Konnichiwa Melbourne Cup

Japanese horses have been given Australian Government approval to travel to Australia, without going through Europe, for this year’s 150^th running of the Melbourne Cup.

Quarantine restrictions, enforced after the equine influenza outbreak in 2007, have meant that Japanese horses haven’t been able to defend Delta Blues’ historic Melbourne Cup win in 2006.

“The lift of restrictions only allows for horses from one area, Tokyo,” said Greg Carpenter, Racing Victoria’s chief handicapper, at the launch of the The Story Of the Melbourne Cup, Australia’s Great Race, a book celebrating the 150 years of the Cup. View details.

Carpenter added that the state-of-the-art Miho Training Centre, north of Tokyo, from where Delta Blues and Pop Rock (second in the 2006 Cup) were trained, will remain restricted for the time being.

At this stage, two horses are likely to make the trip south – the 2010 Group 1 Tenno Sho (3200m, Kyoto) winner Jaguar Mail (pictured) and the runner-up, Meiner Kitz. Australian jockey Craig Williams, who rode Jaguar Mail in the Tenno Sho, will partner the horse in Australia.

While all the attention will be on the Melbourne Cup contenders, coming with them will be an Australian-bred colt, Break A Theory (ch c 2007, Galileo (IRE)-True Doubt, by Redoute’s Choice), who will be entered for the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington three days before the Melbourne Cup.

“He’s a very interesting horse. Whereas no Australian two-year-old has raced beyond 1600m, this Galileo colt already has beaten Japanese three-year-olds over 2300m,” Carpenter said.

Break The Theory, who cost $50,000 as a yearling at the 2009 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale (Morning Rise draft), is trained by Hiroshi Miyamoto.

The colt’s dam, True Doubt, is a half-sister to the dual Group 1 winner Road To Rock (by Encosta De Lago), who has been retired to stand at stud in New Zealand this spring.