Unbeaten Serifos Tries for Group 1 Glory

Undefeated Serifos (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}), coming off a last out win in the G2 Daily Hai Nisai S. Nov. 13, will try to give trainer Mitsumasa Nakauchida his second consecutive victory in the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity S. at Hanshin Sunday. Leading the trainers' table this year, Nakauchida won the race last year with Grenadier Guards (Jpn). A debut winner at Chukyo last June, the chestnut returned to score in the G2 Niigata Nisai S. in August.  Visiting jockey Christian Demuro will be on board.

Also undefeated, Geoglyph (Jpn) (Drefong) kicked off with a first-out win at Tokyo in June before exhibiting late speed to take the G2 Sapporo Nisai S. by four lengths in September. Returned from a pre-training farm to Miho Training Centre in November, he worked six furlongs over woodchip course at Miho Dec. 15, completing the final furlong :11.9.

Yu Ota, assistant to Tetsuya Kimura said, “He ran well in the Sapporo Nisai S., even though he was a bit too relaxed. Returning from the farm recently, he looks sharp, and the jockey reports the horse to be in good shape in training. With two wins over 1,800 meters, there shouldn't be any problem over a mile.”

Geoglyph will be accompanied by Christophe Lemaire, who has ridden the colt in both prior starts.

Looking for his first group title, Danon Scorpion (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) graduated at Hanshin in June before adding that track's Listed Hagi S. (1800m) in October. Trainer Takayuki Yasuda explained, “He is a very talented horse. He also has lots of scope.”

In a recent work over the woodchip course at Ritto Training Centre, the bay covered six furlongs, with the final furlong completed in :12.1 seconds under jockey Kohei Matsuyama.

“He moved better than last week. He showed great acceleration and he is fit going into the race,” said Matsuyama.

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Daiwa Major Colt Stays Perfect in Niigata Nisai

Successful when unveiled at Chukyo in a newcomers' heat in June, Serifos (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) made it two on the bounce with a first black-type and group score in the G3 Niigata Nisai S. on Sunday.

Sent off as the 7-2 third choice, the Oiwake Farm-bred took advantage of his rail draw and saved every inch of ground against the fence in midpack through the early going as Otaru Ever (Jpn) (Leontes {Jpn}) showed the way. After a half in :48.50, he was sitting sixth as that rival continued to lead.

Dashing up the rail with three furlongs remaining down the long Niigata straight, he gradually subdued Otaru Ever, and appeared to be home free. The 9-5 favourite, Arrival (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}), made a late run, but finished 1 1/4 lengths back on the line. It was three-quarters of a length back to Otaru Ever in third.

 

Pedigree Notes

By one of the increasingly rare active sire sons of Sunday Silence, Serifos is the 38th black-type winner and 18th group winner for the 2004 Japanese 2000 Guineas hero Daiwa Major, who stood at Shadai Stallion Station this season for a private fee. Serifos's broodmare sire Le Havre already has a pair of black-type winners in that sphere, this season's progressive G1 Coronation Cup winner Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) and Des Ailes (Jpn), a Japanese Group 2 victress who is by the late Deep Impact (Jpn) (Sunday Silence).

The winner is the second foal and scorer for his dam, who won the Listed Prix Maurice Zilber at four and placed in the G3 Prix Bertrand du Breuil Longines at five. Serifos is the last reported foal for Sea Front, who was purchased for €135,000 out of the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale in 2016 and sent to Japan.

Although Sea Front is the only black-type winner for her unraced dam, Freedom Herself (Fr) (Freedom Cry {GB}), the latter's half-sister Mediation (Ire) (Caerleon) won at the listed level in Ireland and placed at the group level there and Stateside. As a broodmare, Mediation has foaled GI Pacific Classic S. hero Go Between (Point Given), stakes winner Go Around (Medaglia d'Oro), the G2 Cherry Hinton S. third Extreme Beauty (Rahy) and the winning dam of GI Chandelier S. and GI Starlet S. third K P Dreamin (Union Rags).

Sunday, Niigata, Japan
NIIGATA NISAI S.-G3, ¥59,220,000, Niigata, 8-29, 2yo, 1600mT, 1:33.80, fm.
1–SERIFOS (JPN), 119, c, 2, Daiwa Major (Jpn)
1st Dam: Sea Front (Fr) (SW & GSP-Fr, $217,499),
                                by Le Havre (Ire)
2nd Dam: Freedom Herself (Fr), by Freedom Cry (GB)
3rd Dam: Redeem Herself (Ire), by General Assembly
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. O-G1 Racing;
B-Oiwake Farm (Jpn); T-Mitsumasa Nakauchida; J-Yuga
Kawada. ¥31,434,000. Lifetime: 2-2-0-0. Werk Nick Rating:
   D+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Arrival (Jpn), 119, c, 2, Harbinger (GB)–Culminar (Jpn), by
Deep Impact (Jpn). O-Carrot Farm; B-Northern Farm (Jpn);
¥12,124,000.
3–Otaru Ever (Jpn), 119, c, 2, Leontes (Jpn)–Rouge Coeur (Aus),
by Redoute's Choice (Aus). (¥41,000,000 Ylg '20 JRHAJUL).
O-Ikuko Sumitani; B-Lake Villa Farm (Jpn); ¥7,862,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 3/4, NK. Odds: 3.50, 1.90, 3.00.
Also Ran: Comstock Lode (Jpn), Stunning Rose (Jpn), Kimiwa Queen (Jpn), Tagano Finale (Jpn), Grand Line (Jpn), Win Pyxis (Jpn), Crowned Magic (Jpn), Cradle (Jpn), Said (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart & video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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