The Rising Sun Spring Cup

            This weeks feature race in Japan sees the 8^th running of the prestigious $1000000 Rising Sun Spring Cup.  This classic race, run over 7 furlongs on the firm turf, has been won by some of the great turfers in the game.  In ’03 we saw an absolute classic race with the famous/infamous Ray of Pye proving too strong for Daneye and Golfing Nijinsky.  The $3.7 million dollar winner Used Bandaid took out the ’02 version defeating some very smart horses including ’01 winner Starke Storm, who set the time standard at a blistering 1:20 and 3/5^ths for the 7 panels.  Last years winner Once Haunted has not returned to defend his crown but division heavy weights Night’s Desire and General’s Chariot have returned to try and improve on their 3^rd and 4^th finishes last year.   

            There has been plenty of hype and talk on the message board about Saturday’s race so let’s have a closer look at the contender’s credentials and how the race may pan out.

1.  GENERAL’S CHARIOT (proudtruth) – The General is embarking on a similar campaign as last year, with a light schedule of only 2 races thus far this year.  His last 2 have been a little below standard for the champ with a 5^th in The General’s Pals Sprint Show followed by a poor 10^th in the Kyh Elixir Sprint last time out.  Last year he was coming into the Rising Sun Spring Cup off an impressive win in the Elixir Sprint so he looks to be a bit behind in his preparation or he may just be taking a little longer to get going early in the season as a 5yo.  C Roser has been booked for the ride on Saturday and he is having another good year winning at 14% and banking nearly $2 million for the year.

            Only 1 win in the last 12 months is starting to be a concern for a horse who strung 5 graded victories together as a 3yo but his times are still solid and he hasn’t been over raced during that period.  Deserves his number 3 ranking but he is becoming costly for punters and he will be looking to breakthrough soon.

2.  DIGGING THE GRAVE (zewango2) – 6yo by Silver Ghost who is into his 4^th year of competitive racing at the top level.  He has taken a little while to get going this year with his first 2 hit outs being below standard but just when connections might have been thinking that father time was catching up with him he flew out of the gates in the Gr I Sydney Sprint and showed his old customary speed.   He weakened a little down the stretch but was still able to fight on for a close up 4^th.  It has been awhile since he has really finished off his races at this level but if he gets loose out in front, as he did in the Penn Dash late last year, he can prove a real handful to haul in.  Zewango has engaged N Tippins for the mount and although he hasn’t been having a great year to date he is a top 5 Jockey at Japan’s premier track, has career earnings of over $20 million and the experience to compete in these big events.

            The old fella hasn’t won in 6 months but he looks to be warming up to somewhere near his best.  Inevitably there is plenty of speed in these sprint races but if he can shake free and have a reasonable break on the field coming into the stretch he will give them something to chase.

3.    RATTLESHIRT (stormborn2) – 4yo colt by More Than Ready that is building a nice record sprinting on the turf and is stepping back up to graded level.  He spent most of last year racing at a mile and was good enough to win the Grade II Jockey Club Classic at that distance.  After proving a little disappointing late last year in the Penn Mile stormborn has shortened him up this year with promising results.  He has won all 3 starts this year, his first 2 in restricted allowances before stepping up to an open stakes race last time out in New Jersey.  While his times havent been mind blowing you can only beat what is in front of you and the wet tracks probably weren’t conducive to fast times.  M Widdell has the task of guiding him this week and he is having a very good year to date, booting them home at nearly 17%.

            I would have preferred to see him to tackle something a little easier for his first go at open graded company, however he looks like a horse on the up and you have to test them against the best at some stage.

4.  THE SEEKER (kobras) – Kentucky 4yo that started the year with a bang before running below expectations last time out in the Kyh Elixir Sprint.  He wasn’t able to muster his usual early pace in the Elixir so it may pay to overlook that run and go on his previous couple where he was able to win an overnight stakes in Oklahoma and run an encouraging 4^th in the Grade II Everclear Handicap.  Concerning kobras must be the fact that his charge seems to always bump into one better on the day, hence his record of 17-4-9-1.  B Parker has the job in the saddle to turn that statistic around and while he is not having his best year to date he is an experienced jockey that knows his way around the tricky Japan track.

            The Seeker usually shows plenty of pace in his races so it will be interesting on Saturday to see if Kobras allows Parker to let the big colt stride along given that he has Digging The Grave on his inside who is also likely to push forward early.  After failing at his first attempt at the ultimate grade we will be looking for a stronger performance this week to prove that he does belong here with the heavy hitters.

5.  RED RAVEN (jonsnow2) – Jumping from post 5 is another speed horse that is likely to push forward and keep the likes of Digging The Grave honest.  He is 1 for 3 for the year after winning an overnight allowance last time out over 7.5fl in the brisk time of 1:28 and 2/5^th, by far and away his career best performance.  That was the first stakes victory for the son of Touch Gold and it is going to be a steep learning curve this Saturday when he locks horns with the division’s best.  Jonsnow has wisely chosen B Van Houten for the mount and with his 18 years of experience in the saddle he is sure to have plenty of tricks up his sleeve to help Red Raven settle early.

            His only 2 attempts at graded level have seen him tire badly down the stretch and while I am willing to overlook his failure 2 back in The Look To Heavens Special on a wet track he also tired noticeably in the Grade III Movieland Turf Express Handicap late last year.  This is a hard spot for Red Raven to try and find his groove in graded racing and it will take a big effort by all concerned to get him up for Saturday.

6.  MR DEVIOUS (londoner) – After starting his career and banking over $170 000 on the dirt it wasn’t until late last year that londoner had the inkling that his Crafty Prospector colt might be a fair horse on the grass.  That inkling has now resulted in Mr Devious adding another $148 000 to his account balance and becoming a graded winner along the way.  He has raced 4 times this year, winning his last 3.  After building his confidence and fitness up with 2 allowance victories londoner sent him out in the Grade III Simon and Simon Cap and his stable star didn’t let him down, sitting just behind the leader before kicking through in the straight to win comfortably recording an SP of 110.   D Davis had his manager push hard for the ride on Saturday and londoner was only too happy to book him, with a lifetime win percentage of 13 and 10 for the year.

            Mr Devious is definitely a horse on the way up.  He was tested at graded level last time out and met the challenge.  This week he steps up from the B graders to the A graders and must rise to the occasion again.  He may bounce from the big effort last time out or he could just be the next big horse on the scene.

7.  TEQUILA WITH LIME (zwylde) – This veteran of 40 starts has started 2007 with the vibe and effervescence of a bucking 2yo.  When most horses are beginning to wind down there career and look to greener pastures this guy is running better than ever.  His last 3 runs have been very impressive and he looks primed for another big effort this week.  3 back he ran out of his skin in the Grade I General’s Pals Sprint Show for 3^rd behind Night’s Desire, charging through the field down the stretch.  Then last time out in the big meeting down under in Sydney he took out the Grade I Sydney Sprint, again charging home late for victory.  A Hudson, one of Japan’s top jocks, will be in the stirrups on Saturday trying to turn around a disappointing year where he has averaged just 6% winners. 

            Tequila With Lime will be well suited with the amount of pace in Saturday’s race, look for him to come round the tiring horses as the whips are cracking for home.  The Sydney Sprint was a good win in one of the feature races for this division but it was a little light on for class this year so it will be a big challenge to back up and improve on last year’s Rising Sun Sprint where he finished 10^th.

8. FINAL FAN (nextbonus) – From the stables of one of the sim’s finest trainers comes Final Fan, a son of Lear Fan from his final crop at stud.  He has spent most of his career running around a mile, with some success including a Grade III victory in the Amerika Stakes last year.  It has only been this year that nextbonus has shortened the distance for his charge, with promising results.  In February he was ultra impressive in a strong overnight stakes victory over 7.5fl before trying 7 panels 2 races back for a very good second in the Grade III Mr Anderson Special, behind none other than Night’s Desire.  In that race he trailed Night’s Desire throughout the running and in a titanic struggle down the stretch was only ½ a length short of hauling him in.  Then, as if to reinforce his liking for the shorter distances, he ran poorly in the Grade I Dr Reuben Garr Memorial last time out over 8.  Nextbonus has opted for one of the newer breeds of jocks this weekend and will have the services of R Lott who is having a good year with limited opportunities.

            Could one of the sim’s most astute judges been running Final Fan at the wrong distance for most of his career? Well it’s a bit hard to be too critical considering he has won nearly half of his 20 races and banked over $300 000 but with his only 2 attempts at a sprint showing so much promise it certainly looks like sprinting will be his future.  The good news for connections is that although he is a 5yo horse he did not start racing until he was 4 and should have plenty of more runs in him.  At 10/1 he is great value for running Night’s Desire to a ½ length last time out and I think we are going to see a lot more of this bloke during the year.

9.  NORTHERN PIRATE (jockeymax) – from one of the best families in the sim comes the No.2 ranked horse Northern Pirate.  With his young half brother setting the sim alight over the last 12 months it might be time for big brother to let everyone know that he is still around.  After switching to the grass half way through his 3yo campaign he quickly displayed his liking for the grass by annexing 2 Gr I’s in The Telling Lies and Getting Paid Stakes and the Penn Dash.  After a brief flirtation at a mile first up in 2007 it was back to business in the General’s Pals Sprint Show, displaying his trademark storming finish to round up the field and post an impressive victory.  Included amongst the beaten brigade where today’s runners – Tequila With Lime, General’s Chariot, Once Wylde, Night’s Desire and Digging The Grave in what is probably the form sprint race of the year.  After posting a massive 114 SP he bounced a little last time out but still posted a creditable 4^th in the Elixir Sprint.  “The Enforcer” G Arnold is the jockey tasked with finding a clear passage for Northern Pirate on Saturday. He is having another standout year, sitting second on the premiership ladder and his strong riding style should suit The Pirate.

            Like Tequila With Lime, Northern Pirate should be suited by a fast run race with plenty of horses pushing forward early.  I think he is primed for a big run after coming back to earth a bit last time out in the Elixir and with one of the top jocks onboard he is bound to be in the finish

10. I MAKE STUFF UP (lenny3) – Last year’s Breeder’s Bowl winner is back in 2007 bigger and older but is he quicker? After an amazing performance in winning the Breeder’s Bowl as a 3yo I Make Stuff Up took a well deserved spell at the start of ’07.  He made his return to the track in an overnight stakes early in March and not surprisingly looked like he needed the run.  Next time out and with a bit of fitness under his belt he easily won a stakes race over 6.5fl in Michigan, siting just off the pace before rounding up the leaders soon after straightening for home.  His next assignment was the Sydney Sprint over 5.5fl where he showed that he was getting back to his best with a gutsy 3^rd, 1 and ¼ lengths behind Tequila With Lime.  Although the time was not flash in Sydney it was promising to see the No. 1 horse striding out down the stretch and one gets the impression that he is building towards a strong defence of his Breeder’s Bowl crown.  K “Cotton Fingers” Ledwith will have the reigns on Saturday and the champ couldn’t be in better hands.  He is having another stellar year, closing in on the $4 million barrier and will give I Make Stuff Up a lovely trip in transit.

            You have to love this horses stalking racing pattern in these types of races, he is always going to look like the winner at some stage.  With plenty of horses vying for the lead he should get a nice trail along just off the pace and then pop off the rail as they enter the straight.  Just have a feeling he might be ready to show his best again and fire off a big number.

11.  NIGHT’S DESIRE (troy5) – One of the most talked about horses in the sim (even if it is usually Keely doing the talking) heads to Japan in great form looking for that elusive first Gr I win.  He ran a great 3^rd in this race last year and continued with that form throughout the year, being ultra competitive in every race.  He has looked sharp this year posting a victory in the Grade III Mr Anderson Special after an uncharacteristic failure in the General’s Pals Sprint Show.  He also won the Mr Anderson Special last year but instead of heading to the Simon and Simon Cap again troy5 decided to give him a confidence booster with an easy victory in an allowance over 8fl.  He likes to race on or just behind the pace and I think this weekend he will settle about 5^th behind the wall of pace and should peel off down the stretch.  Keely has snared the services of red hot jockey T Blake who is having a career best year riding at nearly 20%.

            At 8/1 Night’s Desire is always a good bet each way.  You know you will always get value for you money and he is never far away in anything he contests.  It must be starting to concern connections that he is unable to breakthrough at the highest level but you get the feeling if he can crack that first one then a few more might flow pretty quickly.

12.  CAVY RULER (nitrocavy) – Boy is there some Northern Dancer blood streaming through this guy’s veins and as you would expect he loves sprinting on the grass.  He has won half of the turf races he has contested and banked over $300000.  He started 2007 on a 3 win streak and stretched that to 4 with a victory in an overnight stakes race in the District of Colombia over 7.5fl.  He then went to Eastern Kentucky to try and extend his winning streak to 5 but found Forbidden Treasure too strong on the day going down by just over a length but still fighting on well for second.  In his last race he was a disappointing 8^th after starting as favourite in an overnight stakes, never really firing a shot on the day.  Nitrocavy has decided to stand by out of form jockey J Babb who is well down on confidence after booting home only 2 winners from 62 rides for the year.

            Cavy Ruler is a nice horse that is really starting to find his stride as he matures but this is a very hot field to try graded company for the first time.  I have no doubt that he is up to graded class but he may benefit by tackling a Gr II or III before bumping heads with the big boys.

13.  ONCE WYLDE (zewango) – Zewango’s second horse in a two prong attack to come home with the coveted Rising Sun Spring Cup is Once Wylde.  He is no stranger to Japan, finishing a solid 7^th in this corresponding race last year, beaten only 3 lengths by Once Haunted.  He went into last year’s race with 2 strong stakes victories under his belt but he doesn’t seem to be in the same form this year with his last 2 races at stakes level looking disappointing on paper.  He also ran in the General’s Pals Sprint Show, like many of the field and was below par trailing in 9^th, nearly 11 lengths from the winner.  Zewango has decided to go away from last year’s rider L Fenner and engaged the services of P Vincent who is riding well at 11% with 5 wins for the year.

            Once Wylde has been a very good money spinner for Zewango but has just not translated that speed in graded events.  He is yet to place at this level and he doesn’t seem to be going as well as he was this time last year.

14.  TWO STORMS (maryfran) – Two Storms the morning line favourite at 6/1 will jump from the outside gate on Saturday.  He has built an imposing record on the turf winning 10 of his 15 races and placing in another 2 for earnings of just over half a million dollars.  The 4yo colt started 2007 with a second place finish in an overnight stakes before setting the record straight next time out with a blazing victory in a stakes race over 7.5fl earning an SP of 112 along the way.  Then it was off to Tasmania for the Mr Anderson Stakes where he met Night’s Desire and Final Fan.  After siting behind both horses during the race he was unable to reel them in down the stretch and managed to just hold out Otto Vasher for 3^rd.  In his final hit out for Saturday’s race he strolled to a commanding win in a weak overnight stakes race run in Longchamp with only 3 horses willing to challenge him.  L Fenner will ride Two Storms in the Rising Sun and he is having another solid year with plenty of rides and a winning percentage of nearly 12.

            Two Storms was a surprising morning line favourite in a very tough race.  No one doubts his ability or speed but he is tackling the Breeder’s Bowl winner and the 5 top ranked horses of the division.  His three attempts at Gr I level have been disappointing to date but you get the feeling he will find his feet sooner or later, whether that’s this week or further on down the road only time will tell.

            Saturday’s race is shaping up as a classic battle and I think it will go along way in deciding who will be fighting it out come Breeder’s Bowl day.  With the diversity of runners we should see a real spectacle as they come hurtling down the stretch, with the backmarkers Tequila With Lime and Northern Pirate straining to rein in the likes of Night’s Desire, Two Storms and I Make Stuff Up.  For what its worth I think I Make Stuff Up is ready to produce his Breeder’s Bowl form again and I will pick him for the win with top jockey K Ledwith riding him to perfection.  It is also hard to go past Northern Pirate, Night’s Desire and Final Fan for the minors, these horses perform week in week out and I don’t think they are ready to hand over the mantle just yet.

Good luck to all connections. 

PACE CHART

                                                 Rear                                    Middle                                    Lead