Clos de Mesnil | Horse Racing Free Tips

Notable US-Bred and -Sired Runners in Japan: May 15, 2022

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 for this Sunday running at Chukyo and Tokyo Racecourses. Featured on the 12-race program at headquarters is an intriguing renewal of the G1 Victoria Mile for female turfers, which has drawn the likes of fan-favorite Sodashi (Jpn) (Kurofune), G3 1351 Turf Sprint heroine Songline (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) and Daring Tact (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}), winner of the G1 Japanese 1000 Guineas and G1 Japanese Oaks in 2020:

Sunday, May 15, 2022
2nd-TOK, ¥9,900,000 ($77k), Maiden, 3yo, 1600m
NATURE THERAPY (JPN) (c, 3, Union Rags–My Happy Face, by Tiz Wonderful) is the first Japanese-bred produce for her dam, winner of the GIII Tempted S. and second in the GI Frizette S. in 2012 and placed in the GI CCA Oaks and GI Test S. the following season. Katsumi Yoshida acquired My Happy Face for $425K with this colt in utero at Keeneland November in 2018 and the Mar. 25 foal debuts in the colors of Yoshida's wife Kazumi, with top jockey Takeshi Yokoyama in the irons. B-Northern Farm

6th-CKO, ¥14,250,000 ($111k), Allowance, 3yo, 1200m
CLOS DE MESNIL (f, 3, Practical Joke–Valiant Emilia {Per}, by Pegasus Wind), the $750K topper at the 2021 OBS March sale, opened her account at first asking last November (see below, SC 7) and gets back onto what appears to be her preferred footing after finishing down the field in a six-furlong turf allowance when last seen Jan. 10. A daughter of Peru's champion older mare of 2014, Clos de Mesnil was bought back on a bid of $65K at KEENOV in 2019 and was a $120K KEESEP grad before lighting up the tote in Ocala. The filly's third dam produced GSW & G1SP Thundering Emilia (Thunder Gulch), the dam of 2021 GII Tampa Bay Derby hero Helium (Distorted Humor). B-Teneri Farm (KY)

The post Notable US-Bred and -Sired Runners in Japan: May 15, 2022 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Notable US-Bred Runners in Japan: Dec. 11 & 12, 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. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Chukyo, Nakayama and Hanshin Racecourses. With the season winding down, this year's 2-year-old crop get their crack at Group 1 glory beginning with this weekend's Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. The boys get their chance in next Sunday's Asahi Hai Futurity:

Saturday, December 11, 2021
5th-CKO, ¥13,400,000 ($118k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1400m
MOZU BONHEUR (f, 2, Street Sense–Endless Chatter, by First Samurai) cost Capital Systems Co. $200K at last year's Keeneland September sale and is out of a stakes-winning and Grade I-placed half-sister to SW & G1SP Whitcliffsofdover (War Front) and to Berate (Blame), a good-looking maiden winner at Turfway Park Dec. 3. The filly's third dam is the excellent GISW Preach (Mr. Prospector), the dam of the influential Pulpit (A.P. Indy). The Curlin half-brother to Mozu Bonheur fetched $325K from Repole/St Elias at KEESEP this fall. B-Alpha Delta Stables LLC (KY)

Sunday, December, 12, 2021
6th-HSN, ¥13,830,000 ($122k), Allowance, 2yo, 1200m
CLOS DE MESNIL (f, 2, Practical Joke–Valiant Emilia {Per}, by Pegasus Wind) topped this year's OBS March sale on trainer Hideyuki Mori's $750K bid and she began to chip away at that investment with a hard-fought debut success over this course and trip Nov. 7 (see below, SC 7). She most recently set the pace in the Nov. 27 Cattleya S. at Tokyo, but dropped away in the final stages and cuts back to her winning distance for this. Clos de Mesnil hails from the female family of GII Tampa Bay Derby upsetter Helium (Ironicus). B-Teneri Farm (KY)

7th-NKY, ¥13,830,000 ($122k), Allowance, 2yo, 1800m
FIFTY CHEVY (c, 2, Tapit–Stopchargingmaria, by Tale of the Cat), an $825K KEESEP purchase, won his maiden at second asking over 1800 meters (video, SC 11) and was an allowance third going that same distance next time out before finishing fifth at 10 furlongs when last seen Sept. 25. He tries the dirt for the first time here and is a candidate to handle it, as his dam counted the 2015 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff among her three top-level scores. Stopchargingmaria was acquired by Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm for $4.4 million with this colt in utero at Fasig-Tipton November in 2018. B-Three Chimneys Farm LLC & Whisper Hill Farm LLC (KY)

12th-HSN, ¥28,600,000 ($252k), Allowance, 3yo/up, 1400m
LEMON POP (c, 3, Lemon Drop Kid–Unreachable, by Giant's Causeway) was a good-looking winner of his career debut going 6 1/2 furlongs at Tokyo last November and went missing off a strong victory in the Cattleya S. at headquarters three weeks later (video, SC 1). A $70K purchase out of the 2019 KEESEP sale, the chestnut is out of an unplaced daughter of MGSW Harpia (Danzig), a full-sister to the legendary and prolific Danehill and to the talented Eagle Eyed. B-Mr & Mrs Oliver S Tait (KY)

The post Notable US-Bred Runners in Japan: Dec. 11 & 12, 2021 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

World Connector Must Overcome High Draw In Cattleya S.

The 2022 Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby kicks off Saturday with the running of the Cattleya S. (allowance) at Tokyo Racecourse. Thirteen colts and two fillies line up for the 1600-meter test which begins with a run-up on the grass before linking up with the dirt track.

World Connector (Connect) has made both of his career starts to date at Tokyo, settling for a debut second as the 8-5 favorite going this course and trip Oct. 9 before dead-heating for the maiden win in a one-mile event on the turf track Oct. 31 (video, SC 2). A $250,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $410,000 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream juvenile (see below), the half-brother to SW & GISP Savings Account (Medaglia d'Oro) has to contend with the outside post in the bulky field. Ryan Moore, in to ride Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in Sunday's G1 Longines Japan Cup, has been recruited by trainer Kazuo Fujisawa. World Connector trades as the 4-1 second favorite ante-post.

Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Drefong (Gio Ponti) has gotten off to a flying start at stud in Japan, with progeny earnings to date of a leading ¥258 million (US$2.28 million) and having been represented by 21 individual winners. One of those is Consigliere (Jpn), a 9 1/2-length graduate over nine furlongs at Niigata on his lone racetrack appearance Aug. 22 (video, SC 2). The bay is a half-brother to the Japanese SW & GSP Esmeraldina (Harlan's Holiday) and his dam Tasha's Star (Spanish Steps) is a half-sister to MGSW & GISP Tasha's Miracle (Harlan's Holiday). Consigliere was the 8-5 selection as of this writing.

Cafe Karma (Jpn) (Henny Hughes), a first-out second going nine furlongs at Nakayama Sept. 25, cut back to this track and distance and donned cap and gown by 3/4 of a length Oct. 24.

The connections of Clos de Mesnil (Practical Joke) opt for this spot over a sex-restricted allowance on the grass this weekend. This year's OBS March sales-topper on a bid of $750,000 (under-tack preview) overcame a bit of an eventful trip to break her maiden by a head at first asking over 1200 meters Nov. 7 at Hanshin (see below, SC 7) and is bred to appreciate the extra quarter mile of the Cattleya S.

A total of 17 Kentucky Derby points (10-4-2-1) are on the line Saturday. The series continues with the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun (1600m) at Kawasaki Dec. 15, the Listed Hyacinth S. (1600m) back at Tokyo Feb. 7 and the 1800-meter Fukuryu S. (allowance) at Nakayama Apr. 2.

The post World Connector Must Overcome High Draw In Cattleya S. appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Notable US-Bred Runners in Japan: Nov. 7. 2021

Sunday, November 7, 2021
2nd-TOK, ¥9,680,000 ($85k), Maiden, 2yo, 1400mT
WALKER TESORO (f, 2, Speightstown–January Jones {Brz}, by Shirocco {Ger}) is the second foal from her Brazilian Group 1-winning dam, who was acquired privately by these breeders and mated to a sire with which they have experienced much success. Walker Tesoro returns to the course and distance of her Oct. 17 career debut, a solid runner-up effort from a high draw that should have her sitting on a win (see below, SC 16). Speightstown, the sire of 33 winners from 41 to race in Japan, has accounted for the owner's Rieno Tesoro, a stakes winner on dirt and Group 1-placed going a mile on turf against males. B-Mr & Mrs Kenji Ryotokuji (KY)

4th-HSN, ¥13,400,000 ($118k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1200m
CLOS DE MESNIL (f, 2, Practical Joke–Valiant Emilia {Per}, by Pegasus Wind) was bought back for $65K as a Keeneland November weanling in 2019, but improved into a $120K KEESEP yearling and attracted a sales-topping bid of $750K from trainer Hideyuki Mori at this year's OBS March Sale after breezing an eighth of a mile in the bullet time of :9 4/5. The Mar. 18 foal was the most expensive of the eight juveniles Mori signed for at OBSMAR. Each of the remaining seven horses has already started, led by Dugat (Practical Joke), a $190K purchase who broke his maiden for this filly's owner Susumu Fujita by four lengths at Hanshin Oct. 16. Clos de Mesnil's third dam produced Peruvian GSW/G1SP Thundering Emilia (Thunder Gulch), whose son Helium (Ironicus) upset this year's GII Tampa Bay Derby, and she is also the dam of Peruvian G1SW Emilia's Moon (Malibu Moon). B-Teneri Farm (KY)

The post Notable US-Bred Runners in Japan: Nov. 7. 2021 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post