Reigning champion trainer John Size was not about to ignite any optimism about his chances of holding the title, despite landing a four timer at Sha Tin, and his major concern was that ATV Cup hero Sight Winner had been waved away by Japanese racing officials.
A visitor to the Yasuda Kinen in the past two seasons, including a cracking close-up fourth last year, Sight Winner (Olivier Doleuze) again showed this is his time of the year when he outgamed Destined For Glory and Admiration to take the feature race. The Champions Mile winner of 2009 in soft going had not struck the same sort of conditions since that race, but grabbed his chance dropping back into Class One when the rain arrived in the lead-up to the ATV Cup - a race traditionally run in wet weather.
'I'm very pleased to see him win but he should be in the Yasuda Kinen,' Size lamented. 'The horse is in great form and he improved when he went to Tokyo last year, I think he enjoys the place and the left-handed direction, but he didn't get an invitation this time.'
The Tony Cruz-trained Beauty Flash and Caspar Fownes' Thumbs Up will be heading for the Yasuda Kinen in Tokyo on June 5.
Sight Winner travelled well handy to the leader Blue Sky but looked at the mercy of his 133 pounds handicap when the John Moore-trained Admiration and Destined For Glory came at him at the 200m.
'John Moore's horses came quick and I thought they had me but Sight Winner wanted that win very much today,' said Doleuze.
'He's a Group One winner, and when he got the rain before the race I was happy.'