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Japan Cup hero Vela Azul has won four races and placed third twice in six starts since making his grass debut in March of this year, continuing the incredible success of the Kingmambo line in Japan, a cause championed by the remarkable King Kamehameha.
The Japanese Derby winner Eishin Flash is the sire of 5YO entire, whose American sire King's Best failed to produce a stakes winner from any of the 245 foals he sired in Australia over the course of three seasons.
After living in Ireland, France, and Argentina, he finally settled in Japan to collect his pension in 2019.
Vela Azul, weaved through traffic under leading jockey Ryan Moore to win a demanding 2022 Japan Cup, jumping a colossal 150 places on the world rankings to enter the Top 40 with his thrilling triumph.
Quickening between horses off a sedate gallop, the five-year-old son of Eishin Flash scored by three-quarters of a length over the favourite, last year’s Tokyo Yushun hero Shahryar, after both had blown past third-placed Weltreisende over the final hundred meters of the 2,400-meter turf, to claim the 42nd edition of Japan’s most prestigious international race.
For trainer Kunihiko Watanabe, this is his first G1 triumph after claiming three graded wins since opening his stables in 2016. British jockey Ryan Moore, who is racing under a short-term license, has scored his ninth JRA-G1 win and first since his Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes victory with Salios in 2019.
Vela Azul now stands at #35 (≠225pts, from #185) on the exclusive Thoroughbred Racing Commentary Global Rankings, was making his Group One debut after winning the Gr,2 Kyoto Daishoten in October.
He had run his first 16 races on dirt, not switching to grass until March this year.
Vela Azul is the best of five winners out of seven starters for the Kurofune mare Vela Blanca (Jungle Pocket). Gr.1 winners out of Kurofune mares include Chrono Genesis (Bago), Normcore (Harbinger), Stunning Rose (King Kamehameha), and Lei Papale (Deep Impact).