Review: Noboru Takagi Repays HH Sheikh Mohammed And Takes Home Dubai World Cup With Ushuba Tesoro

In his final year in the saddle and as a perfect farewell to the UAE could Frankie Dettori steer home Country Grammer for a back-to-back title? Is it reigning Saudi Cup champion Panthalassa’s year to mark himself even more on the world stage? Can Algiers make it three straight Meydan victories in Group company? Will Bhupat Seemar’s pair in Remorse and Bendoog throw down a challenge in the big dance?

The draw for the race had placed three of the main hopes – Country Grammer, Algiers and Panthalassa – out wide and the latter could never dominate the way he did when landing the Saudi Cup a month ago. He tried finishing well beaten in the tenth by last year’s hero Country Grammer left a bit laboured and finished seventh.

Gates flew open with 2000m ahead of them! The pack gets out with Panthalassa taking the lead on the first turn with Remorse running second. Half of the trip travelled and Panthalassa holds the lead with Country Grammer sitting ninth.

With 500m left to run Algiers moved to the lead and as he extended another Japanese raider in Ushba Tesoro sprung from the ground coming from last to first to take the spoils in the Dubai World Cup with a remarkable ride from Yuga Kawada trained by Noboru Takagi! The World Cup now heads to Japan with Algiers second and Emblem Road finishing third.

"He jumped quite well but the majority of the other Japanese runners ran towards the middle of the pack. I just tried to focus on maintaining the horse's rhythm and just to keep his rhythm from the middle of the pack,” Jockey Kawada said.

"It was his first time running overseas and there were queries on whether he'd travel as well as the fact it was his first time on the surface. He was training quite well over here this week and I knew the horse was in good condition, so it was just a matter of the horse keeping his head in the race and he did that very well today.

"There were eight Japanese horses in the field and aside from myself the only other Japanese jockey on a Japanese horse was Yutaka Yoshida on Panthalassa. I was on the horse for the first time today but it was a tremendous honour to ride him and there was a lot of pressure as the leading Japanese jockey heading into the race.

"Thanks to the effort of the horse he fought on very well and I'm very proud of myself as the leading Japanese jockey by winning the leading race in the world today."

"It's a great feeling! After watching his previous run (when winning the Kawasaki Kinen last month), the Dubai World Cup was certainly on my mind for this horse,” trainer Takagi added.

"Everything went as planned. Actually, when he first got here he was actually quite nervous and a bit toey but that was expected and as the days went by he gradually got used to his environment and ran a great race. This is by far the greatest honour of my career.

"We will go back to Japan as he's a bit vulnerable in hot weather and heat. We'll see how he is over the summer and come up with a plan for him."

James Doyle who finished second on Algiers was left still impressed with the race and performance from his mount.

"Delighted with the way he’s run. It was his first opportunity to run at this top level and he has acquitted himself magnificently. He travelled around like a superstar and it has been a lot from the top bend to the winning line, but his stamina just kind of drained at the end."

Winning trainer Takagi said the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, still the one race Japan has yet to conquer and the one it covets most, will come under consideration later in the year if all goes well. For now, they return to Japan with the spoils and time to set the next plans for this horse that captured the Dubai World Cup.