Japan Cup Betting Tips

The brilliant mare Ouija Board bids to end her career on the highest possible note by winning the Japan Cup in Tokyo this weekend, a race in which she was fifth last term. And what a fitting swansong it would be for Ed Dunlop's globetrotting mare, who can count two Breeders' Cup victories among her sizeable haul of Group 1s. It's no surprise that she was awarded the Cartier Horse of the Year award for 2006, becoming the first horse post-war to win this glittering accolade for the second time in its career. The Japan Cup is a truly international affair. The race has been won by horses trained in nine different countries since its inception in 1981. Horses are invited to take part in this contest based on their achievements throughout the season. And with a pot of $5.73million, it's not easy to refuse. Unfortunately, however, connections of Arc winner Rail Link and Champion Stakes heroine Pride have decided to bypass the race, so the hopes of Europe rest with Ouija Board. The Lord Derby-owned mare is bidding to become the fifth British-trained winner of this highly prestigious event. Clive Britain's Jupiter Island triumphed in 1986, while the Sir Michael Stoute-trained duo, Singspiel and Pilsudski, scored in '95 and '97 respectively. And, in last year's renewal, Luca Cumani's Alkaased got the better of Heart's Cry in a thrilling finish. Interestingly, this quartet were all trained in Newmarket, as Ouija Board is. So can she follow suit? Well, the daughter of Cape Cross must be considered a major contender. She is one of only four - Deep Impact, Heart's Cry and Meisho Samson being the others - that appear to have a realistic chance of winning. The prospect of a fast surface is in her favour and while she has looked at her best over ten furlongs during the current campaign, reverting to a mile and a half on this track shouldn't inconvenience her in the slightest. However, as in the case of six of the last eight runnings of this race, which will this year attract a crowd of 200,00 enthusiastic racegoers, I believe that the prize will stay in Japan. The Kojiro Hashiguchi-trained Heart's Cry, a 9/2 chance with Blue Square, is taken to go one better than last year. Indeed, the five year-old has already taken the scalp of Deep Impact once. And he can do it again in my opinion. Although there were many that adjudged Deep Impact to be unlucky when beaten half-a-length by the selection in the valuable Arima Kinen at Nakayama on Christmas Day last year, Heart's Cry won the race on merit. The son of Sunday Silence was ridden closer to the pace than Deep Impact on that occasion and, giving the latter 4lb, the entire ran on well to repel the late thrust of the runner-up, who is also by Sunday Silence. Now that Deep Impact is four years of age, he won't enjoy that weight concession. Yasuo Ikee's charge, who was disqualified after finishing third to Rail Link in the Arc after a banned substance was detected in his urine, is bidding to redeem his reputation after the ensuing scandal following his effort in that Longchamp showpiece, in which he suffered just the second defeat of his 12-race career. But Deep Impact is not invincible, as was once believed. I like the fact that Heart's Cry is generally ridden closer to the pace. For all Deep Impact's raw ability - and there's little doubt that he has plenty of it - those coming from well off the pace in the Japan Cup do need a bit of luck in running. One thing's for sure, Deep Impact will be playing catch-up with Heart's Cry in the home straight, as Christophe Lemaire's mount will have sprouted wings by the time Yutaka Take starts to get busy. Another positive for Heart's Cry is his freshness. He has had just two starts this year - an easy winner of the Sheema Classic in Dubai in March, his only subsequent outing was when finishing third to Hurricane Run in the King George VI at Ascot in July. But he was not at the top of his game on that occasion - Lemaire reported that he had 'blown up', which explains why he didn't go through with his challenge when hitting the front over a furlong out. To his credit, he was only beaten a length at Ascot therefore, all things considered, that was a cracking effort. Heart's Cry has enjoyed an A1 preparation for Sunday's extravaganza and is fancied to prove that his beating of Deep Impact last year was no fluke. Three year-old Meisho Samson, winner of the first two legs of the Japanese Triple-Crown, is not to be dismissed lightly but may find the likes of Heart's Cry too strong at this stage of his career. Verdict - 2pts Heart's Cry @ 9/2 (Blue Square)