Which horse won the 1989 Japan Cup in a world-record time?

Horlicks won the 1989 Japan Cup in a world-record time.

Horlicks, a New Zealand-bred mare trained by Dave O’Sullivan, won the Japan Cup at Tokyo Racecourse on 26 November 1989. Ridden by Lance O’Sullivan, she completed the 2,400-metre race in 2 minutes 22.2 seconds, then a world record for the distance on turf.

Her victory was especially significant because the Japan Cup was designed to attract leading horses from around the world, while Horlicks represented New Zealand’s strong racing tradition. She defeated the American-trained Pay the Butler and other international competitors.

Better Loosen Up is sometimes confused with Horlicks because he won the Japan Cup two years later, in 1991, and was another major southern-hemisphere champion. Horlicks’s defining fact is her 1989 win and record time.