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» Japanese Horses Cleared for 2010 Melbourne Cup Carnival
After it has been announced that they have been cleared to travel to Australian, the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival will host classy Japanese race horses for the first time in four year. Doubts were circling earlier this month whether the quarantine measure of the Japanese would be granted by the Australian horse racing officials, the Federal Government and the AQIS in time for the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
Upon confirmation of the approval, the Victoria Racing Club welcomed the strong Japanese contingent that will compete in the top feature races during the racing carnival. On the other hand, the Japanese delegation is eager to compete and emerge victorious at the Melbourne Cup.
Racing Victoria General Manager of Racing Operations Leigh Jordon said that this development sends a positive outlook for the Victorian state for there would be an influx of Japanese tourists and media who will cover and support their horses in the Melbourne races for the coming months. Just as nominations for the 2010 Melbourne Cup were closing, pre-export facilities in Nakayama and Tokyo have been cleared.
It was in 2006 when the duo of Delta Blues and Pop Rock represented the Land of the Rising Sun in the Melbourne Cup with the Katsumi Yoshida-owned Pop Rock running the quinella. Coming from a second place finish at the 2005 Caulfield Cup, Japanese-bred horse Eye Popper finished twelfth in the Melbourne Cup of the same year. These are the only three Japanese horses that have competed in the Melbourne Cup.
In 2007, Japanese runners who were travelling to Australia in order to compete were banned due to the equine influenza breakout. Thus, there were no Japanese representatives to the Melbourne Cup that year. This year, the 150th staging of the Melbourne Cup has a record $6 million at stake and two Japanese race horses will try to claim victory and take a big portion of the prize pool.
One of the Japanese competitors is Jaguar Mail which is also owned by Yoshida. This race horse is considered to be one of the favourites for the 2010 Melbourne Cup after winning the Group 1, 3200-metre Tenno Sho at Kyoto via an inspiring fashion. The Tenno Sho and the Melbourne Cup have the same two-mile race distance.
After steering the Noriyuki Hori-trained Jaguar Mail in the Tenno Sho, Australian jockey Craig Williams will try to repeat that he achieved with the said horse at the Melbourne Cup if the stayer makes the final field of competitors for the prestigious race that stops a nation. The other Melbourne Cup aspirant would be Tenno Sho runner-up Meiner Kitz.
Jordon said that during the Spring Racing Carnivals of 2005 and 2006, race horses from Japan have proven their world-class ability. He added that their presence in the 150th staging of the Emirates Melbourne Cup and the races that would lead up to it would merit much interest and intrigue from Australian horse racing fans.
Talks are circulating the Meiner Kitz’ stablemate Break A Theory is aiming to compete at the 2010 Victoria Derby during the opening day of Melbourne Cup Carnival at the Flemington racecourse on the 30th of October. When that happens, Break a Theory would be the first foreign-bred and trained horse to compete in the top spring race for three-year-old race horses.
SportingBet pre-nomination betting odds reveal that 2009 Crown Oaks winner Faint Perfume is the top favourite to win the 2010 Melbourne Cup with other top prospects being Profound Beauty, Linton and 2009 Melbourne Cup winner Shocking.