Britain's Ryan Moore rode to his second career Japan Cup victory on Sunday, navigating a congested pack atop third favorite Vela Azul, a first-time Grade 1 winner.
Vela Azul beat favorite Shahryar by three-quarters of a length, after both had blown past third-placed Weltreisende over the final hundred meters of the 2,400-meter turf race at Tokyo Racecourse.
Both Vela Azul — a turf-course novice — and Shahryar were stuck in the middle of the pack for most of the race before making their break at the final turn.
"He's only switched to grass for his last five races and he's been improving," Moore said of Vela Azul.
"I was expecting him to be more of a galloper. The pace was very slow and he had no room the whole race. But when he did get room he quickened up very well. He surprised me with the turn of foot that he showed."
Shahryar, ridden by Cristian Demuro, took a circuitous route to the lead, going wide on the outside, while 5-year-old Vela Azul weaved his way through the thick of the field before bursting through the narrow gap between the favorite and Weltreisende.
"For a Japan Cup it was very steadily run. It was a congested field and he had to find a path," said Moore, who previously won the Japan Cup in 2013 aboard Gentildonna.