'The overseas experiences enabled him to run a near-perfect race' - North Bridge upsets some bigger names in Sapporo Kinen

North Bridge, one of Japan’s new wave of globetrotters, landed the most important race of the JRA summer season at Sapporo on Sunday, winning the Group 2 Sapporo Kinen by a convincing length and a quarter.

The six-year-old entire, who was running in Japan for the first time this year having finished fourth behind Rebel’s Romance in Qatar in February and third to Romantic Warrior in Hong Kong in April, was settled in second position, hit the front at the top of the home straight and comfortably held off 2021 Satsuki Sho winner Geoglyph, with Stella Veloce a further length back in third.

The Sapporo Kinen is known as a ‘super Group 2’, a prep race for big-hitters with major targets on the horizon at home and overseas.  

Last year’s winner of the mile-and-a-quarter contest, Prognosis, was positioned in the rear of the 11-strong field after a slow break under Yuga Kawada and ultimately had to settle for fourth.

The 2021 Japanese Derby and 2022 Dubai Sheema Classic winner Shahryar, who is pointed towards the Breeders Cup Turf that he was runner-up in last year, was fifth under Yutaka Take.

The winner is a son of Maurice out of Admire Moon’s winning daughter Amazing Moon, and this was his seventh victory for owner Noboru Iyama and trainer Takeshi Okumura, from 18 career starts, and third at Graded stakes level.

Yasunari Iwata, who has ridden him to all three Graded stakes victories and on his international adventures, said: "I think the experiences he’s had and the overseas trips he’s had so far have led to this result today. 

“In the first half of the race, he couldn't run calmly and lost stamina, but he was fully equipped due to the experiences. I think the experiences enabled him to run a near-perfect race for the first time. 

“He could race with his own pace after the first corner, and that's why he was able to show a great turn of foot for home. This autumn, I would like to show you something different from last year's North Bridge."

Prognosis's rider Kawada said: "I thought he felt fine, but I had a hard time with him, like never before. We'll look for the cause."

Shahryar’s jockey Take said: "He couldn't race smoothly. Rounding the last turn, due to the tired horses, he couldn't spurt well and I couldn't get him up to speed when I wanted to."

Read these next:

'I thought I was beaten' - Tiber Flow denies Witch Hunter back-to-back Hungerford wins in photo-finish 

Economics 'definitely has more to come' says Tom Marquand as star colt vindicates William Haggas's plan with impressive return 

Racing Post Members' Club: 50% off your first three months