On Sunday the classy Katsuhiko Sumii-trained Vodka took out the 29^th running of the world’s richest turf race, the Group 1 Japan Cup at Tokyo Racecourse in her third attempt.

It was an extremely close call, five-year-old Vodka starting as the odds-on favourite at $3.60 pulled up trumps in a photo finish over Oken Bruce Lee ($4.70) by a nose with Red Desire ($9.60) a further length and a half back in third. Ridden by Christophe Lemaire, the winner ran a sharp 2:22.4 seconds over the 2400m race, just outside of the Cumani-trained Alkaased’s race record of 2:22.1 set in 2005, in the third fastest Japan Cup in history.

With the victory Vodka, the 2008 Horse of the Year, became the first Japanese female runner to win the Japan Cup securing the winner’s prize of nearly US $2.8 million. The filly now boasts 10 victories from 25 career starts for over 1.3 billion yen in prizemoney earned.

The highest seeded international runner in the Cup was Conduit. The M. Stoute-trained horse coming off two successive Breeder’s Cup Turf victories, managed to finish a brave fourth on Sunday in the final race of his career and will now be sent to stud at the Big Red Farm in Hokkaido next year.

Last year’s Japan Cup winner Screen Hero ran a disappointing 13^th.

Vodka, by Tanino Gimlet out of Tanino Sister, pulled up with a nosebleed after her sixth top level win at Fuchu and has been ruled out of the Arima Kinen (2500m) at Nakayama in December.

2009 Japan Cup Results:

This Sunday, November 29, Japan will host its premier thoroughbred race, the Group 1 Japan Cup (2400m).

Tokyo Racecourse is set to come alive as the finest horses from across the globe gather to compete in the richest turf race in the world worth 533.5million yen (approx. $6.46million).

Only one Australian horse has ever claimed victory in the Japan Cup, Better Loosen Up in 1990, and again this year the elite field of hopefuls is missing an Aussie contender.

The inadequate transport protocols for Australian horses travelling to Japan for the event has deterred our trainers from entering our fine runners in the Cup and as yet the Japan Racing Association has done little to resolve the problem.

A full field of 18 stayers are set to contest the Japan Cup next Sunday including five foreign runners. The US will be represented by Marsh Side, Interpatation and Just As Well while Conduit and Scintillo are from stables in England.

Conduit heads the international contenders and has displayed sensational form this year taking out the Group 1 King George VI, Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Breeders Cup Turf in the US. The last US-trained horse to claim victory in the Japan cup was Golden Pheasant in 1991. Current favourite on the betting markets, Sunday’s Japan Cup will be Conduit’s final race before being retired to stud.

Local Japanese horses fancied for the 29^th Japan Cup include last year’s winner Screen Hero aiming for an unprecedented second Cup victory, and 2008 third placegetter Vodka attempting to become the first Japanese female contender to win.

Despite the lack of an Australian contender, Aussie punters can still make the most of the exciting betting opportunities the Japan Cup presents. All of the leading online bookmakers offer a top-class variety of odds and bet types on the coveted event.