Japanese galloper out of NZ Group 1 winner takes on big guns in Sunday’s feature.
It has been a long time since an Australasian-trained runner has made a serious impact on the Japan Cup, but it is not as if our influence on what one of the world's great races has been totally nullified.
Northern Farm has gathered a collection of quality mares from Australia and New Zealand in the past decade or so and last year Liberty Island, who is a daughter of Group 1-winning All American mare Yankee Rose, beat home all bar Equinox in the Japan Cup.
This year Durezza is the Australasian bloodstock world's closest link to the 2400-metre Group 1.
The Tomohito Ozeki-trained entire is by Liberty Island's sire Duramente, but from a mare racing fans on either side of the Tasman might remember.
He is from More Than Ready mare More Than Sacred, who won the 2013 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) and placed in an Auckland Cup (3200m) when it was a Group 1 for Tony Pike before being bought by Katsumi Yoshida and transferred to Robert Smerdon.
More Than Sacred finished second in a Cranbourne Cup (2025m) and fourth in a Geelong Cup (2400m) before being exported to Japan, where her first to race was nine-time Sacred King (Lord Kanaloa).
Her only to race prior to Durezza was Sympathique, a son of Just A Way, who won seven from 62.
Fourth foal Divinest (Real Steel) is a five-start maiden and Rey De Oro two-year-old filly Reina Sagrada has just one start for an eighth placing over 1800m.
More Than Sacred was subsequently purchased by Yulong and was last year covered by Frankel to Southern Hemisphere time.
Durezza is an outsider on Sunday off a fifth placing in the Group 1 Champions Stakes (2012m) at his most recent appearance, which followed a 15th placing in the autumn edition of the Tenno Sho (3200m), but he is a winner at the highest level, having won last year's Kikuka Sho (3000m).
Favourite for this year's Japan Cup is star local filly Cirvinia (Harbinger) from spring Tenno Sho winner Do Deuce (Heart's Cry), while the retiring Auguste Rodin (Deep Impact) and French star Goliath (Adlerflug) head up a stronger-than-usual set of international competitors.
