Japanese trainers will be represented a seven strong team at the Dubai World Cup meeting at Meydan on March 31.
It will be the biggest representation at the meeting that features the 17th running of the world's richest race, the G1 Dubai World Cup and four other Group One races.
The Japanese provided a spectacular one-two finish in the World Cup last year when Victoire Pisa beat Transcend.
The Dubai World Cup has included Japan-based runners in all but two of its runnings. In addition to the fabulous one-two last year, Japanese runners took a second in 2001 with To the Victory, fourth in 2006 with Kane Hekili and fourth in 2007 with Vermilion.
The retirement of Victoire Pisa puts hopes of a repeat in 2012 on dirt champion Transcend, Eishin Flash and Smart Falcon.
Taking part in other G1 races on the day are Dark Shadow in the Dubai Duty Free, A Shin Virgo in the Al Quoz Sprint, Genten in the G2 UAE Derby and Makani Bisty in the G3 Dubai Gold Cup.
Japan will have no runners in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen or G1 Dubai Sheema Classic.
Transcend and Dark Shadow left for Dubai on March 14. The other five members of the Japan team are scheduled to leave on the March 21.
Transcend, trained by former jockey Takayuki Yasuda, is the only one of the seven with experience in Dubai.
He has won 10 of his 20 outings to date, with five secondsl. His wins include two wins in the G1 Japan Cup Dirt in 2010 and 2011 and the 2011 February Stakes.
Transcend's last outing in this year's February Stakes on February 19 in Tokyo saw him finish seventh.
Eishin Flash is coming off a second in the G1 Arima Kinen behind Triple Crown winner Orfevre.
Eishin Flash has won four of his 16 starts and notched 3 seconds and 4 thirds at distances from 1800 to 2500 meters but has been winless since capturing the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) in 2010.
Eishin Flash, who finished in the money in both the G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) and the G1 Takarazuka Kinen last year, is trained by Hideaki Fujiwara.
Smart Falcon has won 23 of his 33 starts in the charge by trainer Ken Kozaki but has raced primarily in the top NAR races in Japan.
The dirt specialist is currently on a nine-race winning streak over distances from 1800 meters to 2400 meters and include six top level races.
A Shin Virgo, the only mare in the Japan team, is also trained by Kozaki. Her last win came in the G2 Centaur Stakes over 1200m on September 11 of last year.
A Shin Virgo finished in third place in the G1Sprinters Stakes on October 2 but has had two poor runs this year in G3 races for a 15th in the Silk Road Stakes in late January and a 10th in the Ocean Stakes on March 3.
She has won 7 out of 18 starts, with 3 seconds and 3 thirds.
Dark Shadow, trained by Noriyuki Hori, is five wins from 11 starts with four seconds but is still gunning for his first G1 win after barely missing in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) last October.
Last start in the G2 Kyoto Kinen saw him come up second. Hori has enjoyed continued success since opening his stable in 2003 and has picked up two G1 wins in both 2010 and last year, his best year yet with a total of 43 wins.
Genten, trained by Yoshito Yahagi, has won two of his six starts.
Immediately following his debut, Genten jumped to the G2 Nisai Stakes where he finished third. This year he has had two runs in lower class races, where he picked up another win and a second.
Also from the Yahagi stable comes Makani Bisty. He is yet to win a graded stakes race but looks to be on the up.
This year, he started out with a second in a 3000m open class race, third in the G2 Nikkei Shinshun Hai and fourth in open class at 2000m.
His best result over distances of 3000ms were a fourth in 2011 and a second this year in the G1 Tenno Sho.
