Delicada Beats The Boys in Final Derby Points Race

Delicada (Jpn) (Pyro) went for a gap from between horses in the dying strides and it proved a decisive move, as she was along for a neck victory in Saturday's Fukuryu S. (allowance) at Nakayama Racecourse. Facing no other rivals that had previously accumulated points on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, Delicada has the right of first refusal for a berth in the race, having earned 40 points to shoot to the head of the class. She was not an original nominee to the Triple Crown series.

Perfect in two starts at Hanshin last term, each over the same 1800-meter distance, Delicada–the only filly in a field of eight– lined up here as the 7-1 third choice to fellow previously unbeaten Ho O Roulette (Jpn) (Roses In May). Away cleanly from gate four, the gray filly settled three wide and not far from the speed as the rail-drawn 3-10 favorite showed the way. Traveling without cover throughout, Delicada was scrubbed on three deep at the quarter pole, but appeared flat-footed in upper stretch. Ho O Roulette backed out of it abruptly with 150 meters to race, but Delicada responded to jockey Ryuji Wada's urgings and was up in the final few strides (see below). Notturno (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}–Sheikh's Serenade) was second ahead of 241-1 outsider Peisha Es (Jpn) (Espoir City {Jpn}).

The winner, a daughter of Bronx Silver (Jpn) (Kurofune), is unlikely to take up the Derby assignment. The series leader, with 38 points, is Godolphin's Combustion (Jpn) (Discreet Cat), who was to run in Saturday's G2 UAE Derby at Meydan. The homebred was not an original nominee to the Triple Crown and would need to be supplemented for $6,000 at the upcoming second closing stage.

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Godolphin Homebred ‘Bursts’ Into Derby Discussion in Japan

Cleverly named Godolphin homebred Combustion (Jpn) (Discreet Cat) shot to the head of the leaderboard on the 'Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby' with a determined 3/4-length defeat of Geraldo Barows (Jpn) (Sinister Minister) in Sunday's Listed Hyacinth S. going a one-turn mile at Tokyo Racecourse. American-bred Sea Vixen (Into Mischief), the only filly in the field of 14, was a brave third.

Ridden forward by Breeders' Cup-winning jockey Yuga Kawada, Combustion raced handy to a good pace set by Sea Vixen and was glued to the fence as the field reached the midway stage. Asked for his best with 400 meters to travel, Combustion charged through inside of the front-runner a bit more than a furlong from home and held firm as Geraldo Barows, third in the course-and-distance first leg of the series, the Cattleya S. back in November, took a run at him late.

Combustion is the 36th stakes winner for GI Cigar Mile H. hero Discreet Cat and the sire's second Japanese stakes winner. Smoldering, a half-sister to three-time SW Fashionista (Jpn) (Street Sense), is the dam of a yearling full-brother to Combustion and was most recently covered by Godolphin's dual G1 Dubai World Cup hero Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}).

Combined with the eight points he earned for his runner-up effort to Dry Stout (Jpn) (Sinister Minister) in the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun in December, Combustion–who was not among the original nominees to the Triple Crown–now sits on 38 points, while Geraldo Barows took his point total to 14. Cattleya S. winner Consigliere (Jpn) (Drefong) runs in Saturday's $1.5-million Saudi Derby. The final leg of the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby is the Mar. 26 Fukuryu S. at Nakayama.

Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
HYACINTH S. (3rd Leg Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby)-Listed, ¥36,650,000 ($318,763), Tokyo, 2-20, 3yo, 1600m, 1:35.3, my.
1–COMBUSTION (JPN), 126, c, 3, by Discreet Cat
1st Dam: Smoldering (Jpn), by Pyro
2nd Dam: Aquarist (GB), by Coronado's Quest
3rd Dam: Oyster Catcher (Ire), by Bluebird
1ST STAKES WIN. O/B-Godolphin; T-Keizo Ito; J-Yuga Kawada; ¥19,315,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-2-0, ¥63,283,000.
2–Geraldo Barows (Jpn), 123, c, 3, Sinister Minister–What a Spot, by Arch. O-Hirotsugu Inokuma; B-Hattori Bokujo; T-Ryo Terashima; J-Shu Ishibashi; ¥7,690,000.
3–Sea Vixen, 119, f, 3, Into Mischief–Sly Warrior, by First Samurai. ($130,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $500,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR). O-Yuji Hasegawa; B-Breeze Easy LLC (KY); T-Kazuo Fujisawa; J-Hiroshi Kitamura; ¥4,845,000.
Margins: NK, 1 1/4, HF. Odds: 2.60, 10.50, 38.10.

 

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