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| Sumita Pawar |
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The Gr.1 Japan Cup is being promoted with the tagline "Hero Is Coming." However, after Equinox's thrilling victory on November 26th at Tokyo Racecourse, it would be more accurate to say that "Hero Has Come." Judging by the deafening cheers from the 85,866 spectators at the track, Equinox might very well be considered a national treasure.
"Today I felt very privileged to be on the back of a fantastic horse. He's the number one horse in the world and today we just saw a beauty on the track. I hope everywhere, everybody enjoyed it. And we remember this race for a very, very long time," said jockey Christophe Lemaire, who has been aboard Equinox for each of the black colt's 10 starts (8-2-0).
Equinox and his connections were under a lot of pressure as they were heavily favored in Sunday's race. However, Equinox showed that he was up for the challenge right out of the gate, as he dueled with Panthalassa and Titleholder in the opening strides.
"We made sure that the aggressiveness of Equinox would be well maintained from the start, and in any case, he stayed quite stable and that was the first step that was important," said trainer Tetsuya Kimura through an interpreter.
However, Panthalassa had not competed in a race since March. Yet, when the starting gate opened, he sprinted forward with remarkable energy, resembling a bullet train. He quickly surged far ahead of the other horses, drawing similarities to the legendary Secretariat. However, any further comparison between the two ends here.
"I got my blood pressure up because Panthalassa continued (to lead) the race. I was feeling a lot of pressure until the moment Equinox finished the race," Kimura said.
Panthalassa appeared to have exhausted all of his energy early on in the race, which may have contributed to his struggles in the final turn. Additionally, the slight uphill climb could have also played a role in his performance. As a result, Panthalassa was overtaken by most of the field of 18 and finished in 12th place. Following Equinox, who secured a four-length victory, Liberty Island and Stars on Earth finished in second and third place respectively.
Equinox, the progeny of the 2016 Japan Cup winner Kitasan Black, is currently owned by Silk Racing. Silk Racing also has ownership of the highly accomplished Almond Eye, a two-time Cup winner. Notably, Breeder Northern Farm has an impressive record of winning twelve consecutive Group One races.
The victor of the Japan Cup will receive a significant portion of the purse, which amounts to approximately US$8,282,443. Specifically, the winner will earn US$3,816,794. Equinox, who won the Dubai Sheema Classic earlier this year, will also receive a US$3,000,000 bonus. This impressive accomplishment brings Equinox's career earnings to an impressive US$19,375,462.
Although the sound of the crowd conveyed their excitement, jockey Lemaire's emotions spoke volumes as he returned to the track with tears in his eyes. He described feeling a surge of adrenaline and realizing that he had ridden perfection, the result of years of hard work. Lemaire struggled to find words to express the profound significance of this moment.