Tag: chukyo racecourse

Dark Angel’s Mad Cool Denies Namura Clair In Takamatsunomiya Kinen

Mad Cool (Jpn) (Dark Angel {Ire}–Mad About You {Ire}, by Indian Ridge {Ire}) climbed the Group 1 heights with a head victory in the 1200-metre ¥329,400,000 G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen at Chukyo on Sunday. Namura Clair (Jpn) (Mikki Isle {Jpn}) was runner-up for the second consecutive year, with the duo three lengths ahead of Hong Kong raider and G1 Centenary Sprint Cup scorer Victor The Winner (Aus) (Toronado {Ire}) in third.

It was a dogfight for pacesetting duties between Mad Cool and Victor The Winner from the bell, with the former conceding the advantage to sit in third on the backstretch as Win Carnelian (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}) moved to second. Saving all the ground on the fence while drafting off of Victor The Winner, the 8-1 sixth choice charged through a gap along the inside with 400 metres to travel as the leader drifted toward the centre of the course. The exceedingly deep ground didn't phase the 5-year-old entire, who inched by the determined Hong Kong raider and set sail for the line at the 150-metre point. Gobbling up ground directly behind Mad Cool, Namura Clair was unleashing a furious rally, but she did not hit the front until a stride past the wire. Victor The Winner plugged on to be third. Favoured Lugal (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) raced near the pace, but could not mount a strong challenge at the end and faded to 10th.

“I am so glad to have won this race after our narrow defeat last fall [in the Sprinters S.],” said winning jockey Ryusei Sakai. “He broke well and we were in an ideal position, right behind the pace, throughout the trip. I've been riding this horse from early in his career and the connections had been eyeing this race from the beginning, but he still has room for improvement so I look forward to his future as well.”

A winner of four of his six starts at three, the bay was third to Namura Clair in the G3 Silk Road S. last January, before taking his first stake, the Listed Shunrai S., at Nakayama in April of 2023. Second by only a nose to Mama Cocha (Jpn) (Kurofune) in the G1 Sprinters S. last October, he signed off his 4-year-old campaign with an eighth in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint on Dec. 10. Sunday marked his 4-year-old bow.

Pedigree Notes

Mad Cool is the 16th Group 1 winner for his Yeomanstown Stud-based sire, who has 102 stakes winners (59 group winners) on an international scale. Dark Angel covered 166 mares in 2023, and he has three stakes winners out of Indian Ridge mares. G2 July S. hero Alhebayeb (Ire) is his other group/graded winner bred on this cross.

The late Indian Ridge has made quite a mark as a broodmare sire, as his daughters have foaled 114 stakes winners to date. A total of 68 group winners are sprinkled among them, with 19 top-level winners following Mad Cool's Takamatsunomiya Kinen tally.

The seventh foal and fifth winner for his G3 Gladness S.-winning dam, Mad Cool was purchased for €225,000 out of the Goffs November Foal Sale in 2019 by Katsumi Yoshida. He is a half-brother to G3 Silver Flash S. third A Ma Chere (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), the winning 4-year-old gelding Partisan Hero (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) and the 3-year-old filly Campari Soda (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}), who has yet to race. Besides her Gladness win, Mad About You was placed four times at the highest level in Ireland and France.

Her dam Irresistible Jewel (Ire) (Danehill) won both the G2 Ribblesdale S. and G3 Blandford S. and was also placed in the G1 Prix de l'Opera. At stud, she foaled fellow G2 Ribblesdale S. heroine and G1 Irish Oaks third Princess Highway to the cover of Street Cry (Ire), as well as G1 Irish St. Leger winner Royal Diamond (Ire) (King's Best). Mad Cool is also kin to G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Homeless Songs (Ire) (Frankel {GB}).

 

Sunday, Chukyo, Japan
TAKAMATSUNOMIYA KINEN-G1, ¥329,400,000, Chukyo, 3-24, 4yo/up, 1200mT, 1:08.90, sf.
1–MAD COOL (IRE), 128, h, 5, Dark Angel (Ire)
                1st Dam: Mad About You (Ire) (GSW & MG1SP-Ire,
                                G1SP-Fr, $495,023), by Indian Ridge (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Irresistible Jewel (Ire), by Danehill
                3rd Dam: In Anticipation (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
1ST GROUP WIN. 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€225,000 Wlg '19
GOFNOV). O-Sunday Racing; B-Moyglare Stud Farm Ltd (Ire);
T-Manabu Ikezoe; J-Ryusei Sakai; ¥173,780,000. Lifetime
Record: 12-6-1-3, ¥333,466,000. *1/2 to A Ma Chere (Ire)
(Kodiac {GB}), GSP-Ire. Click for the
   free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Werk Nick
   Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Namura Clair (Jpn), 123, m, 5, Mikki Isle (Jpn)–Sun Queen, by
Storm Cat. O-Mutsuhiro Namura; B-Tanikawa Farm (Jpn);
¥69,080,000.
3–Victor The Winner (Aus), 128, h, 8, Toronado (Ire)–Noetic
(Aus), by Cape Cross (Ire). (A$180,000 Ylg '20 INGMAR). O-Yun
Lau Chu; B-Mr. A Sangster (Aus); ¥43,540,000.
Margins: HD, 3, 1HF. Odds: 8.60, 4.40, 8.60.
Also ran: Win Caernelian (Jpn), Lotus Land, Toshin Macau (Jpn), Big Caesar (Jpn), Mama Cocha (Jpn), Meikei Yell (Jpn), Lugal (Jpn), Divina (Jpn), Win Marvel (Jpn), Schwarz Kaiser (Ire), So Dazzling (Jpn), Mozu Meimei (Jpn), Matenro Orion (Jpn), Champagne Color (Jpn), T M Spada (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart & video.

 

 

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Japan: Dirt Specialist T O Keynes Dominates Champions Cup

Race favorite T O Keynes claimed this year's Champions Cup to register his first JRA-G1 title with a six-length margin, the largest margin set since the race moved to Chukyo Racecourse in 2014.

Having raced only on dirt since his debut in October of his 2-year-old season, the son of Sinister Minister marked a win and two thirds during his debut year and landed three more wins out of seven starts the following year, which included his first graded challenge in NAR's year-end Tokyo Daishoten (G1, dirt, 2,000m, or 1 1/4 miles) where he finished sixth. T O Keynes kicked off this season with three consecutive wins, which included the Antares Stakes (G3, dirt, 1,800m, or 1 1/8 miles) in April and the Teio Sho (dirt, 2,000m) in June, and came off a fourth in the JBC Classic (dirt, 2,100m) on Nov. 3.

This win marked trainer Daisuke Takayanagi's first JRA-G1 and third JRA graded title and jockey Kohei Matsuyama's fifth JRA-G1 win following his victory in the Shuka Sho with Daring Tact last year.

T O Keynes, overcoming his weak start, broke smoothly from stall six and traveled two wide around sixth from Sodashi who set a slow pace. Though meeting traffic at the top of the stretch, the four-year-old chestnut shifted to the outside toward a narrow space outside Inti and, once finding an open space, broke loose from the pack 300 meters out and produced a remarkable turn of speed that timed the fastest last three furlongs to pull away for an overwhelming six-length victory.

“Though the JBC Classic result was disappointing due to the slow start, he broke smoothly today, thanks to the gate practice he went through at the stable,” commented jockey Kohei Matsuyama. “I was able to ride him in good rhythm and he responded remarkably well turning the fourth corner, so everything was perfect. I think he's a very strong horse and I'm glad I was able to bring out his strong performance.”

Defending champion Chuwa Wizard traveled wide toward the rear of the front pack, around 10-11th from the front, and rounded the last two corners the widest of the field. The King Kamehameha brown ran persistently in the stretch, passing his rivals one by one, and, while no match for the winner, managed to overtake Another Truth 50 meters out for a runner-up effort.

Fourteenth pick Another Truth settled around fifth outside the race favorite, closed ground turning the last two corners wide and was at the top of the field running side by side with the eventual winner 300 meters out. Though unable to follow T O Keynes's fast closing speed and overtaken by the runner-up 50 meters out, the seven-year-old chestnut dueled strongly with Inti before the wire to notch third place.

Other Horses:
4th: (4) Inti—tracked leader in 2nd, took lead at early stretch, soon overtaken by winner, weakened in last 100m
5th: (3) Sunrise Nova—positioned around 13th, showed 3rd fastest late kick but belatedly
6th: (9) Auvergne—ran around 8th, dropped position turning last corners, accelerated in last 200m
7th: (15) Meisho Hario—made 3-wide trip around 11th, driven after 3rd corner, lacked needed kick
8th: (8) Suave Aramis—settled along rails near rear, passed tired rivals after meeting traffic 200m out
9th: (5) Air Spinel—saved ground around 8th, showed brief effort, outrun in last 100m
10th: (2) Casino Fountain—hugged rails inside winner around 5th, failed to respond at stretch
11th: (16) Cafe Pharoah—raced 3-wide around 11th, made headway to 6th, showed little at stretch
12th: (1) Sodashi—set pace, maintained lead up to 400m pole, dropped back
13th: (10) K T Brave—trailed in rear, gradually advanced, never fired at stretch
14th: (12) Clincher—sat 3-wide around 7th, found little room after entering stretch
15th: (7) Sunrise Hope—chased leaders around 3rd, checked at early stretch, faded
16th: (14) Danon Pharaoh—traveled in 13th early, fell back to last in backstretch

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Japan: Superstar White Filly Sodashi Tries Dirt, Faces Cafe Pharoah In Sunday’s Champions Cup

There's a slight gear change this coming Sunday, when the top racing action in Japan moves west from Tokyo to the Chukyo Racecourse near Nagoya for the Grade 1 Champions Cup. The race started out as the Japan Cup Dirt back in the year 2000, when it was run at Tokyo over 2,100 meters (about 1 5 /16 miles). After a few other changes with the venues and the distance of the race, it has been run at Chukyo over 1,800 meters (about 1 1/8 miles) since 2014, when it also got its current name, the Champions Cup.

It's an international race and makes up the final leg of the Japan Autumn International series of races. There have been 19 nominations for a maximum 16 runner field this year, and all eyes will be on the superstar filly, Sodashi, as she tries to become a Grade 1 winner on both turf and dirt. There was one horse nominated from overseas (American Theorem), but the American 4-year-old will not be among the runners.

The 22nd Grade 1 Champions Cup will be Race 11 on the Sunday card at Chukyo, with a post time locally of 15:30 (1:30 am ET). The final line-up and the barrier draw will be available later in the week.

Here's a look at some of the top dirt horses expected to take on the race:

Sodashi: The 3-year-old filly by Kurofune is already something of a legend, being such a stunning looking white horse, and also proving she's a bit special on the racecourse too. This will be her first start on dirt, however, and she does have to overcome her last result, when she finished tenth in the Grade 1 Shuka Sho in October, but trainer Naosuke Sugai thinks she has what it takes here.

“On her breeding, dirt races should be fine, and with the weight of 54kg (119lbs) she'll carry here against the older horses, she must have a good chance. Her hindquarters have rounded out more, and it looks as if she'll be suited to racing on dirt,” said the trainer.

It'll be Sodashi's first time to run at Chukyo, and just one of her six wins has come racing to the left.

Chuwa Wizard: The defending champion of the race has had four races since last year's victory, including two overseas. In his latest race, he finished third in the JBC Classic at Kanazawa over 2,100 meters in November, and it leads him nicely into this race again, where he defends his crown.

Trainer Ryuji Okubo stated: “He was coming back from injury last time, but having taken good care with him, he was able to put in a strong race.

Jockey Keita Tosaki also noted that racing from an inside gate, the dirt on the inside was quite deep and this had some effect on the horse's performance.

“This next race he'll be back at the track where he won last year,” Tosaki said.

The jockey certainly knows the horse well, having ridden him in his last five starts, including last year's Champions Cup.

Cafe Pharoah: The 4-year-old colt by American Pharoah has an impressive record in dirt races, having won five out of his eight starts on the surface. His last race was the Grade 3 Hakodate Kinen in July, where he finished ninth, in what was his first race on turf. Back on dirt this time, he should be poised for a big run.

Trainer Noriyuki Hori said: “We passed on the Sapporo Kinen after his run in the Hakodate Kinen, and gave him a break at the farm. He came back to the stable on Oct. 9, and he's been working well since. His weight's around 519kg (1,144 lbs). He's eating well and is relaxed, showing that he's in good overall condition.”

Cafe Pharoah finished sixth in last year's Champions Cup, when starting second favorite.

T O Keynes: It's a 50 percent win strike rate for the 4-year-old colt. He was having his first run in a while in the JBC Classic last time since winning the Teio Sho at Oi back in June. He finished fourth in that last race, and trainer Daisuke Takayanagi believes he's better than that result suggests.

“It was his first race for a while last time, and he wasn't very good at the gate. That and a muddling pace didn't make for a good race for him, although he still ran quite well. He seems more relaxed now and he'll be back at Chukyo where he's shown he can win,” said the trainer recently.

The horse by Sinister Minister looks set to be ridden by jockey Kohei Matsuyama.

Casino Fountain: The Funabashi based NAR runner has only ever run in NAR races, but with 23 races in his career, he has won 12 times and racked up prize money of over JPY200 million on the NAR circuit.

Trainer Takayuki Yamashita commented: “He was quite worked up in the preliminaries last time before the JBC Classic, and it seemed to cost him the race. Also racing right-handed, he didn't respond too well and couldn't keep things up until the finish. He's come out of the race well though and isn't tired at all.”

Jockey Mirco Demuro has been booked to ride the 5-year-old by Casino Drive, in a bold bid to hit the big time here.

Inti: Now a 7-year-old, Inti is always an interesting horse to watch, and has finished third in the Champions Cup for the past two years. Once again trainer Kenji Nonaka and jockey Yutaka Take team up for another effort to pull off a win in the race. The horse is coming off a fourth place finish in the Mile Championship Nambu Hai over 1,600 meters at Morioka in October, making it the same rotation as last year going into this race.

“It was one of his smoothest ever runs last time, and while not perfect in the finish, he used his legs well. He's had a short break at the farm, with this race as his next target,” said trainer Nonaka.

Sunrise Hope: The 4-year-old by Majestic Warrior is an interesting runner here, having finished first or second in four of his last five starts, which include a win in his most recent race, the Grade 3 Sirius Stakes over 1,900 meters at Chukyo in October. Trainer Tomohiko Hatsuki is pleased with the horse's progress.

“Two starts ago he wasn't suited by the tight Kokura track, but back at where he's had success last time, he ran a smooth race, got a good forward position and managed to go on and win. After that I've had this race in mind for him,” said the trainer recently.

Jockey Hideaki Miyuki, who caused a big upset in the recent Queen Elizabeth II Cup, will once again ride Sunrise Hope.

Meisho Hario: The famous Meisho colors will be carried by the 4-year-old colt by Pyro, and he has now managed to finish in the first two in his last four races, including a narrow win in his latest race, the Grade 3 Miyako Stakes over 1,800 meters at Hanshin in November.

Recent comments from assistant training staff at the stable were: “He was challenged late in his last race by the horse on the outside that eventually finished second, but he found a bit extra, so it was a good performance to get the win. He's come out of the race very well.”

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