Oisin Murphy guided the improving stayer to success in Riyadh
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Special for Turf Diario) – Oisin Murphy continued his fantastic night at the Saudi Cup by guiding the Japanese Byzantine Dream (Epiphaneia) to victory in the Longines Red Sea Turf Handicap (G3), a race worth $2.5 million.
The 4-year-old, trained by Tomoyasu Sakaguchi, was one of the rising stars among the participants in the 3000-meter race. The multiple British champion positioned himself near the back as Gregory (Golden Horn) took the lead.
With 400 meters to go, Presage Nocturne (Wootton Bassett) made a move for glory, but it was Byzantine Dream who quickly seized control, sliding toward the rail. However, the Japanese horse had to push to the limit as the Irish Epic Poet(Lope de Vega), who had been stuck in traffic, finally found room, with jockey Danny Tudhope reducing the margin to a length and a quarter. The final time was 3m6s630.
After the remarkable performance by Byzantine Dream, the celebrated Oisin Murphy commented: "He broke well, but I thought the pace would be reasonable, and they went faster than I expected. He felt incredible, although I had only slept about two hours before riding him, but it was worth it.
"These are very familiar colors [Kazumi Yoshida], and it was great to wear them and ride this horse. He had a good performance in the Japanese St Leger, where he was defeated by just 4 lengths, and that was enough here.
"He has a great change of pace, and I never had to fight him in the mouth during the race, which always helps. From the moment we crossed the finishing line for the first time, I knew that if everything went well, I would win."
Trainer Tomoyasu Sakaguchi added: "I had high expectations for this race, as the track suited him perfectly. He traveled in great form, much better than expected, and he was training excellently. Everything went perfect. We haven’t decided on the future plan yet, but I’m very proud to be part of the winning Japanese team tonight."
