It was already apparent at the Saudi Cup and continued at the Dubai World Cup - the dominance of horses from Japan at the international mega-racing days is breathtaking. Already at the end of February in Riyadh, little had happened without horses from the Land of the Rising Sun (except in the 20 million dollar race, which was won by a domestic horse). But at the 30.5 million dollar Cup Day in Meydan, there were a record-breaking five Japanese hits.
What are the explanations for the fact that horses from Europe are winning less and less? We don`t even want to talk about German candidates, they were only represented as representatives of the local breed. Horses trained in Germany have been looking in vain for a long time in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong or wherever.
Factor one is the time of year, at the end of December (Hong Kong) or also in February/March (Riyadh and Dubai) the European representatives are either at the end of a season or only before the start of the new year, which often takes place in April.
Secondly, hardly any other country has recently upgraded as much as Japan. Breeding has been massively strengthened with expensive purchases from more than prominent lines. Other countries can hardly keep up. We also remember several local cracks who found a new home in Japan.
And thirdly, the conditions there are obviously so unique that it simply has to pay off. It was no surprise that the Dubai World Cup went to a horse from the USA instead of a Japanese rider, because dirt is a US domain, and Japan was only represented here by one protégé who, however, sold himself well in third place.
We hardly believe that the dominance of the Japanese horses will change. On the contrary, the international racing scene as a whole has shifted towards Asia. Europe has to make sure that it doesn`t lose any more ground. Despite an Arc winner in the shape of Torquator Tasso.
