The man in the hat: Yoshito Yahagi masterminds famous double for Japan

For followers of international racing the sight of Yoshito Yahagi and his inimitable sartorial style is not new, given he has already made off with some of the biggest prizes in the UAE, Hong Kong and Australia.

But the significance of his double strike at the Breeders' Cup with Loves Only You and Marche Lorraine should not be lost on anyone.

No horse in Japan had ever won a Breeders' Cup race before Saturday. Now there are two title holders in the same barn at the Japan Racing Association's Ritto training centre.

Loves Only You came into the Filly & Mare Turf with excellent international credentials, having finished a close third to Mishriff and Chrono Genesis in the Dubai Sheema Classic before going on to win the Group 1 QEII Cup in Hong Kong, a venue Yahagi is targeting with the 2019 Japanese Oaks winner next month.

The assumption has long been that Japan's more internationally-minded trainers would make their biggest mark in turf races – that is where the best-bred horses are concentrated – and the Breeders' Cup falls right in the middle of the peak domestic season in terms of Grade 1 races and astronomical prize-money.

For Marche Lorraine to beat the American fillies and mares on dirt in the Distaff under an inspired Oisin Murphy was vindication not just for Yahagi's bold global approach but also the Breeders' Cup and US Triple Crown's pursuit of runners through Japan-based agent Kate Hunter.

Oisin Murphy celebrates after riding Marche Lorraine to win the Breeders' Cup DistaffCredit: Sean M. Haffey

Murphy has been a long-time ally of Yahagi, both during winter stints in Japan and at the big international meetings.

He said: "I tried to ignore her odds and just give her every chance in the run and hopefully she could finish off. And to be honest, we were obviously a hostage to fortune, I sat out the back, and they went quite quick. So we needed them to do that, but it was a brilliant performance."

Oisin Murphy stars on historic Breeders' Cup night for Japan

For Yahagi, being first to break certain barriers is nothing new, having trained Lys Gracieux to become the first Japanese winner of Australia's Cox Plate in 2019, three years after Real Steel and Ryan Moore landed the Dubai Turf at Meydan.

Instantly recognisable thanks to his taste of broad-brimmed hats – the Breeders' Cup version was, naturally, purple – Yahagi's reasoning may provide a blueprint for future challenges in the US.

"Traveling with two fillies from Japan wasn't the ideal plan, but Marche Lorraine was a good partner for Loves Only You," explained Yahagi. "And Marche Lorraine had three victories over turf in Japan and I thought that for horses to be competitive on the dirt in the US, they need to have some sort of speed, which means like winning turf races in Japan."

Yoshito Yahagi is now compiling an enviable record of major international prizesCredit: Edward Whitaker

Yahagi has yet to seriously train his sights on Europe, though his ambition was evident at an early stage, given he sent Derby winner Deep Brillante to Ascot for the 2012 King George on his very next start.

More recently, Entscheiden finished third to Space Blues in the Prix de la Foret last month, a run all the more notable as his presence in France was primarily as a travel companion and training partner for Arc challenger Deep Bond, who like Entscheiden is owned by the Maeda family.

John Gosden very famously predicted that the future of racing lay to the east of Europe in Asia, and there was further evidence of that maxim in the Breeders' Cup Classic victory of Knicks Go in the colours of the Korea Racing Authority.

Thirty years ago ambitious Japanese owners in the mould of Gary Tanaka bought into European and US racing. Their successors now have a domestic scene to match either of those 'old world' powers.

Thanks to the brilliance of Knicks Go, the ambitions of South Korea to become a major power in world racing took another step forward on Saturday.

Read more on the Breeders' Cup:

Watch: awesome Knicks Go thunders to Breeders' Cup Classic success

Yibir takes Turf glory to cap remarkable Breeders' Cup for Appleby and Buick

Space Blues out of this world in Breeders' Cup Mile after more stalls drama

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