Chrono Genesis Defends Takarazuka Kinen Title

Chrono Genesis (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}) justified 4-5 favouritism and took her second consecutive G1 Takarazuka Kinen title at Hanshin on Sunday. The 2200-metre contest is a “Win and You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar in November, as well as the Oct. 23 G1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley Down Under.

Unicorn Lion (Ire) (No Nay Never) led the charge into the first turn while shadowed by Lei Papale (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Chrono Genesis sat third a few lengths back. A touch keen, pilot Christophe Lemaire found a bit of cover for the grey who had drifted to fourth. Primed to take off after the leaders rounding the final bend, Chrono Genesis immediately scythed in between horses when given the opportunity 1 ½ furlongs from home, as Lei Papale engaged Unicorn Lion on the front end. She employed her superior turn of foot-covering her final three furlongs in a race-best :34.40–and dashed past the pacesetting duo to win by 2 ½ lengths with her ears pricked.

“The mare was in very good condition and looked great at the paddock,” said Christophe Lemaire, who was deputising for the injured Yuichi Kitamura. “We were able to race in good position behind Lei Papale. She stretched really well and was able to run the last 200 meters easily. She can race really well in soft track, so I think she will perform well especially in France.”

The Oct. 3 G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a potential long-term target for Chrono Genesis.

Third in the first two legs of the 2019 Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown, Chrono Genesis delivered in the third leg, the G1 Shuka Sho at Kyoto in October of that year, her first top-level triumph. Her next win did not arrive until last February's G2 Kyoto Kinen, and, after a second-place showing in the G1 Osaka Hai that April, she captured her first Takarazuka Kinen at the end of June. Benched until Nov. 1, she ran third in the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) to Japanese Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), and claimed the G1 Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix) on Dec. 27. Her only prior 2021 start was a good second in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic on Mar. 27.

 

Pedigree Notes

Chrono Genesis is French champion Bago's most decorated progeny. One of two Group 1 winners for the 2004 G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner, the grey is joined by G1 Kikuka Sho victor Big Week (Jpn). The pair lead seven group winners and 11 black-type winners overall.

The eighth foal, and one of eight winners out of her winning dam who captured a 1700-metre maiden in two starts, Chrono Genesis is also one of two black-type winners, alongside her year-older half-sister Normcore (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}). The latter, also grey, was first past the post in both the G1 Victoria Mile in her native land and also a winner of the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup. Chronologist's 2017 filly, Clotho Nona (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) is followed by 2018 colt Klug (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}). Covered by Drefong later that year, Chronologist did not produce a foal in 2019, but has since produced fillies of 2020 and 2021 by Maurice (Jpn) and Rey de Oro (Jpn), respectively.

Her second dam is an unraced full-sister to Fusaichi Airedale (Jpn) (Sunday Silence), a MSW in Japan and the dam of Japanese Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Fusaichi Richard (Jpn) (Kurofune), MSW Lailaps (Jpn) (French Deputy) and the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies third Beach Samba (Jpn) (Kurofune).

 

Sunday, Hanshin, Japan
TAKARAZUKA KINEN-G1, ¥290,020,000, Hanshin, 6-27, 3yo/up, 2200mT, 2:10.90, fm.
1–CHRONO GENESIS (JPN), 123, m, 5, Bago (Fr)
                1st Dam: Chronologist (Jpn), by Kurofune
                2nd Dam: In This Unison (Jpn), by Sunday  Silence
                3rd Dam: Rustic Belle, by Mr. Prospector
O-Sunday Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Takashi Saito;
J-Christophe Lemaire. ¥152,814,000. Lifetime Record:
15-8-3-3. *1/2 to Normcore (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}), G1SW-Jpn
& HK, $5,619,785. Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Unicorn Lion (Ire), 128, h, 5, No Nay Never–Muravka (Ire), by
High Chaparral (Ire). (850,000gns Ylg '17 TATOCT). O-Lion Race
Horse; B-Desert Star Phoenix Jvc (Ire); ¥60,804,000.
3–Lei Papale (Jpn), 123, m, 4, Deep Impact (Jpn)–Shells Lei
(Jpn), by Kurofune. O-Carrot Farm; B-Northern Farm (Jpn);
¥38,402,000.
Margins: 2HF, NK, 2. Odds: 0.80, 26.80, 2.50.
Also Ran: Curren Bouquetd'or (Jpn), Kiseki (Jpn), Miss Mamma Mia (Jpn), Cadenas (Jpn), Mozu Bello (Jpn),  Aristoteles (Jpn), Wipe Tears (Jpn), Melody Lane (Jpn), Admire Alba (Jpn), Shironii (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart & video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Posthumous Championship for Deep Impact

For the first year since 2008 there will be no Deep Impact (Jpn) foals born this season, but the late Shadai resident was still Japan’s champion sire in 2020, a title he has held without pause since 2012. That was the year his eldest runners were four; he had also been champion first-season sire in 2010.

He had already been responsible for former Horse of the Year Gentildonna (Jpn) but Deep Impact’s crowning glory among his many talented colts has come posthumously, with his son Contrail (Jpn) having become his sixth Derby winner–and third in a row–on the middle leg of taking the 2020 Triple Crown. Bred by Koji Maeda’s North Hills Farm, Contrail has been beaten just once in his eight starts when finishing second at the end of November in the Japan Cup to the country’s retiring champion Almond Eye (Jpn). There’s no shame in being defeated by the Horse of the Year and Contrail ended 2020 with a rating of 122, just two behind Almond Eye.

The 5-year-old Almond Eye has a huge following even beyond Japan and she is very much the star performer for her sire Lord Kanaloa (Jpn), who was the leading active sire of 2020. The 13-year-old sired Group 1 winners in three different countries in 2020, with Almond Eye being backed up by Tagaloa (Aus), winner of the G1 Blue Diamond S. in Australia, while Danon Smash (Jpn) took the G1 Hong Kong Sprint.

Like Deep Impact, Lord Kanaloa has been graced with huge books ever since his retirement to stud. From 2014, when he covered 254 mares, he climbed to a high of 307 in 2018.

While Deep Impact’s dominant father Sunday Silence still features as either sire or grandsire of six of the top 10 stallions in Japan in 2020, Kingmambo’s influence remains strong. That comes essentially through his late son King Kamehameha (Jpn), who was champion sire in the two years before Deep Impact’s long reign started and was fifth this time around, and through King Kamehameha’s sons Lord Kanaloa and Rulership (Jpn).

Sunday Silence’s 20-year-old son Heart’s Cry (Jpn) was runner-up in 2019 and slipped a place to third in 2020. His leading performer, Salios (Jpn), chased home Contrail to be second in both the Japanese Derby and 2000 Guineas and won the G2 Mainichi Okan.

The 2011 Triple Crown winner Orfevre (Jpn) was next in the table and among his group stakes winners in 2020 was the durable mare Lucky Lilac (Jpn), who has won at the highest level as a 2-year-old and at four and five. In 2020, she recorded her second win the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup as well as victory in the G1 Osaka Hai, beating subsequent G1 Arima Kinen winner Chrono Genesis (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}).

The aforementioned Rulership (Jpn) is another among the Japanese ranks to have previously been represented by a top-flight international performer with his son Mer De Glace (Jpn) having won the 2019 Caulfield Cup. The 14-year-old’s sixth place finish in the sires’ championship helped boost the sire-of-sires claim of King Kamehameha, who, like Deep Impact, died in the summer of 2019.

Of note among the younger sires bidding to establish themselves, last year’s freshman champion Kizuna (Jpn), a son of Deep Impact, was 12th overall. He improved on his previous season’s tally of 27 2-year-old winners to make it 31 this time around. His second crop of foals, though still large at 138, was down from 184 in his debut season. He is yet to sire a Group 1 winner but had two Group 2 and two Group 3 winners last year.

His contemporary in the stallion ranks, Epiphaneia (Jpn), by Symboli Kris S, may have notched 50 fewer winners than Kizuna but he has the distinction of having a first-crop winner of the Fillies’ Triple Crown, Daring Tact (Jpn), who was also third behind Almond Eye and Contrail in an epic running of the Japan Cup.

Japan’s first-season sires’ list was headed by King Kamehameha’s Japanese Derby and Guineas-winning son Duramente (Jpn), who covered almost 300 mares in each of his first two seasons at Shadai Stallion Station and recorded 35 winners from his first group of runners. Close behind him on 32 was the good-looking Maurice (Jpn), a son of Screen Hero (Jpn) who won six Group 1 races in Japan and Hong Kong and has also shuttled to Arrowfield Stud in Australia.

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Chrono Genesis on Time in Arima Kinen

The fans’ selection proved spot on in Sunday’s G1 Arima Kinen at Nakayama, with 3-2 favourite Chrono Genesis (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}) snapping up her third Group 1 by a neck. The field is selected by fan poll, and Sunday Racing’s mare defeated Salacia (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), with that foe a neck in front of Fierement (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), second on the morning line. MG1SW Lucky Lilac (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) ran fourth, another 2 1/2 lengths back.

Well back in midpack passing the winning post for the first time as Babbitt (Jpn) (Nakayama Festa {Jpn}) led, the grey filly started to advance during the backstretch run. Still well off the fence, Chrono Genesis continued to make inroads towards the vanguard and was within a length of new leader Fierement close home, before matching strides with that foe and asserting for a narrow victory. Salacia also showed good late dash to nip Fierement for second. In her final race, Lucky Lilac plugged on to take fourth. Blast Onepiece (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) went amiss on the backstretch and did not finish the race.

“All I wanted was her to be relaxed and her break wasn’t that bad, she was in hand and ran in the same rhythm as before,” said pilot Yuichi Kitamura. “Yesterday and today, I was in 2500-metre races here at Nakayama which enabled me to get warmed up with a good idea of how I wanted her to run. We haven’t faced the two Triple Crown winners yet, but I hope she performs well and stays in the spotlight next season.”

Added trainer Takashi Saito, “She was in good form and gave us a great impression before the race. I was worried that Yuichi might have made a too early bid, but he was confident and rode her beautifully, holding off the others. This is a dream come true and I have a feeling there will be many more.”

Runner-up in the 2018 G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies after two unbeaten runs including the Listed Ivy S., Chrono Genesis captured the G3 Daily Hai Queen Cup last term and was third in both the G1 Japanese 1000 Guineas and G1 Japanese Oaks before a win in the G1 Shuka Sho. Unplaced in her 3-year-old finale in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup last November, she returned at four with a win in the G2 Kyoto Kinen and played bridesmaid in Lucky Lilac’s Osaka Hai in April. Back on top in the G1 Takarazuka Kinen on June 28, she went missing until a third in the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) behind Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) on Nov. 1 last out.

 

Pedigree Notes

One of two Group 1 winners for her sire after Big Week (Jpn), the winner is among Bago’s 11 black-type winners, seven at the group level. The eighth foal and eighth winner out of the winning Chronologist, Chrono Genesis is also her dam’s second offspring to win at least two Group 1s after the grey mare Normcore (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}). At the beginning of December, the grey Normcore padded her resume with a win at Sha Tin in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup after saluting in the G1 Victoria Mile earlier in her career. The duo are followed by the unplaced 3-year-old filly Clotho Nona (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}), an unnamed juvenile colt by Maurice (Jpn), a yearling by Drefong and a weanling filly by Maurice. Chronologist visited the court of 2017 G1 Japanese Derby/Tenno Sho (Autumn) hero Rey de Oro (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) this spring.

The extended family of the 2020 Arima Kinen heroine features Japanese MSW Fusaichi Airedale (Jpn) (Sunday Silence), in turn the dam of Japanese Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Fusaichi Richard (Jpn) (Kurofune), MSW Lailaps (Jpn) (French Deputy), and the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies third Beach Samba (Jpn) (Kurofune). Another half-sister to Fusaichi Airedale, Bellagio (Jpn) (Mejiro Ryan {Jpn}), saluted in the Listed Topaz S., while yet another half-sister was the dam of G3 Sapporo Nisai S. victor Admire Eikan (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Jpn}).
Sunday, Nakayama, Japan
ARIMA KINEN-G1, ¥574,860,000, Nakayama, 12-27, 3yo/up, 2500mT, 2:35.00, fm.
1–CHRONO GENESIS (JPN), 121, f, 4, Bago (Fr)
                1st Dam: Chronologist (Jpn), by Kurofune
                2nd Dam: In This Unison (Jpn), by Sunday  Silence
                3rd Dam: Rustic Belle, by Mr. Prospector
O-Sunday Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Takashi Saito;
J-Yuichi Kitamura. ¥303,420,000. Lifetime Record: 13-7-2-3.
*1/2 to Normcore (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}), G1SW-Jpn & HK,
$5,619,785 Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: F.
2–Salacia (Jpn), 121, m, 5, Deep Impact (Jpn)–Salomina (Ger),
by Lomitas (GB). O-Silk Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn);
¥120,972,000.
3–Fierement (Jpn), 126, h, 5, Deep Impact (Jpn)–Lune d’Or (Fr),
by Green Tune. O-Sunday Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn);
¥75,486,000.
Margins: NK, NK, 2HF. Odds: 1.50, 73.90, 2.50.
Also Ran: Lucky Lilac (Jpn), World Premiere (Jpn)*, Curren Bouquetd’or (Jpn)*, Persian Knight (Jpn), Crescendo Love (Jpn), Ocea Great (Jpn), Loves Only You (Jpn), You Can Smile (Jpn), Kiseki (Jpn), Babbitt (Jpn), Authority (Jpn), Mozu Bello (Jpn). DNF: Blast Onepiece (Jpn).
Dead Heat for 5th: World Premiere (Jpn) & Curren Bouquetd’or (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart & video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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