Why are times at the Japan Cup so fast?

by Carl
(Burleson. TX)

Tokyo Racecourse

Yes, I wanted to know why horses who can't even break 2:29.00 for 1 1/2 anywhere else, go over and run in the Japan Cup and run in the 2:22's! What the heck is the deal? I sure wish Secretariat would have had the chance to run in Japan! Thank you.

Answer: Horse racing in Japan is a huge industry and the quality of the horse racing there is very high.

Japan bred horses have won well over 30 Group 1 races worldwide over the past 17 years, including France, Australia, Hong Kong and Dubai.

The invitational Japan Cup run on turf over 2400m (just over 1 1/2 miles) attracts the fastest horses in the world. Combine that with a fast turf surface on an easy track and it is little surprise that times are on the fast side.