'The level is so high in Japan' - record Japanese team to lay down Dubai marker

Japan will saddle a record 22 runners on Saturday's Dubai World Cup card at Meydan, with many observers expecting a similar show of strength to that achieved in Saudi Arabia last month, when Christophe Lemaire won four races for as many different trainers.

Japan's reputation for quality at home is long established and success abroad has been a periodic fact of life since the late 1990s; think Agnes World in the July Cup along with Seeking The Pearl and Taiki Shuttle at Deauville.

But a wave of Group and Grade 1 success in recent years has spawned a new spirit of adventure among the country's horsemen, with trainer Yoshito Yahagi enjoying a golden spell that has included the 2019 Cox Plate with Lys Gracieux, the Hong Kong Cup and QEII Cup at Sha Tin with Loves Only You, and that historic breakthrough double at the Breeders' Cup in November.