THE Japanese advances into international races continued all season. It began with their usual strong challenge for the middle eastern early season contests.

The Group 1 Saudi Cup in February saw three Japanese runners in the top four, with Forever Young running down Romantic Warrior by a neck and Ushba Tesoro taking third. Fourth was Wilson Tesoro.

Come November and the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar, it was again Forever Young, jockey Ryusei Sakai and trainer Yoshito Yahagi who got the big win they coveted when they won the Classic from what had looked a top-class field of the best US older horses.

The Dubai Turf hero Soul Rush was capturing his second top-level contest in the Dubai Turf in April, defeating Romantic Warrior by a nose in the process.

Croix Du Nord had been the top two-year-old but was surprisingly beaten in the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) Nakayama in April by Museum Mile and Joao Moreira, with Masquerade Ball back in third.

Croix Du Nord made no mistake in the Derby beating Masquerade Ball by three quarters of a length and then the ambitious plan was formed to try for that elusive Japanese win in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

The Tenno Sho (Spring) at Kyoto in May had been won by Redentor with Byzantine Dream second and that horse too was sent to France for a trial and aiming for the Arc.

Dream win

When Byzantine Dream won the Group 2 Qatar Prix Foy beating Sosie, and Croix Du Nord won the Prix du Prince d’Orange by a short-head from Daryz, it looked that the dream win was on the cards.

But they were drawn 15 and 17 in the Arc, and though Byzantine Dream put in a good effort under Oisin Murphy to take fifth, the three-year-old Croix Du Nord faded to 14th after leading early.

Back home in March, the six-furlong Grade 1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen went to Satono Reve and he made a bold show at Royal Ascot when he made much of the running but was overhauled by the French winner Lazzat and beaten half a length in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.

Embroidery looked the best of the three-year-old fillies, winning the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) in April at Hanshin under Joao Moreira.

But come Tokyo in May, the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) produced a surprise result when Embroidery could only finish ninth as outsider Kamunyak beat Arma Veloce.

The final leg of the fillies’ Triple Crown was the Group 1 Shuka Sho at Kyoto in October and Embroidery was back in the winner’s enclosure before finishing down the field in the Hong Kong Mile.

The top Japanese miler was Jantar Mantar. He won the Group 1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo in June and emphasised his ability in the autumn when the son of Palace Malice won the Group 1 Mile Championship at Kyoto in November.

Last year’s top female Regaleira came back to her best in winning the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth 2 Cup at Kyoto in November and the top dirt race, the Champions Cup at Chukyo in December was won by W Heart Bond, with Wilson Tesoro second.

The Tenno Sho (Autumn) in November brought together some of the top performers and it was two of the classic three-year-olds who took the main honours, Masquerade Ball holding Museum Mile by three-quarters of a length with the six-year-old Justin Palace back in third.

That all left the big international Japan Cup on November 30th and a strong international challenge against the best of the home team led by the top three-year-olds Masquerade Ball and Croix Du Nord. The best they could do was Masquerade Ball putting up a fight to the line but he went down by a head to Europe’s best in Calandagan with two and a half lengths back to Danon Decile and Croix Du Nord fourth ahead of Justin Palace.

The leading jockey was again Christophe Lemaire and Haruki Sugiyama was leading the trainers’ title this week.

All in all, the Japanese form fitted into many of the top contests and there’s no doubt some of those names will crop up in the Arab states and into Europe over the next 12 months.