By Heather Anderson
Last year's JRA Best Dirt Horse Lemon Pop (Lemon Drop Kid) will attempt to go out a winner in his final start when defending his title in the 1800-metre G1 Champions Cup at Chukyo on Sunday.
The 6-year-old entire and 2023 G1 February Cup hero has finished first or second in all 17 starts barring a 10th-place run in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen in March of 2023 and when 12th in the G1 Saudi Cup in Saudi Arabia this February. Since the Saudi Cup, he returned to Japan and won the Listed Sakitama Hai in the slop at Urawa cutting back to 1400 metres in June. His warmup for this was a defeat of 2024 G1 February Stakes hero Peptide Nile (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) in a title defence of the Listed Mile Championship Nambu Hai at Morioka on Oct. 14.
Trainer Hiroyasu Tanaka said, “We've given him his usual training, but have also run him over a slightly longer distance. He's still physically strong, and the jockey [Ryusei Sakai] is pleased with him, saying that he's running up to his usual level. The Champions Cup will be his last race, so I'm hoping for a good run.”
Since his February Stakes triumph over Gaia Force (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}), Peptide Nile ran third in the Listed Kashiwa Kinen in May prior to his second to Lemon Pop, while trainer Hidenori Take said, “He came back from the farm in good condition. He's been running well in training now he's back at the stable, with his usual pattern of work as the race gets closer. Hopefully he'll get into a good position behind the leading horses, and he'll find a good rhythm throughout the race.”
Runner-up to Lemon Pop in last year's edition of the Champions Cup, Wilson Tesoro (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) enters on the back of a victory in the Listed JBC Classic over 2000 metres on Nov. 4. Second in the 2023 G1 Tokyo Daishoten last December, he was unplaced in the G1 February Stakes, but was not disgraced when fourth in the G1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan. He was second in June's Listed Teio Sho and in the G3 Korea Cup in September, the latter to Crown Pride (Jpn) (Reach The Crown {Jpn}).
Said trainer Hitoshi Kotegawa, “His experience overseas has made him a stronger horse this year, both physically and mentally, and his muscles make him look like a dirt horse now. There's no tiredness about him after his last race, and we've trained him for this next one.”
Other horses to keep an eye on in the Champions Cup all won their previous start: Hagino Alegrias (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) is now a dual G3 Sirius Stakes winner, the G3 Miyako Stakes went to Sunrise Zipangu (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), and T O Drefong (Jpn) (Drefong) and Gloria Mundi (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) each starred at listed level.
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