Oisin Murphy top of the table again as stellar Japanese stint comes to an end

Britain's champion jockey Oisin Murphy concluded his latest stint in Japan in much the same vein at the top of the jockeys' standings, although he could only finish second in the Grade 3 Negishi Stakes at Tokyo racecourse.

Murphy, who boosted his immense popularity with the Japanese racing audience when partnering Deirdre to a landmark Group 1 success in the Nassau Stakes at last year's Qatar Goodwood festival, has been riding in Japan with much success in 2020, winning a total of 27 races at a 28 per cent strike-rate.

His haul in Japan puts him four wins in front of the Yuga Kawada in the Asian nation's 2020 jockey rankings, a total which included five winners on Saturday and a double at Tokyo on Sunday.

However, Murphy, who beat Danny Tudhope in last season's title race in Britain with 168 winners to become champion jockey for the first time, could not win the Negishi Stakes despite partnering 9-10 favourite Copano Kicking.

The Grade 3 contest, run on dirt over seven furlongs, is a key trial for Japan's first Grade 1 of the year, the February Stakes and was won by the 2018 Yasuda Kinen winner Mozu Ascot.

Mozu Ascot (left) wins the Negishi Stakes from Copano Kicking and Oisin MurphyCredit: Masakazu Takahashi

The six-year-old son of Frankel, trained by Yoshito Yahagi, reeled in Copano Kicking in the straight to win by a length and a quarter under jockey Christophe Lemaire.

The winning rider said: "He started slow but his response was the same as usual. He showed a good and long turn of foot on the dirt too. I'm sure he'll be good in the February Stakes over a mile."

Murphy, who won on Oro Adone and Excellent Fille on the card, said of the Negishi runner-up: "He ran looking for the fast horse outside, but the pace was a little bit fast for us as a result."

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