Then think Admire Rakti who made them look ordinary in winning last year's Caulfield Cup.
General opinion is Japan's runners this afternoon, Fame Game and Hokko Brave, are superior to Delta Blues, Pop Rock and Admire Rakti.
If that is accurate - and watching electronic coverage of their Japanese form it sounds that way - they are the dangers to New Zealand winning its first Caulfield Cup since Ethereal scraped home by a whisker in 2001.
Japan Racing Association race caller Murray Johnson believes Hokko Brave is Japan's best chance of recording back-to-back wins for the nation.
Queensland-born Johnson has been living in Japan since 1991. In 2002 he took up the role of the English-speaking race caller and has been the voice heard calling the Japan Cup for the past 13 years.
Johnson says Hokko Brave has a better chance than Fame Game to give Japan another win in the race.
"Yes, I lean towards Hokko Brave," Johnson said.
"I would expect Hokko Brave to be ahead of Fame Game in the run and has a better sprint over shorter staying trips than Fame Game and will do better in Caulfield Cup than the Melbourne Cup. But if the pace is quick early Fame Game will love it and can make up the ground quickly off a hot pace." Interestingly, Fame Game's more recent form is hugely superior to Hokko Brave, who won his last race in October 2013. Fame Game won the well-regarded Copa Republica on November 9 last year then won the Diamond Stakes on February 21.
At his last start he was narrowly beaten in one of Japan's top races, the group one Tenno Sho over 3200m. In that race he got back in the running and flew home late to be beaten by a neck.
Japanese horses almost always run best off a fast pace and the Tenno Sho 3200m time was a stunning 3:14.7.
Even though Fame Game may be better suited by the larger Flemington track and the 3200m of the Melbourne Cup, his enormous class will count today.
He is rated at $10 after being the clear favourite through September.
Hokko Brave is quoted at $14. On current form Fame Game looks easily the best of the pair.
Mongolian Khan has maintained his $4.20 favouritism for the last 48 hours and is so pronounced the joint second favourites Set Square and James McDonald's mount Hauraki are as long as $9.50. Rising Romance, just beaten in the race last year, is at $10 and Volkstok'n'barrell is the value in the race at $23.
If you want to view Volkstok'n'barrell's terrific Caulfield trackwork from Tuesday it is at the bottom of the home page for rsn.net.au . The horse he worked with, who he totally left behind, is no maiden, being John Sargent's Caulfield Cup runner Gust Of Wind, winner of three-quarters of a million dollars.
Hokko Brave's track rider Takafumi Konishi, also the assistant to the horse's trainer Yasutoshi Matsunaga, agreed with Johnson's assessment of the Caulfield Cup's suitability for the horse, who he said has worked well since arriving in Melbourne. "I prefer the Caulfield Cup for Hokko Brave," Konishi said. "The distance is good for him and the track looks good for him too." Connections were thrilled when Hokko Brave drew barrier 19.
"He has such a big stride and the inside has a big traffic jam at Caulfield. We don't want to hit the traffic," said Konishi. "If he was going to be in the jam, that would be it for him so the outside is much better."
Craig Williams, who has ridden with success during numerous stints in Japan, will ride Hokko Brave and last year's winning rider Zac Purton is engaged for Fame Game.
Last year's two minor placegetters are among four horses to line up for their second attempt at the Caulfield Cup.
David Hayes is thrilled with barrier two for 2014 runner-up Rising Romance and is convinced she's on target to run well. Lucia Valentina finished third last year and is back again for another shot at the race today.
Trainer Kris Lees believes outside of the mare's unplaced run in the Epsom Handicap at her most recent start, all the indications are she is going as well as a year ago.
Chris Waller has three runners including Royal Descent who finished fifth in the 2013 Caulfield Cup while stablemate Who Shot Thebarman finished 13th on his way to running third in the 2014 Melbourne Cup.
- additional reporting AAP
