RACING:IRELAND'S HOPE for Sunday's €4.5 million Japan Cup, Joshua Tree, is pleasing jockey Colm O'Donoghue on the run-up to that nation's coveted prize in racing.

Aidan O’Brien’s Canadian International winner has been drawn 12 of the 18 scheduled runners for the mile-and-a-half event where he will take on local stars such as Buena Vista and Arc runner-up Nakayama Festa. “He is in very good shape,” O’Donoghue said. “He moved great and we’re very happy with his progress. He is facing a very strong group of horses and the pace will be quite strong. But he travels very well, which will be important.”

Sunday’s race will be the Cork man’s first ride in Japan, and only one Irish-trained horse, Stanerra in 1983, has won the Japan Cup.

Six other European runners will take part while Christophe Soumillon will be on the star Japanese filly Buena Vista who has been handed an unfavourable wide draw.