2025 Japan Cup

I was just reading a piece where Aiden said this will be his last race.
No Breeders Cup defence then.

Billies first to price up.

5/1 seems reasonable, but i am fanboy of the genius

2024 too

After what happened to the best horse (CoT) AOB has ever trained in the Breeders Cup only the foolish and diehards will contemplate backing his 2nd best horse (AR) AOB has ever trained. A double whammy is almost inevitable. Good luck backers!

I've seen many better King George winning performances than Goliath's, but still think if he repeats that here he'll win. There was no fluke about the Ascot win as it was firmly substantiated by the clock. However, when a horse puts up a hugely improved win like that there's no way of knowing if it can do it again until it does. I have it exactly a stone better than anything he'd achieved before. I have his win last time out 9lbs below that, but it was run on very heavy ground where they went slow early on, and he did it well enough in those circumstances. At these odds I'm happy to back him to back up the KG effort.

I was pleased Do Deuce won that, and what a crowd, they really get behind the horses and jockeys in ways we rarely see here.
Race marred by the disappointing performances of the Europeans, blaming the slow pace and muddling race.  Goliath was upset in the stalls, not well away and Soumillon was never happy, so he says.  All in a heap at the finish, I think it would be difficult to rate this form that highly?  but Do Deuce did well to come from last most of the way.  The jockey cam on Goliath, showed Do Deuce storming on the outside in the straight, whizzing past like they were standing still.

First 5 home Japanese.  I still think this race is something of an afterthought for Europeans, and they need to get serious with it earlier in the year.

Buick is riding the course so well, he already had 2 winners earlier, and took Durezza to the front from the slow pace.  He seems to ride Tokyo better than any other European jockey apart from Christian Demuro.

The last European to win this was also the last one to be trained for the race, by target trainer Luca Cumani 2005 with Alkaased who broke the track record for 1 mile and a half at the time under Frankie.
Interestingly he was prepped for this in the Prix Foy, where he was beaten with Luca sighting that he’d had too many spaghettis and needed it!
I’d not touch a euro unless they skipped the Arc and were pointed at the race in the same way, despite whatever form they have had back here.
The strange thing is how Japanese horses who have taken in an Arc trial and then ran badly in the Arc then re discover their prior form when running back in the Japan Cup. Deep Impact was one who they’d said had become a man after his trip abroad to France.
This years edition with Shin Emperor placing is an example of the bounce back, Danon Decile winning the Sheena Classic proved his Derby win was no fluke and I’d like to see him aimed at the Arc not the Juddmonte, as he has the turn of foot for the race in France.

Goliath’s run may have been a sighter for Graffard who’s Calandagan would be suited to the long hone straight in Tokyo as it’d give him the time needed for his long acceleration. The prep is key to his chances, perhaps ship in earlier and recover his condition.