W Heart Bond delivered the signature performance of her career at Chukyo, becoming the first filly in ten years — and only the second since Sambista in 2015 — to capture the Champions Cup (G1). The four-year-old daughter of Kizuna combined early tactical poise with deep-stretch determination to edge Wilson Tesoro by a nose in a dramatic photo finish.
Breaking smoothly from stall 2, W Heart Bond settled two-wide in third as the field established its tempo. Jockey Ryusei Sakai kept her in clear running and allowed the filly to travel comfortably approaching the far turn. When asked, she quickened decisively, took the lead about 300 metres from the finish and then dug in as Wilson Tesoro mounted a fierce inside challenge.
The race turned into a two-horse thriller. Wilson Tesoro produced the second-fastest final three furlongs and closed resolutely, but W Heart Bond found everything she needed in the final strides to cling on by the narrowest of margins.
“She’s simply magnificent. Just making it to a G1 is tough enough, so winning it is truly amazing. Her final workout didn’t look particularly impressive but I guess she knew that the race was what mattered,”
“We didn’t have a specific race plan, so I focused on riding her while keeping an eye on our rivals. She felt good turning the final corners and I trusted that she would give her best run when she geared up as Wilson Tesoro came from the inside. She was really strong today.” — Ryusei Sakai
The victory extended W Heart Bond’s remarkable record over 1,800 metres on dirt — seven starts, seven wins — and followed her record-setting triumph in the Miyako Stakes (G3) on November 9. The result brought trainer Ryuji Okubo his fourth JRA-G1 success and gave Sakai an extraordinary third consecutive Champions Cup title after steering Lemon Pop to victory in 2023 and 2024.
Behind the top two, Ramjet overcame a slow break and traffic at the top of the stretch to launch a wide late run, producing the third-fastest closing split and grabbing third from Meisho Hario in the final strides. Race favourite Narukami tracked wide early but was crowded in the lane and faded to finish well down the order.
Selected Results
- W Heart Bond
- Wilson Tesoro (nose)
- Ramjet
- Meisho Hario
- Narukami (13th, favourite)
|
.jpg)
