TOKYO -- Jungle Pocket, ridden by Olivier Peslier, battled hard to the line to beat race favourite T M Opera O in the penultimate leg of the 2001 Emirates World Series -the Japan Cup at Tokyo Racecourse on Sunday afternoon.

	Jungle Pocket was sent off second favourite at odds of a little over 2/1, behind the odds on favourite T.M.Opera O.

Trained by Sakae Watanabe, the three-year-old son of Tony Bin, raced in mid-field early in the 15 runner race and and began to make his move around the final turn of the mile and a half turf race. Last year's Japan Cup winner T M Opera O under Ryuji Wada went clear in the final straight and it looked as if history would be made with the five-year-old becoming the first horse to win back to back winnings of the Japan Cup.

It was not to be as Peslier got to work on the Japanese Derby winner closing on the race favourite from a furlong out. The pair dug deep with Jungle Pocket just getting up ahead of T M Opera O. Narita Top Road, trained by Yoshio Oki, stayed on to take the third place ahead of the Dubai Sheema Classic winner Stay Gold.

Afterwards an ecstatic Peslier said I'm on top of the world - It is the most marvellous thrill for me to win the Japan Cup because I have ridden in Japan many times and so I'm really delighted. Jungle Pocket is the Derby winner and I am really proud of the way he has run today in this field. I was bumped a little at the start, and he then raced quite a long way back, but he settled well and I got a good run through.

Jungle Pocket was sent off second favourite at odds of a little over 2/1, behind the odds on favourite T.M.Opera O.

Meisho Doto, last year's runner up, with Yasuhiko Yasuda in the saddle took fifth place just ahead of the first of the international contenders, the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Golan, ridden by Johnny Murtagh.

Afterwards Sir Michael said He's run well but he ran a little bit keenly early on, on the far turn he was a little far back but he ran on well up the straight.

To The Victory, second in the first leg of the Emirates World Series - the Dubai World Cup, took the lead from the Bobby Frankel-trained Timboroa along the back stretch and held on until the Jonathan Sheppard-trained With Anticipation took the lead breifly before conceding to T M Opera O.

The other US challenger Cagney also finished down the field in 12th and afterwards trainer Dick Mandella was concerned that there was something amiss with his horse. He said My jockey (Mike Smith) told me that the horse started hanging out and he has never done that before. When he came back I thought he was a little short and I will know more later.

Germany's Paolini, under Andreas Suborics, missed the break and raced towards the rear for most of the race. His trainer, Andreas Wohler said He was running far too free and never settled in the race, he simply wore himself out.

Ivan Allan's Indigenous was in third for the majority of the race but found nothing as the field turned into the straight.