There is no questioning the quality and strength of the Japanese thoroughbred and Australia has been a happy hunting ground in recent years so it was no surprise when Mer De Glace (JPN) came with a barnstorming finish to win Saturday’s $5,000,000 Group 1 Stella Artois Caulfield Cup (2400m).
The Hisashi Shimizu-trained son of Rulership (JPN) came to Australia in red-hot form winning his last five starts, the final three at Group III level.
Damian Lane was in the saddle in two of those occasions and he took the reins again in the Caulfield Cup.
Well back in the field early, Mer De Grace (JPN) stormed home to defeat local hope Vow And Declare (Declaration Of War) by a length with Mirage Dancer (GB) (Frankel) a head back in third.
“He’s not much to look at but he’s a tradesman,” Lane said.
“He just keeps turning up and winning. Not many horses win five on the bounce in Japan.
"Connections were really happy to come because it looked like he was going to get 53 kilos.
"But then he won again and it was questionable because he was going to go up to 55.5 (kilos).
"I begged them to come because I knew 55.5 was still a winnable weight.
"It's a big effort to get him here in the order they did and I'm just so happy to be a part of it."
It was the second Caulfield Cup for Japan following the ill-fated Admire Rakti in 2014.
In banking the 3,150,000 winners cheque Mer De Glace (JPN) advances his record to 8 wins, 2 seconds and 5 thirds from 18 starts.
His sire, the Group 1 HKJC Queen Elizabeth II Cup winner Rulership (King Kamehameha) had a big day in Australia as he also sired the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Hush Writer the all-the-way winner of the $500,000 ATC St Leger Stakes (2600m) at Randwick.
Mer De Glace (JPN) is the best of four winners out of the 3-time winning Sunday Silence mare Glacier Blue a half-sister to the stakes-winner Grass Bomber (Machiavellian).
Allotted 55kg in the Melbourne Cup, Mer De Grace (JPN) is eligible for a penalty.
"We will see how the horse pulls up and talk to the owners about whether we go on to the Melbourne Cup," Shimizu said.
"It means so much to win this race."
Japan has one of the top chances in next weeks Cox Plate at Moonee Valley with the top-class Lys Glacieux who won the G1 Takarazuka Kinen (2200m) at Hanshin in June with Damian Lane in the saddle and has placed twice the highest level in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Vase (2400m) last November and the QEII Cup (2000m) in April.
