September, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Notable US-Bred Runners in Japan: Sept. 20 & 21, 2020

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest–a trio of fillies–for this holiday weekend running at Chukyo and Nakayama Racecourses:

Sunday, September 20, 2020
12th-NKY, ¥14,360,000 ($137k), Allowance, 3yo/up, 1200mT
DETROIT TESORO (f, 3, Speightstown–Bella Traviata, by Indian Charlie) comprised a record of three thirds and a second from four previous tries on the turf before punching through when last seen at Niigata May 24. The dark bay, produced by of a stakes-placed half-sister to MSW & MGSP Afleet Deceit (Northern Afleet), was bought back for $180K out of the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, was RNAd for $127K at FTKOCT a handful of weeks later and was acquired by owner Kenji Ryotokuji for $375K at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale. Her Distorted Humor half-brother fetched $100K Thursday at Keeneland September. B-Blackstone Farm LLC (PA)

Monday, September 21, 2020
3rd-CKO, ¥9,680,000 ($92k), Maiden, 2yo, 2000mT
VOIX D’ANGE (f, 2, Curlin–Love and Pride, by A.P. Indy) may have struggled with a rain-affected turf when a midfield seventh on Tokyo debut going a mile June 28, but the $675,000 KEESEP graduate improved to be second to the record-setting Wonderful Town (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) on a sounder surface over nine furlongs at Niigata July 25. Grade I winner Love and Pride, who was acquired by Three Chimneys for $4.9 million in foal to Distorted Humor at FTKNOV in 2013, is the dam of the SW Princesinha Julia (Pioneerof the Nile) and a now-yearling Gun Runner filly that made $750K to top the weanling offerings at FTKNOV last fall. Love and Pride is closely related to top sire Bernardini. B-Three Chimneys Farm LLC (KY)

4th-CKO, ¥13,400,000 ($128k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1200m
LADY MERCY (f, 2, American Pharoah–Two Oceans, by Cape Town) is the second foal to the races for her dam, a daughter of MSW & GSP Ocean Cat, and carries the latter’s sire Storm Cat 4×3 the same as American Pharoah’s recent G2 Park Hill S. winner Pista and SW & GSP Ocean Atlantique. This sire’s dual U.S. graded winner Sweet Melania has Storm Cat 4×4. The homebred descends from the female family of Japanese Horses of the Year Narita Brian (Jpn) (Brian’s Time) and Biwa Hayahide (Jpn) (Sharrood) and successful young stallion Kizuna (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). B-Toshihiro Matsumoto (KY)

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Liveyourbeastlife Breezes for Preakness

William H. Lawrence’s Liveyourbeastlife (Ghostzapper), the runner-up in the GII Jim Dandy S. at Saratoga Sept. 5, worked five-eighths in :59.89 (3/9) Thursday over the Belmont Park main track in preparation for the GI Preakness S. Oct. 3.

Trainer Jorge Abreu said that the dark bay would be supplemented to the third and final leg of the Triple Crown.

“He breezed really well today,” Abreu said. “He went in :59 4/5, which is something he’s never done before. We’re going to take a shot.”

Liveyourbeastlife, a $200,000 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-year-old graduate, previously captured a Saratoga allowance over older horses going 1 1/8 miles Aug. 12, the same distance as the Jim Dandy.

“He didn’t show much early on, but every jockey that rode him never came back with a negative thing about him, they would say, ‘this horse wants to run long,'” Abreu added.

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Abreu Ready To ‘Take A Shot’ With Liveyourbeastlife In Preakness Stakes

William H. Lawrence's Liveyourbeastlife, the runner-up in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy, worked five-eighths in 59.89 seconds Thursday over the Belmont Park main track in preparation for the Grade 1 Preakness on October 3 at Pimlico Race Course.

Trainer Jorge Abreu said he was pleased with the work, and the Kentucky-bred Ghostzapper colt will be supplemented to the third and final leg of the Triple Crown.

“He breezed really well today,” said Abreu of the breeze in company with New York-bred Freaky Styley [59.80]. “He went in 59 and 4 which is something he's never done before. We're going to take a shot.”

The dark bay Ghostzapper colt has improved with added distance capturing a nine-furlong allowance event over older horses on August 12 at Saratoga Race Course ahead of a closing second to Mystic Guide in the nine-furlong Jim Dandy on September 5.

“He didn't show much early on but every jockey that rode him never came back with a negative thing about him, they would say, 'this horse wants to run long,'” said Abreu.

Liveyourbeastlife utilized a prominent trip for his August 12 allowance win. After running sixth in the Jim Dandy, jockey Junior Alvarado said the horse struggled from the half-mile to the three-eighths pole.

“He's really weird. Sometimes he'll break and take himself back, the past two races he's been wanting to go,” said Abreu. “Junior admitted he lost position at the half-mile pole and he had to do too much. If he had kept him forwardly placed, he probably would have won the race. He gave him too much to do from the quarter-mile pole on home.”

Abreu said he expects Alvarado to retain the mount for the Preakness.

“He's a horse that needs somebody that knows him,” Abreu said.

Liveyourbeastlife will have his final Preakness prep at Belmont one week from Saturday.

Out of the Kris S. mare Ellie's Moment, Liveyourbeastlife is a half-brother to Grade 1-winner on turf Time and Motion.

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Lady Speightspeare Earns Top Billing In Sunday’s Natalma Stakes

On Saturday, trainer Roger Attfield and owner/breeder Charles Fipke will be looking to knock off some big game in the Ricoh Woodbine Mile and earn a fees-paid berth in Keeneland's Breeders' Cup Mile with Shirl's Speight.

On Sunday, the same connections will be hoping to land another Grade 1 prize with Lady Speightspeare, who will be making just her second lifetime start but looms as the horse to beat in the $250,000 Natalma Stakes.

The Grade 1 Natalma, a one-mile turf race which attracted seven two-year-old fillies, also is part of the Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” series with the target race the $1 million Breeders' Cup Fillies Juvenile Turf at Keeneland on November 6.

Attfield was not surprised when Lady Speightspeare, who like Shirl's Speight was sired by Speightstown, was in the spotlight in her debut, scoring by 3 ¾ lengths over seven furlongs on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course. The trainer did allow, however, that he was impressed with the flair she showed in her front-running victory.

“I think she probably did it a little more fashionably than I would have expected,” he said.

Last Sunday, Lady Speightspeare turned heads with a five-furlong “breeze” in :58.60 on the training track turf course.

“She worked very, very well,” said the venerable Attfield, who will be seeking his third Natalma title after clicking with future Horse of the Year and Canadian Hall of Famer Alywow in 1993 and with Llanarmon 20 years later.

Emma-Jayne Wilson, who rode Llanaramon, will be eyeing a second Natalma score as she retains the mount on Lady Speightspeare.

Trainer Mark Casse is the all-time leader in Natalma history, having not only fielded seven winners but also been responsible for the top three finishers twice and the exacta on another occasion. Most prominent on that list is Catch A Glimpse, who went to win the BC Juvenile Turf Fillies and become a three-ply Sovereign Award winner including Horse of the Year in 2015.

Casse's candidate this year is Sleek Lynx, an English-bred whose dam, Sarah Lynx, romped over some formidable opposition when invading from France for the 2011 Canadian International. Owned by prominent Casse patron Gary Barber, Sleek Lynx will be making just her second career start after finishing a troubled second as the odds-on choice in a one-mile maiden turf tilt at Gulfstream Park on July 23.

“She's a nice filly – probably should have won her first start,” said Casse. “She's a filly we've been high on since we got her. I didn't think there was any way she could get beat, but she did. But she's trained well, and I would expect her to run well.”

Two of Casse's Natalma winners were maidens going into the race: Sprung (actually a first-time starter, at 48-1) gave the trainer his first Natalma success in 2006 and Victory to Victory his most recent in 2016. Rafael Hernandez picks up the mount on Sleek Lynx.

Catch A Glimpse has a local stakes race named in her honour and Alda and Dreaming of Drew, the 1-2 finishers in that 6 ½-furlong turf race for two-year-old fillies, are decided threats as they renew hostilities in the Natalma.

Alda, based at Fair Hills, Maryland with trainer Graham Motion, was coming off a maiden win over six furlongs of turf at Belmont when scoring by a nose under Steven Bahen in the Catch A Glimpse. Bahen won the 1998 Natalma aboard Dance Diane.

Seasons and Stunning Princess, both invading from New York, add intrigue to the Natalma lineup.

Jimmy Toner trains Seasons, who was up in time as the odds-on choice when debuting at 1 1/16 miles on the turf at Saratoga in her first and only start on August 9. Toner won the Grade 2 Dance Smartly with Masseuse back in 2007 but has not had a starter here since 2011. Luis Contreras, who rode Northern Passion to victory in the 2011 Natalma, will do the honours on Seasons this year.

Stunning Princess is a maiden but has recorded two good second-place finishes in as many starts over 1 1/16 miles of turf at Saratoga for trainer Danny Gargan. Kazushi Kimura has been engaged for the ride on Stunning Princess. Gargan will be making his debut north of the border.

Rounding out the field will be Big Big Plans, who was an impressive winner over 5 ½ furlongs of Tapeta when debuting with a $25,000 claiming tag.

All starters have been assigned 121 pounds.

The Natalma Stakes is scheduled as the ninth race on Sunday while the companion Grade 1 Summer Stakes is the seventh race. Both Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races will be broadcast live on TSN2 from 4-6 p.m. ET.

First race post time on Sunday is set for 1:10 p.m. Fans can wager on all the action via HPIbet.com.

FIELD FOR THE GRADE 1 NATALMA STAKES

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Stunning Princess – Kazushi Kimura – Danny Gargan

2 – Seasons – Luis Contreras – Jimmy Toner

3 – Sleek Lynx – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse

4 – Dreaming of Drew – Justin Stein – Barbara Minshall

5 – Alda – Steven Bahen – Graham Motion

6 – Lady Speightspeare – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Roger Attfield

7 – Big Big Plans – Larry Munoz – Nick Gonzalez

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