Japan’s racehorses are now nearly unstoppable. This year again, they ran in races in the Middle East, Hong Kong, Australia and the United States. In particular, their records impressed fans in Saudi Arabia and Dubai, where they were dispatched in large numbers.

On Feb. 25, Panthalassa came out victorious in Saudi Arabia’s Saudi Cup, winning the first-place prize money of some $10 million. The Saudi Cup is an ultralarge-purse race, offering the first-place prize money far exceeding the about ¥500 million ($3.67 million) offered by Arima Kinen or the Japan Cup. Even a TV program that does not usually cover horse races featured the event prominently. A month later on March 25, Japanese horses again pulled off victories at Dubai World Cup Day.

It is a festival where six Grade-1 races are held in one day. The outcome of the Dubai Sheema Classic was even more impressive than Ushba Tesoro’s exciting winning dash on the final stretch in the Dubai World Cup, the main race. Equinox, last year’s Japanese horse of the year, led from wire to wire, finishing with a course record. The perfect victory, achieved without requiring much spurring, excited fans around the world.