Second favourite Fame Game took top billing at Tokyo on Sunday when the four-year-old colt captured the 52nd running of the G2 Copa Republica Argentina over 2500 metres.

It was Fame Game’s first victory in a G2 race. The son of Heart’s Cry turned in a powerful stretch drive that sent him past front-running Courir Kaiser under jockey Hiroshi Kitamura.

Kitamura had bided his time with exemplary coolness as the field strung out down the backstretch.

Desperado, saddled with the race top weight of 58 kg, was out in front a good five lengths ahead of Courir Kaiser, followed by Lovely Day with Fame Game nearly 20 lengths off the front.

At the top of the stretch slope 260 meters out, Kitamura moved Fame Game out. He caught and passed Courir Kaiser about 150m out lengthening his margin to 2.5 lengths by the line.

Courir Kaiser finished second with Super Moon third by 3/4 length a nose ahead of Admire Kelso. Race favorite Hokko Brave, was never a factor, running toward the back of the field and finishing 14th of 18.

Fame Game handed Kitamura the second of the colt’s two graded stakes wins this year following the G3 Diamond Stakes and gave his rider his fifth graded stakes victory this year and his 100th win for 2014.

The Nagano freelance rider formerly with trainer Kazuo Fujisawa, looks well on his way to yet a new personal best.

Last year Kitamura closed the year with 101 JRA race wins.

Kitamura kept the momentum going from last week when he took Spielberg, to the winner’s circle of the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn). The Tenno Sho victory was the first G1 for the 34-year-old Kitamura since Dance In The Mood, captured the 2006 Victoria Mile.

Trainer Yoshitada Munakata insisted that Tokyo was “the best course” for his colt.

With the win Sunday, Fame Game, brought Munakata his second graded race win of the year and the trainer’s first G2 since 2006.

The 60-year-old Fukushima received his trainer’s license in 1992, but has yet to capture a G1 event.

Fame Game is owned by Sunday Racing Co. Ltd and was bred at Northern Farm in Hokkaido.

The win of the Copa Republica Argentina was worth 55 million yen and boosted the colt’s score to four wins, including three graded stakes races, in a total 13 outings.