Equinox blows rivals away in Japan Cup romp
Equinox (4 h Kitasan Black – Chateau Blanche by King Halo) produced one of the most remarkable performances of his already stellar career when he emulated his sire Kitasan Black (Black Tide) by winning the Japan Cup (Gr 1, 2400m) at Tokyo yesterday – his sixth consecutive win at the elite-level.
In a race that was set up to bring the cream to the top, Saudi Cup (Gr 1, 2100m) winner Panthalassa (Lord Kanaloa) went off at a savage gallop, while the eventual winner travelled smoothly throughout in the chasing pack.
At the 600-metre mark, Panthalassa was still 25 lengths clear of his nearest rival, but was visibly struggling to keep up the blistering pace, opening the door for the competition.
As the leader’s stride began to shorten, Christophe Lemaire asked the Tetsuya Kimura-trained Equinox to quicken and he responded in his usual style, striking the front with 250 metres left to travel.
Under a motionless Lemaire, the four-year-old was able to put daylight between him and his rivals in a matter of strides, eventually cantering across the line four lengths ahead of this year’s fillies’ Triple Crown heroine Liberty Island (Duramente), the daughter of Australian Group 1 winner Yankee Rose (All American).
Dual Grade 1 winner Stars On Earth (Duramente) was another length away in third place, with another four top-flight winners among the chasing pack.
Later, addressing the crowd in Japanese, and asked what his race plan had been, Lemaire said: “You have just witnessed it! It turned out the way that we imagined it would, because Panthalassa did something similar in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) last year [which Equinox won].
“He jumped well and I decided to stick behind the two leaders; it was the best position for him. He was travelling so smoothly turning into the straight that I could feel the adrenaline when he hit top speed. There aren’t any words to describe the feeling.”
Lemaire joined Yutaka Take at the top of the Japan Cup jockeys’ table with four winners, after Vodka (Tanino Gimlet) in 2009 and Almond Eye (Lord Kanaloa) in 2018 and 2020.
He said: “I thought it would be difficult to match Almond Eye when she retired, but Equinox is special. I’m not sure where he’s heading, but he keeps maturing and I just don’t know how good he could be.”
Whether Equinox is asked to prove himself again on the racecourse is still not certain, according to Kimura, whose only previous Japan Cup runner finished second. “He is going for a short holiday and then we will make a decision,” he said.
A son of 2016 Japan Cup winner Kitasan Black and Grade 3 winner Chateau Blanche (King Halo), Equinox is a half-brother to Weiss Meteor (King Kamehameha).