Lemon Pop Defends Champions Cup Title in His Farewell Race

First favorite Lemon Pop won a close race in the 25th Champions Cup on Sunday, December 1 at Chukyo Racecourse to become the first horse to defend the race title since Transcend in 2010 and 2011.

At the time of Transcend's back-to-back wins, the race was known as the Japan Cup Dirt.

Lemon Pop, who earned the Japan Racing Association's 2023 Best Dirt Horse award, triumphed in his final race. Winner of 13 out of 18 career starts, he's now retired and will stand as a stallion at Darley Japan Stallion Complex in 2025.

On Sunday, trainer Hiroyasu Tanaka claimed his third JRA Grade 1 victory following last year's Champions Cup with this horse. 

Jockey Ryusei Sakai collected his sixth G1 win after picking up his most recent top-level triumph in March 2024's Takamatsunomiya Kinen with Mad Cool.

Strong Start Pays Off for Lemon Pop

Lemon Pop broke smoothly from the inner gate and assumed command after rallying for the lead with Mitono O (guided by jockey Kohei Matsuyama). The 6-year-old son of Lemon Drop Kid continued to set the pace, pulling away persistently after entering the lane. 

And although challenged with an incredible late charge by Wilson Tesoro (Yuga Kawada's ride) before the wire, Lemon Pop managed to defend his title with a photo-finish victory.

Lemon Pop completed the 1,800-meter race in 1 minute, 50.1 seconds. (Watch the full race on the JRA's YouTube channel.)

Sakai Reacts to Victory in the 25th Champions Cup

"It was his last race and I'm glad that he was able to end his career with the best result," Sakai said after the race. "I wanted to ride him as smoothly as possible without any loss and was ready for any challenge."

Added Sakai, "I thought we had won but wasn't quite sure because Wilson Tesoro came from behind with great speed, so I'm glad we were able to win. Lemon Pop is a strong horse — he has won six out of six G1-class races in Japan — there's no other horse like him, and I'm proud to have been on his back."

Sakai is one of five jockeys with 100 or more wins in JRA races in 2024. He has 107 wins, putting him in fourth place.

Chasing a Victory in the Champions Cup 

Second pick Wilson Tesoro, the 2023 Champions Cup runner-up, traveled around eighth, dropped position rounding the last corner, switched to the outside at the early stretch to accelerate powerfully with the fastest late drive and nearly caught the winner. But he was a nose short at the wire to finish second again this year. 

Ninth choice Dura Erede (Ryan Moore) saved ground inside Wilson Tesoro in mid-division, showing tenacious effort on the rails while clocking the third-fastest speed over the last 600 meters (36.4 seconds). And while failing to threaten the top two finishers, Dura Erede secured third place as he did last year, finishing 1½ lengths behind the runner-up.

Sixth favorite Hagino Alegrias (Mirai Iwata) finished fourth and Peptide Nile (Yusuke Fujioka) rounded out the top five in the 16-horse field. 

A Look Ahead

The Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, on Sunday, December 8 at Hanshin Racecourse in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, is the next G1 race on the JRA's 2024 calendar. 

Read the full report, including details on each of the Mile Championship entrants, on JRA News.

RELATED:

• Champions Cup Preview: 1,800-Meter Dirt Spectacle Grabs the Spotlight
• Japan Cup: Do Deuce Completes a Magnificent Comeback to Win the G1 Race
• Lemon Pop Claims Wire-to-Wire Victory in the 24th Champions Cup

Author: JRA News