Tosen Jordan partnered with Italian jockey Nicola Pinna to upset a strong field in the 2011 Emperor's Cup at Tokyo Racecourse Oct. 30 in record time. Defending champion and race favorite Buena Vista finished fourth.
Aventura won her first grade I in the $2.1 million Shuka Sho at Kyoto Racecourse Oct. 16, celebrating her third victory in as many starts this season. The Shuka Sho is the third and final jewel of Japan's filly triple crown.
Queen Spumante, a 77-1 outsider, left a crowd of 58,944 at Kyoto Race Course in shock, leading from the outset to win the $2.1 million Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup (Jpn-I) over a field that included champion 3-year-old filly Buena Vista and Qatar Petroleum Prix de l'Opera (Fr-I) winner Shalanaya.
Former Japanese champions Zenno Rob Roy and Jungle Pocket have been denied access to New Zealand and instead will now stand the remainder of the embattled Southern Hemisphere season in Australia.
Japanese champion Jungle Pocket will be headed to New Zealand to stand under an agreement with Japan's Shadai Stallion Station
Japan Cup (Jpn-I) winner Jungle Pocket was voted Horse of the Year in Japan for 2001, a year in which wagering dropped for the fourth consecutive year and is at its lowest level in a decade.
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Victories by Jungle Pocket in the Japan Cup and by Kurofune in the Japan Cup Dirt gave the home team a sweep in the two international races.
There are many questions going into Sunday's 21st running of the Japan Cup (Jpn-I), whose nearly $4-million purse makes it one of the world's richest races. But first and foremost on the minds of many American racing fans is whether or not the four-horse U.S. contingent can break a 10-year victory drought in the 2,400 meter turf race.
