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Quality US-bred mare Thumping brought some faint echoes of Hideyuki Takaoka’s champion mare Better Life when she gunned down favourite Quechua to land the spoils in the $200,000 Group 3 JBBA Moonbeam Vase (1800m) on Sunday.

With both mares racing in the white and red sashed silks of the Suzuka Racing Stable, flashes of Better Life’s powerful strides might have been conjured up in some racegoers’ minds when Thumping ($55) came sneaking up on the inside under champion apprentice jockey A’Isisuhairi Kasim’s urgings inside the last 300m.

Short-priced favourite Quechua (Corey Brown) looked to have Flax (Barend Vorster) safely held at the 200m, but the pair had not reckoned with the much more lowly-weighted Thumping (52.5kgs) who got the upperhand on the inside, helped no doubt by the four-kilo pull in weights.

That is precisely where the similarities with Better Life end. The Smarty Jones mare was a weight-for-age performer who walloped her rivals male or female on level tems while Thumping, at five years of age, has already reached her mark and is probably more of a handicapper. Takaoka was in any case the best judge.

“She (Thumping) is a good mare but she is nowhere near Better Life’s class. No comparison,” he said.

“But it’s nice to win a feature race after such a long time and what’s more, it is my first win in the JBBA Moonbeam Vase. It’s nice to win the race sponsored by JBBA.”

The JBBA is the Japanese Bloodhorse Breeders’ Association who have been sponsoring the Moonbeam Vase in the last five years. As a matter of fact, Takaoka has not won a feature race since Better Life took out the Group 1 Emirates Singapore Derby (2000m) in 2013 before being sensationally retired.

“She was in the right race today. Right trip and nice low weight,” said Takaoka.

“I was a bit worried about barrier No 1 as she could get crowded, but when the field rolled out at the top of the straight, she got a wide gap to go through.

“I will now aim her towards the QEII Cup.”

The Group 2 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2000m) will be run on April 26 and figures on Takaoka’s list of silverware, won in 2013 by Better Life, three months before her Derby triumph. She also raced in the Group 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup (2000m) in between, but was soundly beaten by Hong Kong’s Military Attack.

Takaoka is not even thinking about the SIA Cup at this juncture, while the winning rider was certainly happy Thumping had provided him with another “Black Type” win in his young career.

“I’ve always liked her. She’s a good mare and she can stay,” said A’Isisuhairi who was at his third feature win after Trudeau in the Group 2 EW Barker Trophy and Wild Geese in the Group 2 Queen Elizabeth II Cup.

“I was happy to follow where I was and I was just hoping to get a clear run. She was always travelling strongly.

“We got a clear run at the top of the straight, but she took a while to hit top gear. Once she found it, she was just too good, but the light weight did help her, though.”

Brown was at his second consecutive defeat with Quechua after a dream four-in-a-row which included the Longines Singapore Gold Cup last November, but was still effusive of the Argentinian-bred’s effort.

“I had him in a good spot early, but the winner had the drop on us and was just too good today,” said the Australian jockey who, with Craig Newitt flies back to Sydney tonight to ride at the Championships meeting which was rained off from yesterday and brought forward to Monday.

“Got a flight to catch tonight. I heard they are still predicting wet weather tomorrow, so fingers crossed it is still on tomorrow!”

Whether it is on or Brown can boot home Suavito (from two bookings, the other one being Joyful Journey in the Group 3 Adrian Knox Stakes) in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile on Easter Monday remains to be seen, but at least, the former Sydney jockey head outs on a morale-boosting note, having bagged a Kranji winning hat-trick thanks to A La Victory, Hughsy and Al Valore.

Newitt also has two rides, including the gun ride on Lankan Rupee in the Group 1 TJ Smith (1200m) which he is hoping will set the record right after his disappointing sixth in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington three weeks ago.

“We don’t know why he ran so badly on that day. I haven’t heard anything since that run and I can only hope he will bounce back to his best,” said Newitt who is also booked aboard New Zealand outsider Puccini in the Doncaster Mile.

“It would be a real bummer if the races are called off again tomorrow.”