NEWMARKET, England// Japan may be one of the more insular racing jurisdictions, but as Meydan racecourse bore witness to in March, when Victoire Pisa won the Dubai World Cup, they do not send challengers abroad lightly.
It brings into focus the raid on Royal Ascot on Tuesday by Grand Prix Boss, the crack miler from Japan sent to Britain by the trainer Yoshito Yahagi.
Grand Prix Boss will line up in the Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes against Frankel, the impressive English 2000 Guineas winner who is officially ranked alongside Black Caviar, the Australian sprinter, as the best thoroughbreds on the planet.
It will be a clash to savour, coming as the third Group 1 race on a thrilling opening to the five-day Royal Meeting. Although Frankel commands box office audiences in England, his burgeoning status has not gone unnoticed in the Land of the Rising Sun, according to Keita Tanaka, the racing manager to owners Grand Prix Co.
"Everyone knows Frankel in Japan," Tanaka said. "He's a superstar. It's an honour to race against him and the fans back home are looking forward to it.
"Every horse has a chance and we've brought the best three-year-old miler in Japan, which is equivalent to Frankel, so it's very exciting."
Grand Prix Boss will become the first Japanese horse to race in Britain since 2006, when Heart's Cry finished third to Hurricane Run in the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.
He follows a little-known path to Europe set out by Heart's Cry, and followed by the likes of Deep Impact and Nakayama Festa, who both performed with credit in the Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe.
Nakayama Festa pushed Workforce to within a head in Paris eight months ago, and Tanaka said that Grand Prix Boss has the right profile to go one better.
"We have brought the right horse," Tanaka said. "He is very adaptable. It is the main reason why we brought him over.
"Ascot is a very tricky track, but he has won at Nakayama in Japan, which has a very steep uphill also. He ran pretty close to the course record there, so we are hopeful." Victoire Pisa's success in Dubai owed a lot to the tactical brilliance of Mirco Demuro, the Italian jockey. Demuro made an audacious move mid-race to take the contest by the scruff of the neck.
Tanaka points out that three of Grand Prix Boss's four wins have been with non-Japanese jockeys on board
"Sometimes the horse is very keen. Most of the good foreign jockeys have the skill to make him relax, Tanaka said. "Mirco's ride in the Dubai World Cup was excellent. He is the most successful foreign jockey in Japan and knows how to handle Japanese horses.
"We are planning to travel to Dubai maybe next year as the prize money is so good. As for Ascot, it is not about money. I've never been before, and I've had to get my top hat and tails. I think I'm going to look very funny in that outfit."
sports@thenational.ae
Company Profile
Company name: Hoopla
Date started: March 2023
Founder: Jacqueline Perrottet
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Investment required: $500,000
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
UPI+facts
More+than+2.2+million+Indian+tourists+arrived+in+UAE+in+2023
More+than+3.5+million+Indians+reside+in+UAE
Indian+tourists+can+make+purchases+in+UAE+using+rupee+accounts+in+India+through+QR-code-based+UPI+real-time+payment+systems
Indian+residents+in+UAE+can+use+their+non-resident+NRO+and+NRE+accounts+held+in+Indian+banks+linked+to+a+UAE+mobile+number+for+UPI+transactions
Schedule:
Friday, January 12: Six fourball matches
Saturday, January 13: Six foursome (alternate shot) matches
Sunday, January 14: 12 singles
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
Scores
Day 2
New Zealand 153 & 56-1
Pakistan 227
New Zealand trail by 18 runs with nine wickets remaining
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Company Profile
Name: HyveGeo
Started: 2023
Founders: Abdulaziz bin Redha, Dr Samsurin Welch, Eva Morales and Dr Harjit Singh
Based: Cambridge and Dubai
Number of employees: 8
Industry: Sustainability & Environment
Funding: $200,000 plus undisclosed grant
Investors: Venture capital and government
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
Company Profile
Name: Direct Debit System
Started: Sept 2017
Based: UAE with a subsidiary in the UK
Industry: FinTech
Funding: Undisclosed
Investors: Elaine Jones
Number of employees: 8
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
Results
5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden+(PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Reem Baynounah, Fernando Jara+(jockey), Mohamed Daggash+(trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden+(PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Afham, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige+(PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige+(PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1+(PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Adrie de Vries, Jean de Roualle
7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed+(TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Haqeeqy, Dane O’Neill, John Hyde.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends
Company Profile
Company name: Namara
Started: June 2022
Founder: Mohammed Alnamara
Based: Dubai
Sector: Microfinance
Current number of staff: 16
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Family offices