Foreign Invaders Prominent in the 2010 Japan Cup

The second richest race in the world is set to kick off on Sunday morning as the 2010 Japan Cup runs at Tokyo.

There are a number of interesting contenders including some high-profile locals as well as the usual cadre of foreign invaders you get for these types of affairs. Only the Dubai World Cup carries a bigger purse than this one and many see Joshua Tree (Montjeu) being an important part of the puzzle.

Aidan O’Brien’s 3 year-old bay stepped it up into high gear to capture the Grade 1 Pattison Canadian International at Woodbine and if he takes to the Tokyo turf the way he ate up the Toronto grass then you would have to declare him a really interesting outside shot at the 16/1 he’s being floated at with a number of European bookmakers.

The battle for the outright favourites position is being contested by two quality local-breds Nakayama Festa (Stay Gold) and Buena Vista (Special Week). They’re both hovering anywhere from 5/2 to 7/2 with these two big-earning Japanese contenders looking to add to their impressive total earnings.

Of the two, some might opt for Buena Vista who captured the prestigious Grade 1 Tenno Sho just a few weeks back and is a multiple grade 1 winner who has beaten male runners in a number of different races. The big variable is that she’s never raced at the 12f distance we’ll be tackling here.

Nakayama Festa hasn’t won quite as many races but has run against higher quality with a very respectable 2nd place finish to Workforce (Galileo) in the Arc De Triomphe when sent off at 22/1.

The distance that a runner needs to tackle for a decent Arc showing generally translates well to the Japan Cup so you’d be forgiven for give the edge to Nakayama Festa- a fact compounded by his triumph over the filly in the Grade 1 Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin back in June. Look for Nakayama to deploy a bit more of his tactical speed and, if he can stay out of traffic trouble, should be a real threat on the run-in.

Last year’s runner-up Oken Bruce Lee (Jungle Pocket) returns for another kick at the can and the five year-old bay had a decent runner-up performance in the Grade 2 Kyoto Daishoten. He’ll need a real step up to match this quality and looks to be drifting hard from around 8/1 to 12/1.

Canadian shipper Fifty Proof (Whiskey Wisdom) looks set to have a high-priced go at this one as he ships in from Woodbine after finishing fifth to Joshua tree in the Pattinson.

The big stretch out in distance for a lot of the contenders here could wind up being a great equalizer and this horse is a 1m4f specialist. He’s an interesting outside shot and could be a major factor if the race shapes up well for him. You’d expect a few Canucks and savvy local punters to jump all over that 50/1 price tag.