Chukyo Racecourse

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...

Mad Cool (Jpn) (Dark Angel {Ire}--Mad About You {Ire}, by Indian Ridge {Ire}) climbed the Group 1 heights with a head victory in the 1200-metre ¥329,400,000 G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen at Chukyo on Sunday. Namura Clair (Jpn) (Mikki Isle {Jpn}) was runner-up for the second consecutive year, with the duo three lengths ahead of Hong Kong raider and G1 Centenary Sprint Cup scorer Victor The Winner (Aus) (Toronado {Ire}) in third. It was a dogfight for pacesetting duties between Mad Cool and Victor The Winner from the bell, with the former...