Japan could dominate for years as Equinox leads another successful Dubai World Cup charge

The Dubai World Cup meeting in 2022 showed Japanese racing in a very healthy light, with horses trained in the country victorious in five of the eight races. Although they won only three of the eight this year, two of them came in the Sheema Classic and Dubai World Cup. 

Officially rated the best three-year-old in the world in 2022, Equinox has fully justified the hype at the Dubai World Cup meeting. Equinox won the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic in a course record time by more than three lengths, despite being heavily eased down. In victory he achieved a career-best Racing Post Rating of 129 and could still go on to rate higher. 

Equinox has achieved the highest RPR for the race since its conception, eclipsing that of the Japanese-trained Stay Gold in 2001. If he heads to Paris in October, he has every right to be favourite for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and could be the first horse to win the race for Japan.