Sport

Dettori and Singspiel hold on in Japan Cup

SINGSPIEL, ridden by Frankie Dettori, landed the Japan Cup in Tokyo yesterday in front of a crowd of 137,000

Mon Nov 25 1996 - 00:00

SINGSPIEL, ridden by Frankie Dettori, landed the Japan Cup in Tokyo yesterday in front of a crowd of 137,000. Michael Stoute's four-year-old netted the £1,073,993 first prize by a nose from local hope Fabulous La Fouine.

The two horses staged a neck-and-neck duel in the home straight but Singspiel (3.1-1) held on gamely for the narrow verdict. One and a quarter lengths behind in third came the dead-heaters Strategic Choice and Arc winner Helissio, the heavily-backed favourite.

"It's been one of the best days of my life," said a thrilled Dettori. "The Japan Cup is one of the richest races in the world, very famous, very prestigious. The colt was well prepared by Michael Stoute. It was a great battle and it was a wonderful race," he added.

Dettori rode two other winners in Tokyo over the weekend. He was successful in a mile event on Wise Excellent on Saturday and on Sakura in a two-year-old race yesterday.

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The tight finish was nothing new for Singspiel, who is owned by Sheikh Mohammed. "My colt is accustomed to such things. He's been in six photo finishes and beaten in five of them. Today was his day," said Stoute.

Stoute added: "We did have our worries when he ran a temperature after his arrival in Japan but thanks to the vets here and staff involved, the fever subsided and he was able to progress well.

"I did have doubts about Helissio keeping his form at such a late stage of the season after a strenuous trip to Japan, so I thought that if we were to beat Helissio, the Japan Cup would be our chance."

Helissio's rider, Olivier Peslier, said: "It was good experience for the horse, but he wasn't as good as he is normally."

Singspiel was improving on an honourable one and a quarter length second to stable companion Pilsudski in the Breeders' Cup Turf at Woodbine, Canada, on his previous start

Singspiel gave Britain only its second success in the event. Clive Brittain's Jupiter Island led a British 1-2 when defeating Guy Harwood's Allez Milord by a head 10 years ago. The three other European winners of the race were Stanerra (Ireland), Le Glorieux (France) and Lando (Germany).

Strategic Choice ran his best race since finishing a close third behind Lammtarra in last year's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes, but Geoff Wragg's Pentire was disappointingly, finishing only eight.

Helissio's defeat kept one tradition alive. In the 16 years of the Japan Cup, no winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe has ever won on the firm going of Tokyo Racecourse.