Two Japanese horses, Unicorn Lion and Ho O Amazon, are expected to enter quarantine next week before joining the record contingent of overseas raiders descending on the Sydney autumn carnival.
It will be the first time since 2020 that Japan has been represented in The Championships, while the 18 horses who arrived at the Canterbury Quarantine Centre from Europe last Saturday are the largest international posse yet.
Nine of the Europeans will race for international trainers with the remainder joining local stables and the Australian Turf Club’s James Ross expects several to make their presence felt during The Championships.
“We have had eighteen horses arrive at the Canterbury Quarantine Centre this year for The Championships, which is by far and away our biggest set of horses,” Ross said from Canterbury on Wednesday.
“It’s an interesting set as we have a number of high-quality horses going to local trainers, but we also have a strong international contingent from William Haggas, who has four horses here, and Joseph O’Brien with five.”
The Haggas and O’Brien horses were given a trot and canter on the grass track at Canterbury on Wednesday with the Haggas-trained Purplepay and O’Brien’s Statement both holding nominations for Saturday week’s Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill.
Purplepay’s stablemate Protagonist could also step out at the same meeting in the Sky High Stakes (2000m).
Haggas’ assistant trainer Isabella Paul, who has travelled to Sydney previously with three-time Australian Group 1 winner Addeybb, said the plan was to run Purplepay in the Coolmore Classic provided she continued to please them.
“She has travelled really well, her weight is good, her temperature is good, she’s eating well so all being well, I think that’s the plan,” Paul said.
“But we will just have to see how she goes from here.”
The Japanese raiders, both prepared by Yoshito Yahagi who trained 2019 Cox Plate winner Lys Gracieux, are due to arrive in Sydney on March 20, Ho O Amazon having been entered for the Doncaster Mile (1600m) and Unicorn Lion the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).
“They are trained by, I believe, one of the best trainers not only in Japan, but one of the best trainers in the world in Yoshito Yahagi who prepared Panthalassa to win the Saudi Cup last weekend,” Ross said.
“Unicorn Lion is really interesting. It is exciting to have a horse of his quality coming for The Championships.
“He is a very diverse horse, he has raced over a number of different distances, and he competed in the Japan Cup over 2400-metres in November. But 2000-metres is a pet distance for him.”
Ciaron Maher and Adrian Bott were both at Canterbury to check on their respective imports and the pair were pleased with what they saw.
Bott and training partner Gai Waterhouse are welcoming multiple Group 1-winning English sprinter Alcohol Free and French galloper Osmose, while Maher is taking over four of the arrivals, including Duke De Sessa.
“I love ‘the Duke’, he has a lot of X factor about him,” Maher said.
“I thought a race like the Doncaster wouldn’t be out of his reach down in the weights.”