The $20 million Saudi Cup (G1) is Saturday, Feb. 14, at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and US Racing is publishing profiles of all the contenders.
Kyoko Maekawa made history a year ago as the first female to hold a training license in Japan. On Saturday, Maekawa sends out Sunrise Zipangu in the $20 million Saudi Cup (G1). Quite an achievement.
The 5-year-old bay will be making just his third start for Maekawa, his most recent on the turf when he was fifth (beaten just two lengths) over 2,500 meters (1.55 miles) in the Arima Kinen at 122-1 odds.
The Saudi Cup is 1,800 meters (1 1/8 miles), and it marks the first time the horse will race outside Japan. The shorter distance should be a help.
“Sunrise Zipangu has mainly been racing on turf recently, but he has the speed to perform well on dirt. I think that type of horse suits Saudi Arabia, and he also prefers racing anti-clockwise,” said Maekawa.
Sunrise Zipangu has won five of 20 career starts and was previously trained by Koichi Shintani. Most of his races have been on dirt, including a third-place finish behind Forever Young in the 2024 Japan Dirt Mile.
Beaten before by Forever Young and don’t see anything that can change or even give a long shot a chance at hitting the board.
Notes: Maekawa was a former assistant to Yoshito Yahagi, who trains Forever Young .... Two years ago, Maekawa was in Saudi Arabia with Yahagi: “I was deeply impressed by the hospitality – there was nothing to complain about. It is a wonderful country to be in, and it is a great honor to represent Japan at such an event.” ... Maekawa’s first winner was for Life House Co. Ltd, which owns Sunrise Zipangu.
Richard Rosenblatt is an award-winning journalist and former Associated Press Horse Racing Editor. Currently, he serves as the news editor at US Racing, overseeing exclusive content from contributors worldwide.
