In a controversial 2010 Japan Cup result, three-year-old Rose Kingdom was declared the winner after favourite Bunea Vista was demoted to runner-up at Tokyo Racecourse on Sunday November 28.
Star filly Bunea Vista and jockey Christophe Soumillon originally crossed the winning post first in the Grade 1 Japan Cup (2400m), three quarters of a length ahead of Rose Kingdom with outsider Victoire Pisa just a nose away for third.
However, questionable riding tactics by Soumillon saw Bunea Vista charge from the outside closer to the rails, edging Bunea Vista and rider Yutaka Take out and forcing them to pull back.
After extensive deliberations, the decision to reverse the finishing order of the top two Japan Cup placegetters due to interference was made and Rose Kingdom officially became the 30th Japan Cup winner.
Despite the result upsetting the punters, it was still a good outcome for the Sunday Racing Co. Ltd, the club owning both Bunea Vista and Rose Kingdom.
The locals dominated the race, Japanese horses taking out the top eight places in the world’s richest turf race including Tenno Sho winner Jaguar Mail in fourth and Pelusa in fifth place.
French-trained runner Cirrus des Aigles finished the best of the overseas contingent in ninth.
Sunday’s win was King Kamehameha colt Rose Kingdom’s fifth from nine career starts, the lucrative 250 million yen first prize taking their total career earnings close to 569 million yen.
The international racing action reaches its next peak on December 12 with the Hong Kong International Race Day.
In the meantime, the Perth Summer Racing Carnival continues this weekend with the Group 1 Kingston Town Classic (1800m), so get ready to win big by signing up with leading bookmaker Luxbet now!
2010 Japan Cup Finishing Order
| Place | Horse | Rider | Trainer | Margin | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ROSE KINGDOM (JPN) | Y. Take | K. Hashiguchi | 2:25.2 | 8.8 |
| 2 | BUENA VISTA (JPN) | C. Soumillon | H. Matsuda | DQ&D | 1.9F |
| 3 | VICTOIRE PISA (JPN) | M. Guyon | K. Sumii | Nose | 28.2 |
| 4 | JAGUAR MAIL (JPN) | R. Moore | N. Hori | 3/4 | 20.4 |
| 5 | PELUSA (JPN) | K. Ando | K. Fujisawa | Neck | 8.4 |
| 6 | MEISHO BELUGA (JPN) | K. Ikezoe | K. Ikezoe | 1/2 | 63.1 |
| 7 | OKEN BRUCE LEE (JPN) | C. Lemaire | H. Otonashi | Nose | 15.8 |
| 8 | EISHIN FLASH (JPN) | H. Uchida | H. Fujiwara | 1 1/4 | 12.3 |
| 9 | CIRRUS DES AIGLES (FR) | F. Blondel | C. Barande-Barbe | Nose | 109.3 |
| 10 | JOSHUA TREE (IRE) | C. O’Donoghue | A. O’Brien | 1/2 | 41.2 |
| 11 | DANDINO (BG) | P. Mulrennan | J. Given | 3/4 | 131.2 |
| 12 | SHINGEN (JPN) | S. Fujita | H. Toda | Head | 46.5 |
| 13 | MORES WELLS (GB) | S. Maillot | R. Gibson | 1 1/2 | 99.0 |
| 14 | NAKAYAMA FESTA (JPN) | M. Ebina | Y. Ninomiya | Neck | 7.7 |
| 15 | TIMOS (GER) | O. Peslier | T. Doumen | 1 1/2 | 120.3 |
| 16 | VOILA ICI (IRE) | M. Demuro | V. Caruso | 1 | 67.3 |
| 17 | MARINOUS (FR) | D. Bonilla | F. Head | 7 | 86.6 |
| 18 | FIFTY PROOF (CAN) | J. Stein | I. Black | DS | 89.5 |
