RIYADH: Trainer Yoshito Yahagi believes Panthalassa has the necessary speed on the King Abdulaziz track to win the Saudi Cup for Japan.
After training four of the six Group race winners on Saudi Cup night in 2022, Japan will field 20 horses at this year’s meeting, including six of the 13 runners in the world’s most valuable race, The Saudi Cup.
Globetrotting trainer Yoshito Yahagi, who swept last year’s Group 3 Longines Red Sea Turf Handicap, will field Panthalassa in this year’s $20 million Main Event. Six of Lord Kanaloa’s six-year-old son’s career wins so far have come on turf, but Yahagi is excited to make the switch to dirt.
“Panthalasa ran on dirt once at Nakayama in 2020 and was well beaten. However, I think going anti-clockwise around a turn is more appropriate for them,” Yahagi explained.
“One of the most important things is also the dirt surface at King Abdulaziz. The dirt surface on the racecourse in Japan is very different. To handle the dirt track well at King Abdulaziz, the horses need good speed, and Panthalasa has that.
Commenting on Japan’s success at the meeting, Yahagi said: “The Saudi Cup meeting in February is one of the most important meetings in the calendar. The timing is good for Japan, where the season ends at the end of December, and I I believe this will be a very important race meeting for all Japanese trainers in the near future.
Presented by Yahgi Boutique Group, Continuer is also set to field in the Group 3 Saudi Derby, a race that the trainer believes could act as a stepping stone to the Kentucky Derby.
“Continue was an impressive winner of the Cattleya Stakes and still had energy left in him,” said Yahagi. “I think he is the best three-year-old dirt horse in Japan. The Cattleya Stakes and the Saudi Derby are both run on an anti-clockwise track over 1600 metres, so it seems a suitable race for him, and the owner Very eager to be taken.
“After that, the Kentucky Derby is also in my sights. Hopefully he can do well in Saudi Arabia and then we can think about Churchill Downs.”
Yahgi is not only known for his training exploits internationally, but also his fashion these days: “The expectation of my cap has been pretty high lately,” Yahgi said. “I feel it is my duty to find a proper one for Saudi Cup night. I will try to bring a very nice cap from my collection to Saudi Arabia!”
Two-time Japanese Derby-winning trainer Yasuo Tomomichi will take over the saddle of June Light Bolt, who is recognized as one of the country’s leading hopes in the Saudi Cup, having earned an automatic invite by winning the Champions Cup in December.
Tomomichi said, “Since June Light Bolt started racing on dirt, his improvement has been more significant than I expected.”
“When June Light Bolt was going well in races on turf, I thought he had reached his ceiling. As he is by King Kamehameha, I thought he would do well on dirt, and I started him with Northern Farm discussed plans to change to that surface. I sent him out to run on dirt for the first time in July of last year and he was beaten into second place but during the race he lost a shoe and I thought he had to should have won.
“I started thinking about the Saudi Cup just before their run in the Champions Cup. I thought if he does well we may have three options: the Saudi Cup, the February Stakes in Japan or the Dubai World Cup. Soon after winning the Champions Cup, owner Junji Kawai told me he was keen to move abroad. I thought so too, and we decided that June Light Bolt’s next race would be the Saudi Cup.
“If we win the Saudi Cup, it will be the highlight of my coaching career. I love the atmosphere of these international events, and this will be a very special moment. While the prize money is obviously lucrative, the Saudi Cup is also a prestigious race.
“I would like to be the first Japanese trainer to win the Saudi Cup. Not only in 2022, when Japan won four races, but also in previous years, Japan has had a lot of success at the meeting, so I think it’s a good place for us to go.
Tetsuya Kimura, who coached Authority to take the G3 Neom Turf Cup, the opening leg of Japan’s 2022 Saudi Cup night four-timer will be represented by Geoglyph at The Saudi Cup this year, and he also thinks the surface should be suitable Needed
“During the second half of the 2022 season, Geoglyph ran two races over 2000m on turf and did not perform as expected,” said Kimura. “It was disappointing and I believe I need to give him a new challenge in 2023. He is by Drephong, who was champion on dirt in America, and Drephong has been breeding much better dirt horses. Although on Geoglyph turf Is the winner of Group 1, I think it’s time to send him to run on the dirt.
“The Saudi Cup, which is both a valuable and prestigious race, is set at the right time for Geoglyph. I feel lucky that this race is suitable and it is a golden opportunity for him to run on dirt for the first time.
Songline, who was relegated to the second leg of the four-timer, is back to defend her crown in the Group 3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint presented by Sports Boulevard, and her trainer Toru Hayashi believes she can is better.
“The experience of last year in Saudi Arabia provided immense nourishment for Songline. Before the Saudi trip, she was a nervous mare. However, she has become very strong mentally after returning from Saudi Arabia.
“She’s even tougher now and went on to win the Group 1 Yasuda Kinen in June. I think the trip to Saudi was a kind of turning point in Songline’s racing career. It would be wonderful to visit Saudi Arabia again and I looking forward to the race.
“As the prize money is large and it is such a prestigious race, I believe the competition will be tough, at least as tough as last year, but Songline is a better horse now than he was 12 months ago.”