The planning and preparation that led to the stunning "three samurai'' achievement in the feature race of the 2006 Melbourne Cup carnival is chronicled here by Joji Horiyoshi.

Australian horse-racing history was rewritten on November 7, 2006 when Japanese horses finished one-two in the famous Melbourne Cup, with the winner also being ridden by a Japanese jockey.

The result stunned many in the local racing world. No Asian horse - let alone Japanese - had won the prestigious event in its 130-year history.

But the enthusiasm and determination of the connections of winner Delta Blues and runner-up Pop Rock - owner Katsumi Yoshida, trainer Katsuhiko Sumii and winning jockey Yasunari Iwata - before and after that momentous success make a continuing strong Japanese presence inevitable in "the race that stops a nation''.

The story began when Delta Blues was born on May 3, 2001 on Mr Yoshida's Northern Farm in the town of Hayakita in Hokkaido (Japan's northernmost island). The thoroughbred stallion was sired by Japanese racehorse Dance in the Dark with the US dam Dixie Splash. Delta Blues' sire, dubbed the "fastest final dasher", won Japan's G1 3000m Kikuka-Sho in 1996. Delta Blues was named after the blues music that originated in the Mississippi Delta; this stems from the Dixieland connection in his dam's name.

Asked about the birth of Delta Blues, owner Mr Yoshida replies with a smile: "There are a lot of horses born on our farm every year so it's a bit hard to remember the exact circumstances." But it appears there was a reason Delta Blues stood out from the rest; the long-distance stamina he inherited from his sire.

Delta Blues' Melbourne Cup jockey Iwata first rode Delta Blues in Japan's 2400m Baika-Sho in 2004 and was placed fourth. At the time Iwata praised Delta Blues, commenting: "He is a large horse that doesn't tire over long distances" and his estimation was confirmed when they took first place together in the 3000m Kikuka-Sho later that year.

Trainer Sumii adds: "He's not inclined to sudden bursts of speed but he's strong. I think he's better suited to heavy tracks and long races than firm tracks or short races. But in Japan we don't have many races 3000 metres or over so there aren't many chances for him to really run to his full potential."

Mr Yoshida agrees. "We run him in longer races because his strength is consistent and doesn't waver over long distances. Once he gets up to pace it's very hard to stop him."

The 3200m Melbourne Cup was the perfect race for Delta Blues to showcase that staying power.

Japan's foremost large-scale horse station Northern Farm has produced numerous high-grade thoroughbreds including Deep Impact, a now retired stallion that was once hailed as Japan's strongest horse. The farm employs a system through which its profitable racehorses are financed to return to stud on their retirement. The system basically involves Northern Farm purchasing some of the horse's shares during its racing career; Deep Impact is one such example.

Northern Farm only deals with quality stallions and broodmares because, in the world of horse racing, maintaining thoroughbred pedigree is of vital importance. Establishing and maintaining such a high standard of breeding must be an incredibly difficult task but owner Mr Yoshida asserts that "raising quality horses is what I do for a living so I've never thought of it as annoying or troublesome".

Sumii says of Northern Farm: "The personnel are continually researching the best methods with which to tend to the horses, processes that begin even before each horse's birth. Their progress never ceases to surprise me every year I visit."

Sumii, who has trained numerous Northern Farm-bred horses, is comparatively young for a trainer but his record of achievements continually surpasses those of many veterans in his field. He worked as an assistant trainer in Ritto Training Centre's Nakao Kentaro Stables and Matsuda Kunihide Stables before opening Sumii Stables in 2000.

The first horse he entered in a race was Setono McQueen on March 11, 2001 in Hanshin Racecourse race No. 6 and his first victory was on the 24th of the same month with the horse Sky Andrew in Hanshin Racecourse race No. 9. His first Japanese group one victory then came in the Kikuka-Sho in 2004; coincidentally Delta Blues was the horse and Iwata was the jockey.

After taking out the Japanese Oaks and the American Oaks in 2005 with the Northern Farm-bred horse Cesario, he continued on to finish first in the Hong Kong Mile, the Japan Dirt Derby, the Derby Grand Prix and the Japan Cup Dirt, eventually receiving the Japan Racing Association's highest-earning trainer award for that same year.

Now, with his Delta Blues and Pop Rock one-two finish in the Melbourne Cup, he has found renewed praise by demonstrating a consistent ability to train horses that also win overseas races. Mr Yoshida expresses the utmost confidence he holds in Sumii. "He's young but talented, extremely thorough in his work and never makes mistakes."

Jockeying Delta Blues in Sumii's first group one victory in the 2004 Kikuka-Sho was also Iwata's first group one win as a NAR (National Association of Racing)-affiliated jockey. Iwata finished first in Sonoda Racecourse Race No. 1 on December 8, 2005, bringing his total number of wins to 3000. He then passed the JRA's (Japan Racing Association) racing licence examination for amateur jockeys in 2006 in preparation for transfer from NAR to JRA affiliation.

Despite having more than 3000 wins and the Melbourne Cup under his belt, Iwata modestly comments: "I still have a long way to go in my career. This has all been a great learning experience". On the other hand he concedes "I'm always out to win" and adds that a fierce fighting spirit and tenacity are his strong points.

But Iwata's strengths do not stop there. "Being a Kikuka-Sho winner showed he can give good chase on other riders," Mr Yoshida says. "He keeps his horse running well right till the end," Sumii adds.

Many horse-racing fans assert that he will soon be in a good position to become Japan's top jockey; his performance in the Melbourne Cup proved he has got what it takes.

It was in December 2005 that Mr Yoshida first made the decision to enter the Melbourne Cup. "When Delta Blues finished first in the 3600m G2 Stayers Stakes I decided 'Right! Let's try the Melbourne Cup!'"

But after a string of less than spectacular results, including an 11th in the Arima Kinen later that month, fifth in the Kyoto Kinen in February 2006, third in the Hanshin Daishoten in March and 10th in the Tenno-Sho in April, Delta Blues developed a problem in his right foreleg and had to rest for a while. "At that stage he wasn't in good shape and we felt he wasn't performing to his full potential," Iwata says.

However, Sumii's conditioning plan for the Melbourne Cup had already begun. Sumii understood there were restrictions on the feed they could take with them to Australia, so he purchased the kinds that Delta Blues and Pop Rock would eat there and had already begun mixing it with their Japanese feed. Sumii notes: "It was a big relief when we saw both horses were adjusting well to their new diets. The weather was starting to get cooler in Japan at the time, so Australia's cooler-than-average spring weather worked out well for us, too."

Delta Blues made the trip to Australia without running in any Japanese races after his rest but he had been training steadily and was meeting Sumii's expectations. Sumii says: "Delta Blues is the kind of horse that makes sudden improvements under strict training, whereas Pop Rock's responses are more gradual. This means I train them in different ways but both horses really gave great performances on the day."

In the 2006 Caulfield Cup on October 21 Delta Blues got off to a good start and stayed in the leading pack, finishing strongly around the outside in third place. Pop Rock, who tried to run straight, found himself blocked but ran well, finishing seventh. This turned out to be an important lead-up race for the Melbourne Cup.

Sumii says: "Delta Blues is a quick improver but because he had been resting I honestly thought Pop Rock would outrun him. But after seeing Delta Blues finish quicker we thought 'maybe both horses could place even higher in the Melbourne Cup'. Running in the Caulfield Cup was a deciding factor."

Iwata did not ride Delta Blues in the Caulfield Cup but it appears the decision that he would do so in the Melbourne Cup had already been made. "There was another jockey who had expressed interest and waited patiently for quite some time, but we had already begun arrangements with Iwata," Mr Yoshida says.
"It might seem a bit harsh of me to say, but Delta Blues is a somewhat mentally unbalanced horse; occasionally he will lazily run 3000 metres with no intensity at all," Sumii says. "We knew Iwata was the kind of jockey that could bring out the fight in Delta Blues and keep him running right till the end".

The fateful day arrived. "They were both in good form at the Caulfield Cup but Delta Blues was really in top condition. He was even in better form than when he won the Kikuka-Sho," Iwata says.

Both horses' excellent form became suddenly obvious right from the start of the race. They both got off to a good start and Iwata's firm encouragement brought Delta Blues in close pursuit of the second and third front-runners, while Pop Rock found a chance to break away from the mid-pack.

"I was really hoping for a good start. Breaking away from the inside of the main group later in the race really drains a horse's energy so, if possible, I wanted to break clear right from the start." The race unfolded exactly how Iwata had planned.

Delta Blues stuck with the leading pack and things started to change with 800 metres remaining. The 2006 winner of the Ascot Gold Cup (Europe's most famous long distance race), Irish stallion Yeats, took the lead but Delta Blues gave chase and overtook him with 400 metres to go. By this time Pop Rock had approached from the outer side of the final corner and also broke free of the leading pack in hot pursuit of Delta Blues.

Just as trainer Sumii had predicted, Iwata brought out the fight in Delta Blues and kept him running right till the end, finishing a nose in front of Pop Rock and top Australian jockey Damien Oliver. The Japanese quinella was an historic moment in Australia's most prestigious horse-racing event.

Now, having returned to Japan, all three central figures - owner Yoshida, trainer Sumii and jockey Iwata - convey their Melbourne Cup experience in a similar light.

"It was wonderful to get such a good result in a major race like that. We received a lot of acclaim after coming back to Japan and it made us think about just what an amazing event the Melbourne Cup is," Sumii says.

"The atmosphere and having 22 other runners made it a much more awesome race than I expected," Iwata reflects.

Mr Yoshida also shares his impressions. "The level of horse-racing in Japan is quite high, even by international standards, but the Melbourne Cup was extraordinary. It was an absolutely wonderful event."

However, they will not be resting on their laurels. Iwata says: "I'm very grateful I had this opportunity. I hope I can race in the Melbourne Cup again; I think I'll be able to ride with more confidence in future. For the meantime, though, I'm going to try to develop more as a jockey and get as much experience as possible."

Sumii says: "I'm now working towards the Tenno-Sho in spring but I'd like to have another run in the Melbourne Cup with the same two horses. Of course that's something I'll have to discuss with Mr Yoshida."

At present, however, all three are eager for another chance in Melbourne; their hopes being shared by horse-racing fans in Japan and Japanese residents of Australia.

Mr Yoshida has some final words to say about Australia and future races: "When my parents retired, they moved from Japan to the Gold Coast, so to keep them busy I sometimes leave horses I've brought from Japan in their care. At the moment they're looking after 15 horses and I make visits there regularly.

"My connections with Australia are always expanding and I hope to be able to run horses in more and more Australian races in the future and, of course, more Melbourne Cups."