Japanese joy as Victoire Pisa wins Dubai World Cup race

DUBAI (AFP) - An emotional Japanese camp finally had something to celebrate about here Saturday when Victoire Pisa claimed top honours in the $10 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan racecourse - the first Japanese horse to do so.

Much had been said of the Japanese challenge with three horses taking on the world’s richest horse race.

The trio, including the Yoshimi Ichikawa-trained Victoire Pisa, ridden by Mirco Demuro, carried the hopes of the disaster-struck nation, with Ichikawa initially considering cancelling his trip to Dubai but then changing his mind.

Earlier in the week he said: “With the result of this race, we would like to bring back some hope and courage to the people of Japan.”

The decision certainly paid off with his words proving prophetic as his four-year-old colt led a one-two for Japan with the Koji Maeda-trained Transcend coming in second and Godolphin’s Mahmoud Al Zarooni-trained Monterosso third.

“It has been a really dark time for Japan and hopefully this will help to lift the country. As I was watching the race, I was just screaming: It’s a miracle! It’s a miracle! It’s a miracle!’” said a thrilled Ichikawa afterwards.

“My horse didn’t get a good start, but he’s a strong horse and he went early up the back stretch because the race was being run at such a slow pace,” added Demuro.

“It’s unbelievable - fantastic to win this race.” Meanwhile, while he may not have come close to bagging his fourth Dubai World Cup victory on Poet’s Voice (finishing in last place), Godolphin’s Frankie Dettori did manage two other wins during the day.

He rode the Mahmoud Al Zarooni-trained Rewilding to victory in the group one $5 million Dubai Sheema Classic.

The British colt finished well ahead of Barry Hills-trained Redwood, who was second, and third-placed French runner Calvados Blues.

“He got me out wide early on and was a bit lazy, but won really well in the end,” said Dettori.

In the other $5 million race of the night - the group one Dubai Duty Free, it was third time lucky as Ryan Moore rode the Luca Cumani-trained seven-year-old Presvis to victory, having missed out for the last two years.

“He really did show his class, I’m so proud of him and the way he finished his race. He travelled beautifully again as usual,”said Cumani afterwards.

“It was a question of Ryan getting the right gaps and he did as usual. Ryan is amazing the way he rides this horse.”

The group one Dubai Golden Shaheen saw the Felix Coetzee-ridden Rocket Man taking top honours.

It was a satisfying win for trainer Patrick Shaw whose five-year-old was defeated last year by Kinsale King - the horse that withdrew earlier in the day due to an allergic reaction.

There was another victory for Godolphin in the tightly contested $2 million UAE Derby as the Mickael Barzalona-ridden Khawlah just edged out the Moore-ridden Master of Hounds in a race that went to a judge’s review.

That was Godolphin’s third victory of the day after the Frankie Dettori-ridden Skysurfers also won the $1 million Godolphin Mile - his first of two victories for the evening.

Bernard Fayd’Herbe-ridden JJ The Jet Plane won the group two $1 million Al Quoz Sprint (Group 2) while Seraphin Du Paon, ridden by Olivier Peslier, won the Dubai Kahyala Classic for purebred Arabians.