Land of the rising force: Japan takes centre stage with four fabulous winners

Less than four months after they enjoyed a watershed first success at the Breeders' Cup, Japan showed their force on the global stage once more with four winners at the world's richest race meeting.

Challengers from Europe, North and South America, the UAE and the best local horses came with huge expectations, but the night unequivocally belonged to the land of the rising sun and an inspired Christophe Lemaire.

While Lemaire was the common denominator, nothing highlighted the strength in depth of the Japanese racing industry more than the fact the four winners came for four different trainers.

First to strike was Authority for Tetsuya Kimura in the $1.5 million Neom Turf Cup, then came Songline in the $1.5 million 1351 Turf Sprint for Toru Hayashi before Stay Foolish brought up the treble in the $2.5m Longines Red Sea Turf Handicap for Yoshito Yahagi – the man who saddled both Loves Only You and Marche Lorraine to become Japan's first winners at the Breeders' Cup last year. The four-timer was completed by Dancing Prince, trained by Keisuke Miyata, who annihilated his rivals in the $1.5 million Riyadh Dirt Sprint.

All four winners were ridden exquisitely by Lemaire, the popular Frenchman who has long been heralded the leader of the riding pack in Japan.

"It's fantastic to be part of these international races, it's always a big challenge," said the rider. "If you have the chance to win a race you are the happiest man on earth. When you can achieve two, three or four winners, you're flying through the clouds."

Lemaire made all on Authority, Stay Foolish and Dancing Prince, but he played his hand late on Songline, with the four wins pocketing him a cool $420,000

"I thought Authority and Stay Foolish would be my best rides," said the rider. "I was very confident with Authority because finishing second to Contrail in the Japan Cup was a great run and for me he was the best horse in the race. His condition was good and I thought he was definitely able to win.

"I rode Stay Foolish on Wednesday morning and he gave me a great impression and, in this field, I thought he'd run very well. All the way he was taking breaths and was very comfortable. I knew he would stay the trip and he has great acceleration. He really dominated."

Asked to put his finger on Japan's domination, Lemaire pointed to three major factors.

"It all starts with the breeding of course," he said. "For so many years the Japanese breeders and owners bought the best mares from all over the world, so the breeding in Japan became huge and very consistent. From there the level of Japanese horses has got better and better.

"Japanese horses like this kind of track because it's fast and flat. They can adapt very well to these conditions. With their talent and with the conditions, they are able to produce great performances.

"Finally, more and more trainers are used to travelling the horses. A trainer like Mr Yahagi knows perfectly how to travel his horses and which horses he can bring abroad."

Yahagi, who won the Japan Cup with Contrail in November, is quickly establishing himself as one the world's finest and most likeable trainers. In his trademark Panama and fetching rainbow-coloured tie, his bright personality was again infectious after the victory of Stay Foolish.

He said: "I thought he'd do well. He was getting better day by day so I had confidence and I'd like to take this horse to the Melbourne Cup.

"It's been a big day for the Japanese horseracing industry to show their strength on the world stage."

Results, replays and analysis

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