Race favourite Lemon Pop (Lemon Drop Kid) ran out a determined winner of Sunday's G1 Champions Cup at Chukyo Racecourse to become the first horse to defend the title for over a decade. It was the perfect way to bow out for Lemon Drop, who now retires to Darley Japan as the winner of 13 of his 18 career starts, with his other notable victories including the G1 February Stakes in 2023 when he was crowned the JRA Best Dirt Horse.
The 16-strong field also included the latest winner of the February Stakes in Peptide Nile (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}), latterly runner-up to Lemon Pop in the Listed Mile Championship Nambu Hai at Morioka in October, as well as the two horses who completed the frame in last year's Champions Cup, Wilson Tesoro (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) and Dura Erede (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}).
Lemon Pop broke alertly from his inside stall and was sent straight to the front by Ryusei Sakai, with Mitono O (Jpn) (Logotype {Jpn}) for company on his outside. By the home turn Lemon Pop had extended his advantage to around two lengths and the Hiroyasu Tanaka trainee kept going well from there to get the verdict by a nose from the fast-finishing Wilson Tesoro, with another length and a half back to Dura Erede in a carbon copy of last year's one-two-three. Dual G3 Sirius Stakes winner Hagino Alegrias (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) finished fourth ahead of Peptide Nile in fifth.
“It was his last race and I'm glad that he was able to end his career with the best result,” Sakai said of Lemon Pop, who became the first horse to win the race in consecutive years since Transcend (Jpn) (Wild Rush) was successful in 2010 and 2011, back when it was run as the Japan Cup Dirt.
“I wanted to ride him as smoothly as possible without any loss and was ready for any challenge. I thought we had won but wasn't quite sure because Wilson Tesoro came from behind with great speed, so I'm glad we were able to win. Lemon Pop is a strong horse–he has won six out of six Group 1-class races in Japan–and there's no other horse like him, and I'm proud to have been on his back.”
【🇯🇵 Champions Cup (G1), Chukyo, 1800m, 3yo&up, approx US$ 1.73m】
Winner: Lemon Pop(USA)
J: Ryusei Sakai
T: Hiroyasu Tanaka
Sire: Lemon Drop Kid
Dam: Unreachable#チャンピオンズカップ は、#レモンポップ が優勝！！ pic.twitter.com/FXWpTTtFcr— JRA World Racing (@JRA_WorldRacing) December 1, 2024
Pedigree Notes
Lemon Pop is one of four winners from six to the races for Unreachable, whose multiple graded-stakes winning dam Harpia is a full-sister to the legendary Danehill. The mare, who was acquired privately by Chad Schumer for $50,000 after she was led out unsold at Keeneland November in 2020, is also the dam of a two-year-old Ontario-bred colt by Maclean's Music, who fetched $310,000 at Keeneland September last fall, but was bought back on a bid of €340,000 at this year's Arqana May Breeze-Up Sale.
Sunday, Chukyo, Japan
CHAMPIONS CUP-G1, ¥232,920,000, Chukyo, 12-1, 3yo/up, 1800m, 1:50.10, gd.
1–LEMON POP, 128, h, 6, by Lemon Drop Kid
1st Dam: Unreachable, by Giant's Causeway
2nd Dam: Harpia, by Danzig
3rd Dam: Razyana, by His Majesty
($70,000 Wlg '18 KEENOV). O-Godolphin; B-Mr & Mrs Oliver S Tait (KY); T-Hiroyasu Tanaka; J-Ryusei Sakai; ¥123,444,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. Dirt Horse & MG1SW-Jpn, 18-13-3-0, ¥760,200,000. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Wilson Tesoro (Jpn), 128, h, 5, Kitasan Black (Jpn)–Chesutoke Rose, by Uncle Mo. O-Kenji Ryotokuji Holdings; B-Ryoken Farm (Jpn); ¥48,984,000.
3–Dura Erede (Jpn), 128, c, 4, Duramente (Jpn)–Marchesa (Jpn), by Orfevre (Jpn). (¥100,000,000 Ylg '21 JRHJUL). O-Three H Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥30,492,000.
Margins: NS, 1HF, 3/4. Odds: 1.20, 4.50, 41.60.
Also Ran: Hagino Alegrias (Jpn), Peptide Nile (Jpn), Sunrise Zipangu (Jpn), Ater Astrea (Jpn), Peisha Es (Jpn), Gloria Mundi (Jpn), Mitono O (Jpn), Crown Pride (Jpn), Seraphic Call (Jpn), Mick Fire (Jpn), T O Drefong (Jpn), Gaia Force (Jpn), Suleyman (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart & video.
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