Mitsumasa Nakauchida believes Liberty Island is back on song and can consign her G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) disappointment to the one-off blip bin when she clashes with Hong Kong champion Romantic Warrior in the G1 Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin on December 8.
Last year’s dominant JRA (Japan Racing Association) Fillies’ Triple Crown winner ended 2023 with a fine second behind the mighty Equinox in the G1 Japan Cup, but she has raced only twice since during an injury-hit 2024. This campaign has brought a late-closing third in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic in March, and 13th in the Tenno Sho at the end of October when she “blew up.”
Nakauchida told Idol Horse that Liberty Island was short of full race-fitness for the Kyoto contest due to a setback just weeks before, but that she has been working like her old self ahead of her Hong Kong assignment.
“She ran out of gas in the Tenno Sho,” the Ritto-based trainer said. “Looking back at her training programme, we didn’t have enough time to prepare her up to her best form. She was probably only about 70 per cent, because one month before she came back into my stable, she had a little setback with her feet, she has always had difficult feet.
“It was nothing serious, a very minor problem, but it took a week to 10 days to see how she progressed and then we had confidence that we could proceed to train her for the race. But by the time she went into full training, we had literally three weeks to prepare her. Looking back, that wasn’t enough time to get ready for such a hard Grade 1 race.
“They went slow in the early part of the Tenno Sho but there was no slowing down in the middle part, so she had no chance to get into her rhythm. Usually, before she quickens, she takes a big breath before she kicks on again, but she didn’t have a chance to do that.”
Nakauchida has taken the positive view that the race was necessary if the filly was to be ready for the Hong Kong Cup, and she has flourished since.
“I’m very pleased with her. She gained her weight back very quickly and she is moving much better now,” he said, adding that the relatively “minor” off-fore suspensory injury that kept her off the race track from March until October has healed and is no longer a concern.
With a flight out of Kansai airport to Hong Kong booked for Wednesday, November 27, Nakauchida gave Liberty Island her final fast work at Ritto on Monday morning and she looked like a horse in fine physical condition. The four-year-old quickened through the concluding furlong of her gallop in 11.2 seconds, under her regular work rider Yuya Katayama, who will carry on those duties at Sha Tin just as he did in Dubai earlier this year.
“It went very nicely,” Nakauchida said. “She settled down nicely and she quickened up like she usually does. Her movement was so smooth, and she galloped out really strongly, so she had plenty left: we didn’t squeeze the lemon out.”
The trainer is also happy that his filly will land in Hong Kong a week and a half before the Hong Kong International Races, although he pointed out that the timing of the flight was outside of his control.
“We don’t have a choice because we are leaving from Kansai and that’s the scheduled flight from there. The horses from Miho, they leave from Narita and they depart on a different day,” he said.
“It will work better for us, though. She learns from every experience, and in Dubai, when she first arrived there she was a little bit nervous and naïve in the new environment, but after a few days she got used to it. She needed time to settle down and be herself again in Dubai, so it will help that she arrives in Hong Kong quite early.”
Nakauchida is looking forward to testing Liberty Island on the international stage again and is particularly thrilled at the prospect of facing the brilliant Romantic Warrior, a champion seeking a historic third victory in his home track’s biggest race.
“You have to respect Romantic Warrior, he is probably the best horse in the world over 2000 metres,” he said. “Even when he came to the Yasuda Kinen over one mile, no one could beat him, so he’s probably the best horse and we have to respect him. But, at the same time, we will be honoured to race him and we will find out how good my filly is. It will be a good race.
“The draw will play a big part in the race. But the way they usually run (fast to the first turn and then steadier in the middle part) will give her a big chance to breathe as well.”
Liberty Island could have stayed in Japan for last Sunday’s Japan Cup or the G1 Arima Kinen on December 22, but connections decided the Hong Kong option was the one most suitable and Nakauchida explained why.
“I think the Japan Cup came too quickly for her after she didn’t run up to her usual performance,” he said. “We needed more time to make sure she was fine, and to go back and get more training into her. I also think 2000 metres is better for her than 2400 metres at Tokyo. Regarding the Arima Kinen, 2500 metres at Nakayama is a very tricky race. You’re going around the turn three times whereas the 2000m is only two turns, so it’s a simpler race.”
“We have to look at the international stage for Liberty Island,” Nakauchida added. “She is rated quite high and she needs to be competing in the world-class races. I’m sure racing fans would love to see her on the international stage so we ought to consider those options.” ∎
