Horse Profile: Rousham Park

Breeders' Cup Turf Scouting Report

(Editor's note: Originally published in the 2024 BRISnet Breeders' Cup International Report) 

If Shahryar is the well-traveled Japanese contender with all of the requisite credentials, Rousham Park is the up-and-comer with a world of potential. His pedigree fires the imagination too. 

Sire Harbinger, who blossomed as an older horse in Great Britain, is responsible for several standouts, including successful globetrotters Deirdre and Normcore. Rousham Park is out of a King Kamehameha mare who is herself closely related to Rulership as well as champion and leading sire Duramente. 

Trainer Hiroyasu Tanaka is the definition of an up-and-comer himself. Reportedly the youngest trainer to pass the JRA licensing exam, he has made headlines with Godolphin’s Lemon Pop, the reigning champion dirt horse in Japan. 

Rousham Park was promising at two and three, but he wasn’t forward enough to attempt the classics. His big frame and mental immaturity made him a long-term project, and he’s just now putting it all together. 

A closing runner-up in both starts as a juvenile, notably to record-setting Jun Blossom at Tokyo, he was able to take control early when crushing a Tokyo maiden and Nakayama allowance in the spring of 2022. Rousham Park made his stakes debut in that fall’s St. Lite Kinen (G2), a trial for the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) (G1), and stayed on for third. 

Instead of advancing to the final classic, which would have been too far for him, Rousham Park was rested for a four-year-old campaign. He returned in allowance company at Nakayama in early January 2023, traveling strongly off the pace and edging clear under good handling. Back over the same course on yielding going, he was uncharacteristically one-paced in fifth, but bounced back on better ground with a sharp-looking rally in a Tokyo allowance. 

Rousham Park was ready for his graded breakthrough in the 2023 Hakodate Kinen (G3). The 3-1 favorite wasn’t exactly an armchair ride early on for top jockey Christophe Lemaire, pulling in traffic and getting lit up. But he did settle once easing back, and despite having to make his move way out in the middle of track, Rousham Park drove home as much the best. Given the short stretch at Hakodate, his success there hints that he can be effective at Del Mar.

Lemaire complimented him, noting his scope for further progress. He praised Rousham Park even more highly, as a Group 1-caliber horse, after they teamed up again to win last fall’s Sankei Sho All Comers (G2). Rolling past front-running favorite Titleholder, Rousham Park defeated several other significant rivals. Third-placer Zeffiro would rack up a couple of high-profile seconds abroad – in the Hong Kong Vase (G1) (beating Breeders’ Cup near-misser Warm Heart) and in Qatar (to Rebel’s Romance).

Rousham Park attempted a foreign venture of his own in last December’s Hong Kong Cup (G1), only to disappoint in eighth behind Romantic Warrior and Luxembourg. Jockey Damian Lane cited a slow start from post 11, which put him too far back, and he just never got into it. 

Yet the trip was worthwhile from a coming-of-age perspective. Tanaka believed that just the experience of shipping and racing in Hong Kong helped him mentally. The colt was also eating better. 

Rousham Park reappeared in the March 31 Osaka Hai (G1), his first top-level try in Japan, and he just missed to 2023 classic veteran Bellagio Opera. With blinkers added, Rousham Park ranged alongside, but couldn’t get past in a neck loss. 

Yielding ground in the June 23 Takarazuka Kinen (G1) worked against him, as he checked in fifth. Still, an aggressive midrace move may have contributed to his weakening late. Rousham Park wasn’t the only one to throw in a subpar effort that day; favored champion Do Deuce and Justin Palace were unplaced behind him.

Rousham Park went on his summer holiday before tuning up for the Breeders’ Cup. His lone prep, the Oct. 6 Mainichi Okan (G2), was better than it looks on paper as a non-threatening 10th. As a horse who historically runs so hard that he needs plenty of recovery time between races, he had to strike a fine balance of building fitness without overdoing it. The Mainichi Okan might have hit the target. Dropping back to about 1 1/8 miles for the first time since his allowance days, he also took the blinkers off. In a race dominated by forward runners, he was beaten a grand total of three lengths while firing off a :33.3 closing sectional. 

The question is whether Rousham Park has mellowed enough to cope with the demands of the Turf. Aside from the exigencies of travel, he’s yet to race over 1 1/2 miles, mainly because of his tendency to fritter away energy and make life generally difficult on himself. He can’t afford to lose his appetite, get nervous, or pull in the race itself. 

The best indicator of all is that Lemaire, who hasn’t ridden him in a year, has signed on for the Turf. They’re 4-for-6 together, including both of Rousham Park’s Group wins. Japan’s perennially leading rider clearly knows how to conjure up his talent and smooth over the potential quirks.