Dunlop Happy Ahead Of Ouija Japan Bid

Ouija Board is holding her condition well according to trainer Ed Dunlop ahead of her run in the Japan Cup at Tokyo racecourse on Sunday.

On her most recent outing she finished second to Intercontinental when bidding for a repeat success in the Breeders´ Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Belmont Park last month on what was only her third start of the season.

As a result of an interrupted campaign she will be one of the freshest horse in the field.

The daughter of Cape Cross will be reunited with Kieren Fallon and enjoys a favourable draw (stall six) as she returns to her optimum distance of a mile and a half.

Dunlop and owner Lord Derby have had a spring in their step this week monitoring Ouija Board´s training on a track, which looks sure to suit her style of running.

Dunlop said: 'Amazingly she still has her summer coat and her condition appears to be the equal of what it was when she went to New York for the Filly & Mare Turf.

'We were unfortunate there as there was no pace in that race and the winner enjoyed a soft lead but I´d be disappointed if it wasn´t run at a good clip here.

'What that race told me is nowadays she really does need a mile and a half and so we have to be hopeful as she always travels well off a strong pace, looks to be in the right position in the gate and has a great turn of foot.'

Asked to name a main danger to his filly, Dunlop added: 'I think Zenno Rob Roy is going to be a very hard horse to beat looking at how well he ran at York and I know his trainer Kazu Fujisawa will have him spot-on.'

Winners of the Prix de l´Arc de Triomphe have not fared too well in previous Japan Cups but the connections of Bago, successful in the Longchamp showpiece last year, are looking towards a big run from their colt.

Trainer Jonathan Pease has stuck to a rigid plan for Bago this year comprising of the Arc, in which he made the frame behind Hurricane Run, the Breeders´ Cup Turf and the Japan Cup.

Alan Cooper, racing manager to the Niarchos family, who own Bago, said: 'Bago looks good and is mentally settled in and I thought he went very well on the ground in his work the other morning.

'The going was against him in New York (when he finished fourth). It was extremely deep and compromised his action but this good, fast ground should be more favourable.'

Clive Brittain, who sent out Jupiter Island to win the race 19 years ago, has been bullish in his appraisal of Warrsan, who was behind Bago in the Arc and will have a new jockey in the shape of Jamie Spencer.

Brittain said that this season the Japan Cup has been the main objective for his globetrotting entire.

He said: 'We´ve given him less racing and spaced his races out more with the intention of bringing him here a fresher horse.

'He certainly looks in great nick and I was delighted with the way he worked in a special trial gallop at Lingfield when Jamie rode him.

'I felt he didn´t get the best of runs in the Arc but he wasn´t beaten that far and if the luck rides with us we have a very good chance on Sunday.'

Luca Cumani was forced to give the Arc a swerve when Alkaased picked up a minor injury during his preparation.

The horse was then unable to run at the Breeders´ Cup due to a bad blood count, although the ground was also unfavourable.

Like Bago, Alkaased should be much happier on the Tokyo surface and his trainer said: 'Missing out on America means he is a little fresher with less miles on the clock.

'This looks a very hot race with two Breeders´ Cup winners and an Arc winner to contend with as well as Zenno Rob Roy but I´m looking forward to it and if he produces his turn of foot he should run well.'

? PA Sport