Japan Cup: Do Deuce Completes a Magnificent Comeback to Win the G1 Race

For the final 600 meters, Do Deuce was in a high-speed zone, his comfort zone. It was the pivotal stretch of the 44th Japan Cup, with Yutaka Take handling the reins, and the 5-year-old Heart's Cry progeny was the fastest horse on Tokyo Racecourse's turf track.

And he needed to be this fast to emerge as a contender and achieve their goal. Do Deuce was in last place after the third corner of the 2,400-meter race on Sunday, November 24.

That quickly changed, though.

Race favorite Do Deuce was clocked in 32.7 seconds over the final three furlongs (about 600 meters). He moved to the front of the pack with about 300 meters to go, but at that point, it wasn't a guaranteed win by any stretch of the imagination.

Three horses, including Do Deuce, were in side-by-side pursuit of glory in the pulsating closing seconds of the race.

In the race's riveting conclusion, Do Deuce crossed the wire a neck's length before Shin Emperor (Ryusei Sakai's ride) and Durezza (William Buick), who finished in a dead heat for second. The winning time: 2 minutes, 25.5 seconds.

Japan Cup Replicates Brilliance of Do Deuce's Previous Win

One month earlier, a similar chain of events occurred as legendary jockey Take sat aboard Do Deuce.

In winning the Tenno Sho (Autumn) on October 27, Do Deuce showcased his exceptional closing speed. He was in next-to-last place with 400 meters remaining and outran the other 14 entrants to close out the race.

Do Deuce has now won five Grade 1 races, teaming up with Take every time. In addition to Japan Cup and Tenno Sho victories, he's also triumphed in the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes in 2021, the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby in 2022 and the Arima Kinen in 2023.

Trainer Yasuo Tomomichi recorded his 23rd Japan Racing Association G1 win, including his second Japan Cup victory, on Sunday. Tomomichi's first Japan Cup victory was with Cheval Grand in 2017.

Do Deuce's stirring comeback delivered the 83rd G1 triumph of Take's extraordinary career. This includes five Japan Cup wins. The others: Special Week (1999), Deep Impact (2006), Rose Kingdom (2010) and Kitasan Black (2016).

Due to Do Deuce's late-race brilliance on Sunday afternoon, other notable entrants were left vying for other top-five spots.

Second favorite Cervinia (Christophe Lemaire, a four-time Japan Cup winner) finished fourth, 2½ lengths behind the runners-up.

Third favorite Justin Palace (Cristian Demuro) placed fifth, a head's length behind Cervinia.

Fourth favorite Auguste Rodine (Ryan Moore), a Deep Impact-sired, Irish-bred 4-year-old colt, was eighth, falling short of the chase pack at the end of the race.

(Watch the full race on the Japan Racing Association's YouTube channel.)

Take Reacts to Japan Cup Drama

After receiving abundant cheers from the announced crowd of 79,720, Take spoke about the race and Do Deuce's incredible performance.

"The positioning during the race went as planned," Take said during the post-race interview. "It was expected, but the pace was extremely slow and I had to struggle keeping him in hand.

"In the first half a mile, if the pace was to quicken more, then I was planning to stay back but it didn't, so I let him gradually make headway along the outside, not so much as to quicken and close the gap, but to release the reins a little bit."

That strategy worked well, with Do Deuce gaining momentum as the race progressed.

"Making ground from the last corner, his speed was so great that he was already in front in an instant and, after that, a normal horse would be worn out and pinned down," Take said. "But this horse is exceptional and while I wasn't sure that I'd won until the end, I kept believing he would stay and he did."

One Last Hurrah for Japan Cup Winner Do Deuce

Take informed the Tokyo Racecourse crowd and horse racing fans in Japan and around the world after the Japan Cup that Do Deuce's career is winding down.

He made it official in his post-race comments. Take acknowledged that the Arima Kinen on December 22 at Nakayama Racecourse in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, will be Do Deuce's farewell race.

"He certainly finished strongly in his first two this fall and, of course, depending on his condition after this race, I look forward to riding him in the Arima Kinen," Take said.

A Look Ahead

Up next on the Japan Racing Association's autumn G1 calendar is the 1,800-meter Champions Cup on Sunday, December 1 at Chukyo Racecourse in Toyoake, Aichi Prefecture.

Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.