Title Fifth favourite Cheval Grand captured his first G1 victory in this year’s Japan Cup where he deprived race favourite Kitasan Black from a back-to-back win.

Debuting at the age of two, the slow developer was foreign to Triple Crown starts but began to show potential from the latter half of his three-year-old campaign.

Last season, he marked his first grade-race victory in the Hanshin Daishoten and then another in the following Copa Republica Argentina while registering two thirds at the highest level in the Tenno Sho (Spring) and the Japan Cup.

With G1 winning mares Verxina and Vivlos (both sired by Deep Impact) as half-sisters, the son of Heart’s Cry captured his much awaited G1 triumph after coming off a reputable third in the G2 Kyoto Daishoten seven weeks before.

For trainer Yasuo Tomomichi, this is his eighth G1 title, his latest with Vivlos in the 2016 Shuka Sho. Jockey Hugh Bowman, who has a 2015 Hopeful Stakes (G2, Hartley) title under his belt, celebrated his first JRA-G1 victory with this win.

Breaking from the inner most stall, Cheval Grand took a ground-saving trip on the rails in fifth while Kitasan Black set the pace up front.

The field hit the top of the stretch a bit clustered but the eventual winner split horses before the 400-meter marker to break free, romping strongly down the middle of the lane to pin the leader 100 meters out and hold off the fast closing Rey de Oro for a 1-1/4-length victory.

This year’s derby winner and second choice Rey de Oro broke from the stall next to Cheval Grand and after traveling in mid-field, the three-year-old was steered slightly to the outside at the final turn and found a clear path to unleash a good charge that was tied the fastest in the last three-furlongs to gain in on his front runners but failed to catch the winner while tagging Kitasan Black just before the wire for second.

Defending champion Kitasan Black took his front-running seat before the initial turn, repeating his winning style and performance shown last year, and led the field by more than a length at one point down the backstretch.

The 2016 Horse of the Year ran a lone and strong drive in the straight towards the finish line but was caught in the last half-furlong by the winner and then out-finished by Rey de Oro in the final strides.

Aidan O’Brien-trained Idaho from Ireland was settled fourth from the rear and although late in launching his bid at the stretch, demonstrated a tenacious drive down the middle of the lane under jockey Ryan Moore to pick off the tiring field and dig in gamely for a well-fought fifth. “It was probably one of his best ever runs, if not his best one. We’re very pleased with him—he ran one hell of a race from stall 14 and Aidan was delighted. The plan is to take him home now instead of taking him to Hong Kong because he ran so well here and look after him for next year,” commented assistant trainer Thomas Comerford.

Boom Time from Australia was rated in mid-field along the rails after in tight rounding the first corner, stayed with the pace and slightly weakened before the uphill stretch but ran on gamely while unable to increase speed and finished 12th. Trainer David Hayes commented after the race, “He was Okay—could have finished a couple of positions closer if he had a bit more luck at the straight.” “I had no choice but let him run inside with a wall of horses on his outside, but he travelled well and he struggled a little up the rise but whereas you would think he would just drop back from there, he just carried on which was good,” added Cory Parish