Trainer Koichi Shintani, just in his fourth year as a JRA trainer based at Ritto Training Center, sent two of his best horses to Korea at the perfect time, winning both the Korea Cup (G1) and Korea Sprint (G1) in dominating fashion.
Remake, coming off a win of the NAR's Cluster Cup in mid-August, kicked off the afternoon for Shintani on Sunday, Sept. 10, claiming the Korea Sprint as the overwhelming race favorite. Korea's Beolmaui Star set the pace, chased by the other Japanese contender, Bathrat Leon. Not the quickest in the early stages, Remake travelled mid-pack and waited until the turn to attack the front runners. JRA's leading jockey Yuga Kawada rode Remake to perfection in the homestretch, waiting for the gap to open from the inside and stretched out for what ended up to be a 4-length victory. Beolmaui Star hung on for second, with second-favorite Bathrat Leon finishing in third.
Kawada had different tactics in the following race, the Korea Cup, for the other Shintani horse, Crown Pride. Drawing an outside barrier, Crown Pride jumped well, squeezed over early to settle behind the front runner, and took over the front midway through the race.
Crown Pride, who had come close several times but had yet to find the winner's circle since his win of the 2022 UAE Derby in Dubai, completely dominated the Korea Cup field in the homestretch. While his rivals dug deep in the final stages, Kawada and Crown Pride never relinquished the lead and continued to widen the margin between runner-up and compatriot, Gloria Mundi. Crown Pride finished 10 lengths ahead of Gloria Mundi, followed by local trained Winner's Man.
"I'm thrilled that I was able to deliver the best possible result on both of my rides," Kawada said after the race. "As I always say, it's my job as a jockey to lead the horse to victory after receiving the reins from the connections and, seeing the horses in good condition today, I'm relived that I was able to get the job done. There'll be more Japanese contenders running abroad in the future, and I hope to be able to show how good the Japanese horses are to the global audience."
