The blue-blooded European gallopers heading to the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups might have endured a nightmare trip because of their plane delay in the Middle East, but for their Japanese counterparts there was an equally alarming issue to deal with – the typhoon that hit south east Asia just before they were due to fly to Australia.
Representatives of Team Kubota – the father (Yoshiro) and son (Yashushi) combination which own the two Japanese Cups contenders Sole Impact and Chestnut Coat – arrived at the quarantine centre at Werribee on Wednesday and revealed that they were lucky to beat the adverse weather conditions and get to Australia as planned.
Sole Impact at Racing Victoria's quarantine centre at Werribee.
Photo: AAP
''It made a lot of trouble. The JRA cancelled racing two days in a row. I shouldn't say anything about it, but it made for fortune for us travelling. I don't want to say much because many people died,'' said Hirofumi Toda, Sole Impact's trainer, as he told how the ravaging impacts of Typhoon Trami almost disrupted their travel arrangements.
Luckily for the horses in question they made the trip without any problems, touching down in Melbourne on Monday afternoon.
Before that they had completed their preparation with some fast work on their home turf.
Toda, who also rides Sole Impact in his work, said: ''We worked before the travelling day. Two days before, we had six furlongs good fast work, fitness wise he should be okay. He lost a little weight for travelling.''
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Chestnut Coat, who is owned by Yasushi Kubota, is higher rated than his travelling companion and is guaranteed a start in the Cups. Sole Impact may struggle to get a run in the Caulfield Cup and he will probably have to win his way into the Melbourne Cup.
His trainer said he could use any tactics on the horse in a race and it made little difference.
Chestnut Coat takes his first steps in Australia.
Photo: Racing Victoria
''Basically he wanted to run in front, but it depends on the tempo, he is very flexible, everything he can do.''
He said that the one thing he would focus on in the lead up was the horse's weight, lest he ''do'' too well and put on too much condition at Werribee.
''I really consider one thing, the horse's weight. The weather is super nice, the horse looks like he really enjoys it. Sole impact might get fatter,'' he said with a smile.
''The plan is if we are unable to run in the Caulfield Cup we will go to the Geelong Cup. I will be flexible. Sole Impact really runs well over 2400 metres. I am not worried about the distance. His record over 2400m is good, he has a really good result in group races in Japan. He always hits the board. As long as the horse has a distance he can perform really well."
Chestnut Coat is trained by Katsuichi Kaizawa and boasts top quality form in his homeland having finished fifth in Japan's premier staying race the Tenno Sho.
He too had fast work at Tokyo racecourse before travelling.
Michael Lynch, The Age's expert on soccer, has had extensive experience of high level journalism in the UK and Australia. Michael has covered the Socceroos through Asia, Europe and South America in their past three World Cup campaigns. He has also reported on Grands Prix and top class motor sport from Asia and Europe. He has won several national media awards for both sports and industry journalism.
