Japanese star Daring Tact ready for Hong Kong debut on Sunday

A stellar card at Sha Tin on Sunday sees the Hong Kong debut of brilliant Japanese filly Daring Tact – and racegoers in Europe could get to see her in action at some stage in the future.

Winner of the Fillies’ Triple Crown in her homeland in 2020, the Haruki Sugiyama-trained four-year-old is all set for the FWD QEII Cup, where she will be part of a four-pronged Japanese attack on the Group One prize.

Joining her in the 10-furlong feature is Dubai Sheema Classic third Loves Only You, Glory Vase and Kiseki.

Daring Tact – who runs in the colours of Makio Okada’s Normandy Thoroughbred Racing Co Ltd – was third in the Japan Cup to Almond Eye and Contrail in November, and returned with a narrow defeat in March.

Progression is expected from that outing, and Okada said: “Generally speaking, fillies and mares are more difficult to train in winter and early spring than colts.

“Daring Tact is covered by a long coat during the winter break and she was not 100 per cent fit on the day of Kinko Sho in March. And it was a competitive field and the ground was testing, therefore I think she ran well enough for her seasonal debut.

“After the Kinko Sho, her condition has been improving significantly.”

Reflecting on her run in a top-class renewal of the Japan Cup, Okada said: “I am sure it was a great race and Daring Tact ran very bravely. At the top of home stretch, I had a feeling that she might be well beaten, but she bounced back and finished very strongly.

“That performance gave me the conviction that Daring Tact is a class horse.”

On the subject of travelling outside of Japan, Okada said: “Her trainer Haruki Sugiyama is very keen for an international campaign, as he is convinced Daring Tact should be competitive at everywhere in the world. As we talked about the plan for the first half of 2021, we have found the QEII Cup is a suitable race.

“After the QEII Cup, I believe the next start is the Group One Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin in June. And if Daring Tact runs well both in the QEII Cup and Takarazuka Kinen, I think we have to think about the campaign in Europe and, in my opinion, we should consider major races in United States as well.”

Looking ahead to this weekend’s race, Okada said: “It is a quality field and I know this is not an easy task for Daring Tact. The Japanese team is strong and local runners are tough at Sha Tin.

“But if Daring Tact runs her own race, I believe she should run well.”

He added: “Honestly speaking, I think her best trip is 2400 metres (mile and a half). But she won the Group One Shuka Sho over 2000m and I do not think the distance is a problem.

“She is a versatile horse and I believe Daring Tact can handle the Sha Tin track well.”

Tomohito Ozeki is confident Glory Vase can reprise a winning Hong Kong habit and add to Japan’s imposing record in the HK$25 million G1 FWD QEII Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (25 April).

Bidding to join Eishin Preston (2002 & 2003), Rulership (2012), Neorealism (2017) and Win Bright (2019) on the prestige contest’s honour roll, Glory Vase’s success in the 2019 G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m) remains a significant reminder of the six-year-old’s capacity to travel and succeed.

Ozeki is delighted with the son of Deep Impact’s condition since his arrival at Sha Tin last week and expects another stellar performance on Sunday.

“The horse is in great condition. It’s the second time we’ve come to Hong Kong and it’s made a difference to how he’s travelled and settled in. He’s very relaxed at the moment,” Ozeki said.

“He lost condition in the travel than he did last time, so he’s a happy horse and everything is on track.”

Ozeki said the triumphant 2019 Vase foray was a prime factor in returning to Hong Kong where, at the weekend, Glory Vase will square off against the cream of Japanese staying ranks in a clash with Daring Tact, Kiseki and Loves Only You as well as reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year Exultant, Glorious Dragon and Time Warp.

Typically, Ozeki remains quietly confident after Glory Vase’s last start fourth in the G2 Kinko Sho (2000m) behind Daring Tact (second) but ahead of Kiseki (fifth) on 14 March.

“I have enormous respect for the quality of the other horses in the race. I’m very confident in my own horse that he has what it takes to get a win. So, I’m confident of running well against the other horses and confident of getting a result,” Ozeki said.

“A lot of his runs have been over further distances, two starts back, he ran very well in a high-paced Japan Cup over 2400 metres. Even though it was a strong pace in that race, he was able to get into a relatively good position – a forward position – and run well (finishing fifth behind Almond Eye, Contrail and Daring Tact).

“Since then, last start was the first time over 2000 metres for a while. The track condition wasn’t fantastic that day. They had rain and that made it unsuitable for the horse, but we were still very happy with the run.

“So, off the back of that last-start 2000 metres race, the thoughts were there to aim for this race. He’s quite comfortable with this trip.”

The veteran of just 14 starts, Glory Vase has been sparingly raced simply because decent breaks between runs suit the horse.

“He may not be the most robust horse out there but by no means has he had any serious issues or anything like that,” Ozeki said.

“His runs are spaced and we’re in constant discussions with connections about finding the best races to suit him and to target those races accordingly.

“He is quite a young six-year-old, he’s shown growth and improvement over the last two years so the horse is in very good condition and we’ve been focusing on the races best suited to him.”

Karis Teetan will partner Glory Vase on Thursday morning (22 April) in a familiarisation exercise.

The Mauritian is excited to accompany a horse of such impressive calibre.

“I can’t wait for the race. Of course, his win in the (2019 LONGINES) Vase was very impressive when he came here. He looks magnificent. I’m really excited,” Teetan said.

“You have to respect Japanese horses when they travel. When they travel to Hong Kong, they have been super strong in the last couple of years.

“It’s always been a dream for me that when the Japanese horses come to Hong Kong to get on one of them because I know they will be very competitive here because on their home ground they are so strong.

“They produce so many great horses. This is a great opportunity for me.”