Racing: Luso and Faithful Son fail to fire in Japan

HOPES OF a British hat-trick of wins in the Japan Cup following the successes of Singspiel and Pilsudski were dashed when the home team swept all three places in the pounds 1.73m event in Tokyo yesterday.

El Condor Pasa, a 6-1 chance ridden by Masayoshi Ebina, scored by two and a half lengths from Air Groove (9-2) - runner-up for the second year in a row - with another half length back to the 3-1 favourite Special Week. It was the third time Japanese runners had filled the first three places in the race's 17-year history.

Canada's Chief Bearheart was fourth, a nose ahead of the American mare Maxzene, but Godolphin's Faithful Son could finish only seventh - the same place he filled in the Melbourne Cup - with the Clive Brittain-trained Luso was last of the 15 runners. On a bad day for the Europeans, Germany's Caitano and Ungaro were 11th and 12th respectively.

n The jump jockey Michael Brennan was yesterday recovering after a narrow escape from serious injury in a heavy fall from Seattle Alley at Warwick on Saturday. "I landed on the top of my head and my head was pressed into my chest but I have just hurt muscles and ligaments," Brennan said.