Group 1 winner Masquerade Ball brings top-class Japanese form to Sha Tin as he spearheads a three-strong challenge for the HK$30 million G1 FWD QEII Cup (2000m) on Sunday, 26 April.

The four-year-old finished second in last year’s G1 Japanese Derby (2400m), captured his first Group 1 title in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) (2000m), and was narrowly beaten by Calandagan in a thrilling G1 Japan Cup (2400m), going down by a neck. His performances marked him as one of Japan’s leading middle-distance horses.

Originally aimed at the Dubai World Cup, a subsequent plan to run Masquerade Ball in the G1 Osaka Hai (2000m) was abandoned after he showed discomfort in his left hind leg. He recovered sufficiently for connections to accept an invitation to compete on FWD Champions Day, alongside fellow Japanese challengers June Take and Giovanni.

By Duramente out of Mask Off (by Deep Impact), he began his career with two wins but finished 11th in the G1 Hopeful Stakes (2000m). He rebounded to finish third in the G1 Satsuki Sho (2000m) before his high-class effort in the Japanese Derby, finishing second to Croix du Nord.

After a break, he defeated older horses in the Tenno Sho (Autumn), becoming the sixth three-year-old to win the race. He followed that with a strong second in the Japan Cup after a sustained duel with Calandagan.

“The pace was completely different from the Tenno Sho,” trainer Takahisa Tezuka said of the Japan Cup run. “It made things tougher for him. He became unbalanced around the final turns, but it was only a narrow margin. The winner was exceptional. He showed how good he is in unfamiliar surroundings.”

Masquerade Ball has been trained with the FWD QEII Cup firmly in mind, and in his final workout before departing Japan, he covered 1200m in 1m 21.9s, finishing strongly.

“He has improved with each workout and is now in good condition,” Tezuka said. “This will be his first run in five months, and against strong opposition, he must be fully prepared. This has been his most solid preparation since returning to the training center.
“Compared to last year, he is physically stronger and mentally more mature. This is not a race you can win half-prepared, so we made sure he was ready before travelling.

“Romantic Warrior is a top-class horse and we respect him. He has been dominant in Hong Kong, and we are the challengers. Japanese horses have not beaten him here, so we need to be at our best.”

Tetsuya Yoshida, the president of Shadai Race Horse, owners of Masquerade Ball, said: “Dubai was originally the plan, but we decided against travelling. After the Japan Cup, the horse received a very high international rating, and we wanted the opportunity to take on top-class opposition. That is why we chose this race.

“When we talk about strong rivals, Romantic Warrior is the one that stands out. We’ve faced him several times with Prognosis, and we came close on a few occasions, but couldn’t beat him,” he added. “We want to take him on. As for the 2000m, it’s not that we have no concerns at all, but we believe it is a distance where he can fully show his ability.”

By Mariko Seki

Photo: JRA