October, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Notable US-Bred and -Sired Runners in Japan: Oct. 30, 2021

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. With plenty activity this weekend, we will serve up two helpings of American-bred and -sired runners, beginning with Saturday's runners at Hanshin and Tokyo. Sunday's featured event is the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn), which will feature 2020 Triple Crown winner Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), this year's G1 Japanese 2000 Guineas hero and Derby runner-up Efforia (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) and Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), the champion daughter of Breeders' Cup and MGISW Tapitsfly (Tapit):

Saturday, October 30, 2021
4th-HSN, ¥13,400,000 ($118k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m
BAHIR DAR (c, 2, Pioneerof the Nile–Llanarmon, by Sky Mesa) is the third foal from his GII Natalma S.-winning dam, a $240K Keeneland November purchase in foal to Into Mischief in 2017 before being acquired privately by Shadai Farm in 2018. Llanarmon foaled this colt Apr. 28, 2019 and was subsequently bred to Mendelssohn prior to her export to Japan. She foaled a filly by the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf-winning half-brother to Into Mischief last April. B-Shadai Farm (KY)

5th-TOK, ¥13,400,000 ($118k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1600mT
TOSEN CHIARA (JPN) (f, 2, American Pharoah–Giulia, by Sky Mesa) is the first produce of a dam who broke her maiden by many at two in Brazil before continuing her career in Uruguay, where she won the G1 Gran Premio de Ciudad de Montevideo on the dirt by 10 1/2 lengths in 2016 (see below, saddle cloth 7). Well beaten in two starts for trainer Michael Matz in this country in 2018, Giulia was acquired privately by this breeder and was covered by American Pharoah before continuing on to Japan. The bay hails from the extended female family of champion Chief's Crown (Danzig), winner of the inaugural GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile in 1984. B-Takaya Shimakawa

6th-TOK, ¥13,400,000 ($118k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1400m
SHIRAKINU (f, 2, Frosted–Meets Expectations, by Valid Expectations), a half-sister to dual-surface GISW and Hill 'n' Dale stallion World of Trouble (Kantharos), SW Money Or Love (J Be K) and SP Alfie Solomons (Kantharos), cost Harry Sweeney's Paca Paca Farm $335K on behalf of Godolphin to buy out breeding partners Darsan Inc. at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. The Florida-bred filly's dam is a half-sister to dual GII Woodford S. winner, two-time GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint alum and popular young Florida stallion Bucchero (Kantharos). B-Darsan Inc & Godolphin (FL)

LADY SHIKA (f, 2, American Freedom–Lakefront, by Deputy Minister) becomes the first Japanese starter for her freshman sire (by Pulpit). The Feb. 18 foal, a half-sister to SW Dattts Our Girl (Thunder Gulch), was produced by an unraced daughter of Lakeway (Seattle Slew), a four-time Grade I winner and runner-up in the 1994 GI Kentucky Oaks and third behind Inside Information (Private Account) in her romping 1995 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff score. Lakeway's SW daughter Sluice (Seeking the Gold) was responsible for GISW Mushka (Empire Maker), second to Life Is Sweet (Storm Cat) in the 1999 GI Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic. Sluice is also the dam of Aqua Julia (Exaggerator), who flew home from far back to graduate at first asking on Santa Anita debut Oct. 8. A $22K short yearling at KEEJAN last year, Lady Chika was RNAd for $45K at KEESEP and fetched $160K from Hideyuki Mori at this year's OBS March after breezing an eighth of a mile in the bullet time of :9 4/5. B-Mr & Mrs Craig L Minten (KY)

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Japan: ‘Big Three’ Ready For Sunday’s Tenno Sho Autumn Clash

Three Japanese equine heavyweights – Contrail, Gran Alegria and Efforia – share top billing in Sunday's G1 Tenno Sho Autumn (2000m, or 1 1/4 miles) in the latest renewal of one of the nation's most prestigious races.

Contrail seeks glory in the “Emperor's Prize” as successor to the mighty Almond Eye after finishing third in the G1 Osaka Hai (2000m) at Hanshin Racecourse, where he did not appreciate the heavy ground. Fortuitously, there is no rain forecast this weekend in Tokyo and stable expectations are high.

Contrail has thrived during trackwork over the past two weeks, needing no urging. Last week, under jockey Yuichi Fukunaga, Contrail looked strong working on the woodchip flat course.

“His heart and lungs were tuned up and last week we just checked his responses and turn of foot. Everything is fabulous,” Fukunaga said.

On Wednesday this week, the colt breezed up the hill.

“It was just to fine-tune his breathing,” trainer Yoshito Yahagi said. “His action is spot-on and in today's work you could really see his strong point, his suppleness.”

The Deep Impact colt's retirement has already been announced and the Tenno Sho will be his second-last start before his scheduled farewell appearance in the Japan Cup.

Gran Alegria, also by Deep Impact, is also a leading contender with five top-level wins to her name. Trained by Miho-based Kazuo Fujisawa, she's tackling the distance for only her second time. Her first attempt came in the Osaka Hai, where she followed Contrail over the line in fourth place. Gran Alegria, who along with Efforia, will enjoy a lighter weight of only 123lb in the race, returns to the track from a close second in the G1 Yasuda Kinen (1600m, Tokyo) in early June.

Regular rider Christophe Lemaire attributes Gran Alegria's loss in the Yasuda to breathing problems caused by an entrapped epiglottis. She underwent surgery to correct the issue during the summer.

“There'll be no problems with her throat this time,” Lemaire says. “I think she'll be able to give a best performance.”

With the 70-year-old Fujisawa's retirement just around the corner, this will be his last Tenno Sho.

“He's a superstar trainer, I want to win the race for him one more time.” Lemaire said.

The Frenchman, currently the leading jockey in Japan, has ridden the winner for the past three autumn versions of the Tenno Sho, including Fujisawa's Rey de Oro in 2018.

Efforia, a 3-year-old by 2014 Japan Cup champion Epiphaneia, went to the Triple Crown first leg Satsuki Sho on his fourth start and won it to remain unbeaten. He suffered his first loss in the Japanese Derby with a second by a mere nose. He returns straight from the May 30 Derby, but the distance and venue are familiar ground to the colt. He won over 2000m three times in his five-race career, with two wins at Tokyo.

Efforia is to be paired with young star Takeshi Yokoyama, who hails from a racing family and will be joined by both his father and older brother in Sunday's Tenno Sho. The 22-year-old Yokoyama won the Satsuki Sho aboard Efforia in April.

On Wednesday, Yokoyama rode Efforia among a trio of horses over six furlongs on the Miho flat course. The colt displayed excellent acceleration in the final furlong.

“I've ridden him all along in work and in his races.” Yokoyama said. “And I'd say this week's work was his best yet.”

Efforia will compete against older horses for his first time, but Yokoyama says: “I'm not worried about the others. The main thing for me to remember is to not get in his way and he'll be fine.”

Sixteen horses are nominated in the turf event that carries a 150-million-yen first prize. Names most cited as capable of an upset are the highly consistent Sakae Kunieda-trained Curren Bouquetd'or, winner of this year's Tenno Sho Spring World Premiere, and the up-and-coming Potager, taking on his first G1.

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TCA Named Co-Charitable Beneficiary of Derby Rockin’ Eve

Thoroughbred Charities of America has been name the co-charitable beneficiary of Paristown's inaugural Derby Rockin' Eve, presented by Woodford Reserve, a star-studded Derby Eve party that will feature a performance from country music recording artist Jake Owen, with a portion of the evening's proceeds benefitting the Norton Healthcare Foundation's Derby Divas, as well as TCA.

“We will be tenting and showcasing the entire Paristown seven-acre Cultural Arts and Entertainment District for this Rockin' Derby Eve extravaganza,” said Steve Smith, Managing Partner of Paristown.

Tickets will be limited to just 1,000 VIP guests who will be greeted with champagne as they enter Christy's Garden, which will be transformed into an outdoor garden party with all food and beverage included with VIP admission. After the garden party, guests will be treated to an up close and personal Jake Owen concert in Old Forester's Paristown Hall, a state-of-the-art music venue that just opened in 2019.

To learn more about becoming a founding sponsor of Rockin' Derby Eve in Paristown, contact Joey Wagner at: joey@jwagnergroup.com. VIP tickets are $850 and are available at derbyeve.com.

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Equibase Analysis: Zero Tolerance The One To Beat In Autumn Miss

This Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Autumn Miss Stakes at Santa Anita Park brings together a field of eight 3-year-old fillies traversing a mile on the turf. Six of the eight have won either their most recent race or the one right before that and all eight fillies have been stakes placed at least once to date.

Madone is the most accomplished in terms of earnings at $367,800 with some of that earned when winning the G2 San Clemente Stakes at this mile turf trip in July.
Spanish Loveaffair is also a graded stakes winner, having captured the G3 Herecomesthebride Stakes in February and more recently the non-graded Pebbles Stakes last month in New York.
Zero Tolerance stretches out to a mile off a win in the Unzip Me Stakes over the course just 27 days ago and is tied for the most lightly raced filly in the field, having run just three times.
Ego Trip (IRE) is the other filly making just her fourth career start and finished third in the G2 Lake Placid Stakes in August, which was her most recent race.
Eddie's New Dream finished second in the Melair Stakes on dirt in June and recently won strongly on the grass, while Freedom Flyer missed by a head in the California Oaks this past April.
Burgoo Alley (IRE) was third behind Zero Tolerance in the Unzip Me and also stretches out, having won at a mile on turf just before that.
Javanica missed by less than a length in the G3 Jimmy Durante Stakes and by the same margin in the Blue Norther Stakes last November and December, and returns from two months off following a sixth place effort in the G1 Del Mar Oaks.

I believe strongly Zero Tolerance is the one to beat in this year's Autumn Miss Stakes, even over multiple stakes winner Madone. Zero Tolerance missed by a nose in a big effort when rallying from eighth of 10 in her career debut this past August in a sprint. Improving nicely 19 days later, she won on dirt then moving back to turf for the Unzip Me Stakes on Oct. 3 at the distance of six and one-half furlongs on turf. In that race, Zero Tolerance rallied from sixth of seven in the early stages to win going away. That effort earned her a career best 98 ™ Equibase® Speed Figure and logical improvement in only the fourth start of her career puts her at, or above, the 104 field high figures Spanish Loveaffair earned winning the Pebbles Stakes and the 104 figure Madone earned winning the San Clemente Stakes.

There is no doubt in my mind Zero Tolerance can stretch out to a mile and run a winning race, given her dam Torreadora also produced multiple stakes winner El Tormenta, who won the 2019 Grade 1, $1 million Woodbine Mile Stakes. Santa Anita leading jockey Flavien Prat was in the saddle as Zero Tolerance won her last two race and rides back and that is another reason this filly gets top billing in this situation.

Madone has won five of nine races in her careen, including two of three on the Santa Anita turf and four of eight stakes tries. Her best career effort came in July when winning the San Clemente Stakes at the distance of the Autumn Miss and earning a career-best 104 ™ figure. However, her most recent two races were some of her poorest efforts, first when fifth in the Del Mar Oaks, then when fifth in the Jockey Club Oaks Invitational last month in New York. Then again, neither of those was a mile, the distance of the San Clemente which Madone returns to. Additionally, the Del Mar Oaks was a Grade 1 race and although not yet graded, the Jockey Club Oaks is going to be a Grade 1 race in the future. As such, the drop to this G3 level and the return to a mile and to a turf course she has had success over in the past bode well for Madone regaining top form.

Honorable mention goes to Burgoo Alley (IRE) and Javanica, and I would consider both for any exacta tickets played. Burgoo Alley (IRE) won at Santa Anita in a turf sprint this past June, in her second start since importing from Ireland. She stretched out to two turns next and ran two “A” races in a row, first beaten a head with a 101 figure then winning an allowance race at a mile with a stakes quality 103 figure. She then stumbled at the start of the Unzip Me to be last of seven, rushed up to third, fell back to fifth, then re-rallied for third.

Javanica finished second in a pair of stakes last fall and winter on this circuit with big efforts then tried dirt in the Santa Anita Oaks. When that experiment failed, she moved back to grass for the Senorita Stakes at a mile on turf in May but ran into a ton of traffic trouble and was eventually moved up from sixth to fifth after another horse was disqualified for interference. Returning in July, Javanica earned a career-best 101 figure with a win then faded to fifth after leading from the start in the Del Mar Oaks. Freshened again, she has potential to run as well as she did in July and could be a contender.

The rest of the field, with their best ™ Equibase Speed Figures, is Eddie's New Dreams (86), Ego Trip (94), Freedom Flyer (88) and Spanish Loveaffair (104).

Win Contenders:
Zero Tolerance
Madone

Autumn Miss Stakes – Grade 3
Race 8 at Santa Anita
Saturday, Oct. 30 – Post Time 7 PM E.T.
One Mile on Turf
Fillies, Three Years Old
Purse: $100,000

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