The world’s top-rated horse Equinox claimed a stunning success in his homeland with victory in the Japan Cup.
Equinox, trained by Tetsuya Kimura, won by four lengths under Frenchman Christophe Lemaire in front of 140,000 spectators at the Tokyo Racecourse.
It was billed as the horse’s toughest test yet, but the odds-on favourite dominated a field which included six previous top-level Group One winners.
It was a sixth consecutive Group One success for the four-year-old.
Equinox, who has not been beaten since finishing second in the Japanese Derby in May 2022, passed the post clear of Liberty Island in second.
Britain’s champion jockey William Buick finished third aboard Stars On Earth while Hollie Doyle and Tom Marquand were seventh and eighth on Vela Azul and Studley respectively.