic he went onto capture the Takarazuka Kinen of 2200m at Hanshin by a neck margin.

Making it five-from-five, he ran a world record of 1:55.2sec for 2000m in a repeat victory in the Tenno Sho Autumn in October, having been 2022 Japan Horse ‘The Year winning the Grand Prix.

Also known as the Arima Kinen and being Japan’s richest race, its run over 2500m on turf, with Equinox having earlier won the Tenno Sho Autumn and second in the Tokyo Yushun-Japan Derby.

In also second in the Satsuki Sho-Japanese 2000 Guineas, he won both starts as a juvenile including the Hai Nisai Stakes of 1800m, being raced by some 500 syndicate members of Silk Racing.

Bred by Northern Farm in Hokkaido, Equinox races in the light blue with red spots of Silk Racing Ltd, who syndicated him for ¥40 million, with 500 shares being traded for ¥80,000 per share.

The first crop of top new sire Kitasan Black, the 2016, 2017 Japan Horse of The Year and 2016 Japan Cup winner, he’s the fourth successful foal the Gr3 winning King Halo mare Chateau Blanche.

A half-brother to Group 3 winner Weiss Meteor, he’s the family of top-line racehorse and sire Bellypha, tracing to the Australian matron Triscay, related to sires Bellman and Run and Deliver.

If considered a race in two, its the Japan Oaks winner Liberty Island who is Equinox’s main challenge, and will be looking for Champion 3YO honours, and possible 2023 Horse of The Year title.

Returning to Japan’s ‘racecourses-of-racecourses,’ the Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu city, Liberty Island will again meet the challenging the 2400m turf course that she won the Japan Oaks in May.

In scoring a 6 length run-away victory in the Yushun Humba-Japan Oaks, she’s coming off winning the Shuka Sho of 2000m in October, having won the Oka Sho-1000 Guineas of 1600m in April.

Today Liberty Island is Longines Worlds‘ Best 3YO Filly being rated 122, second to Emily Upjohn as Longines ranked WBR Intermediate Turf Female, and third overall as Longines WBR Female.

Awarded the JRA Best 2YO Filly last season in winning the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, she jumps from Gate 1 at $3.60 with Yuga Kawada wearing the red, black and yellow silks of Sunday Racing.

Trained by the Ritto Training Centre based Mitsumasa Nakauchida, Liberty Island derives her name from Liberty Island, that stands the Statue of Liberty, in Upper New York Harbour, America.

Also bred by Northern Farm, she’s by Sunday Racing’s own 2015 JRA Best 3YO Colt and Tokyo Yushun winner Duramente, who has the Kikuka-sho winner Titleholder also in this Japan Cup.

However, its Liberty Island’s Australian bred dam Yankee Rose, by All American, that’s noted as her Lord Kanaloa colt foal sold for ¥370m, AUS$4.2m, to Danox Co at the 2021 JHRA Select Sale.

In having he first foal, the stakes placed winner Deep Impact 4yo mare Romneya, selling for Y210m, AUS$2.4m, as a foal at the 2019 JHRA Select Sale, she has a 2022 yearling filly by Kizuka.

Also foaling a Contrail filly earlier this year, Yankee Rose herself was a $10,000 buy at the 2015 Classic Yearling Sale, and later sold for an undisclosed sum to Shadai Farm, but unraced in Japan.

As the Australian Champion 3YO Filly in 2016-17, she won ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes and the Spring Champion Stakes, having been placed in the Golden Slipper Stakes and the WS Cox Plate.

However, its the Japan St Leger- Kikuka-sho winner Titleholder, who is the $16 third-pick with Kazuo Yokoyam, and is rated 124 behind Equinox as the Longines WB Classic-Turf Racehorse, that had past British journalist John McCririck saying ‘the Europeans and Americans must now bring their best horses just to compete on equal terms in the Japan Cup.’