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Titleholder Takes Kikuka Sho in Wire-to-Wire Fashion

The Japanese Classics came to a close on Sunday at Hanshin with the G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger), and it was Titleholder (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn})'s time to shine as he led at every call to win going away by five lengths as the 7-1 fourth choice. He is the first winner to lead from start to finish in the Kikuka Sho since Seiun Sky (Jpn) (Sheriff's Star {GB}) in 1998.

Allowed to bowl along as soon as the gates sprung, the Hiroshi Yamada colourbearer soon established an easy rhythm while several lengths in front of the chasing pack. Very relaxed throughout, he covered the first half-mile in :47.20 and the mile in 1:39.70. His pursuers closed the gap approaching the final bend through2000 metres in 2:05.40, but the dark bay skipped away again and had built up enough of a cushion to successfully hold off the closing trio of 4-1 third choice Orthoclase (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}), Divine Love (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}), and 2-1 second pick Stella Veloce (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}). At the line, only a head separated Orthoclase from Divine Love. It was a nose back to Japanese Derby third Stella Veloce in fourth. Favoured Red Genesis (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) failed to land a blow and finished 13th after racing near the tail of the field throughout.

“We had a terrible race last time out so I was determined to win it this time and I'm glad it panned out,” said jockey Takeshi Yokoyama. “I personally thought that the distance was maybe too much to ask from this colt, but he showed otherwise and performed well above my expectations, so I'm ashamed for doubting him in anyway. As far as the race, I concentrated in keeping him comfortable in a long race like this—he's an honest horse, in a way too honest and always gives his full effort—so knowing that once in front he would settle, I let him go as he liked and didn't try to hold him back too much. He has a lot to look forward to in the future but it would require a little skill as a rider to conserve his energy depending on the situations.”

A winner at first asking over 1800 metres at Nakayama last October, Titleholder ran second in the G3 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai S. that November prior to a fourth upped to 2000 metres in the Dec. 26 G1 Hopeful S. He resumed with a win over that distance in the G2 Hochi Hai Yayoi Sho Deep Impact Kinen on Mar. 7 and was second to Efforia (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) in the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) on Apr. 18. Only sixth in the G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) on May 30, the colt was given a lengthy break and returned to run 13th in the 2200-metre G2 Asahi Hai St. Lite Kinen on Sept. 20.

Pedigree Notes

A son of the late Duramente, who won the first two legs of the Japanese Triple Crown, Titleholder is one of two black-type winners for the 9-year-old and the first top-level winner. He is also the first Group 1 winner for Motivator (GB) as a broodmare sire and one of 10 black-type winners overall.

Although she never earned black-type, millionaire Mowen did run fifth in the G3 Daily Hai Queen Cup at three and fourth at listed level later that year. She also had the versatility to win over 1200 metres on the dirt that year and up to 2600 metres on the turf as a 4-year-old before being retired for broodmare duties. Her first foal is the winning Melody Lane (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) and, after producing a dead foal in 2017, Titleholder is her last known offspring, as she has missed to the covers of Gold Ship (Jpn), Victoire Pisa (Jpn), and Duramente (Jpn) in 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. Under the winner's fourth dam is G1 1000 Guineas heroine On The House (Fr) (Be My Guest), who also won the G1 Sussex S.

Sunday, Hanshin, Japan
KIKUKA SHO (JAPANESE ST. LEGER)-G1, ¥270,970,000, Hanshin, 10-24, 3yo, c/f, 3000mT, 3:04.60, fm.
1–TITLEHOLDER(JPN), 126, c, 3, Duramente (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Mowen (GB), by Motivator (GB)
                2nd Dam: Top Table (GB), by Shirley Heights (GB)
                3rd Dam: Lora's Guest (Ire), by Be My Guest
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (¥20,000,000 Wlg '18 JRHAJUL). O-Hiroshi
Yamada; B-Okada Stud (Jpn); T-Toru Kurita; J-Takeshi
Yokoyama. ¥150,079,000. Lifetime Record: 8-3-2-0. Werk
   Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Orthoclase (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Epiphaneia (Jpn)–Marialite (Jpn),
by Deep Impact (Jpn). O-Carrot Farm; B-Northern Farm (Jpn);
¥56,594,000.
3–Divine Love (Jpn), 121, f, 3, Epiphaneia (Jpn)–Deep Love
(Jpn), by Deep Impact (Jpn). O-Yoshiro Kubota; B-Northern
Farm (Jpn); ¥34,297,000.
Margins: 5, HD, NO. Odds: 7.00, 4.40, 16.30.
Also Ran: Stella Veloce (Jpn), Deep Monster (Jpn), Veloce Oro (Jpn), Arrivo (Jpn), Air Sage, Asamano Itazura (Jpn), Victipharus (Jpn), Sefer Rasiel (Jpn), Road to Fame (Jpn), Red Genesis (Jpn), Monte Dio (Jpn), Gratias (Jpn), Weiss Meteor (Jpn), North the World (Jpn), World Revival (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart & video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Consistency The Key For Stella Veloce In Kikuka Sho

The Japanese Triple Crown concludes Sunday afternoon with the running of the G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) over a metric mile and seven furlongs at Hanshin Racecourse. With G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) hero Efforia (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) pointing towards next weekend's G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) and G1 Tokyo Yushun victor Shahryar (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) also giving the race a miss, the Kikuka Sho is really anybody's horse race.

Stella Veloce (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}) is liable to jump as the race favourite as he goes second-up since his third in the Tokyo Yushun May 30. Having also filled the third spot in the Guineas, the dark bay was the 2-1 second-elect in the Sept. 26 G2 Kobe Shimbun Hai (2200mT) at Chukyo–one of two trials for the Kikuka Sho–and raced near the tail of the field over rain-affected ground before rallying through the stretch to best Red Genesis (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) by a half-length, while Shahryar could do no better than fourth as the $1.80 (4-5) pick. By a Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner, Stella Veloce should find Sunday's trip within his scope, particularly on a sounder surface.

“He was plus [20]kg for his last race, but since the spring he's certainly developed a lot,” said trainer Naosuke Sugai. “Despite the ground last time, he recovered well and there was no damage from that run, so we can look to the Kikuka Sho with him.”

Orthoclase (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) looks to follow in the hoofprints of his sire, who romped by five lengths in soft ground in the 2013 Kikuka Sho. The son of MG1SW champion older mare Marialite (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) won his first two outings at three and closed the season with a runner-up effort in the G1 Hopeful S. (2000mT). The dark bay has just one start under his belt this season, a running-on third in the G2 Asahi Hai St Lite Kinen (2200m), two lengths behind the upset-minded Asamano Itazura (Jpn) (Victoire Pisa {Jpn}).

Titleholder (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}), whose own sire won the first two legs of the Triple Crown before having to miss the Leger, was second from a handy position in the Satsuki Sho before fading to sixth in the Derby. He disappointed in the St Lite Kinen, finishing last but one, but can bounce back if seeing out the trip this weekend.

American-bred Air Sage (Point of Entry) is three-for-four lifetime and has accomplished something that none of his 17 rivals can boast. Bred in Kentucky by Dr. Naoya and Marie Yoshida's Winchester Farm, the half-brother to GSW Air Almas (Majestic Warrior) and to the useful Air Fanditha (Hat Trick {Jpn}) is the lone member of the Kikuka Sho field to have won a race past 12 furlongs, having led throughout to take a second-level allowance over a mile and five-eighths at Sapporo Aug. 21.

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Notable US-Bred Runners in Japan: Oct. 23-24, 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 Tokyo and Hanshin Racecourses. The 3-year-old fillies' Classics concluded with last weekend's G1 Shuka Sho and 3-year-old males get their final chance at Classics glory in Sunday's G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) at Hanshin. A full field of 17 colts and one filly includes the progressive US-bred Air Sage (Point of Entry), winner of three of his four starts to date:

Saturday, October 23, 2021
2nd-TOK, ¥9,680,000 ($85k), Maiden, 2yo, 1400m
SPEED GLAMOUR (f, 2, Into Mischief–Island Escape, by Petionville) debuted with a solid fourth behind the highly promising $4.7-million juvenile colt Dobune (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn} x Premier Stars {Ire}) at Sapporo Sept. 4 and just missed over this course and distance Oct. 10. A $250K Keeneland September buyback turned $500K OBS March breezer (under-tack video), the bay filly is out of a dual stakes winner whose daughter Tricky Escape (Hat Trick {Jpn}) was successful three times at the graded level on the turf. B-Machmer Hall (KY)

4th-HSN, ¥13,400,000 ($118k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1400m
ADVANCE DREAM (c, 2, Speightstown–Jolene, by Malibu Moon) was acquired for $220K in utero by David Fennelly's Mountmellick Farm and was the last of four KEENOV purchases ($970K gross) in 2018 for the native of County Cork, Ireland. Advance Dream was sold on for $150K as a weanling at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November Sale and was retained on a bid of $190K at KEESEP last fall a few months before his half-brother Arabian Prince (Mshawish) finished third in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. Advance Dream's stakes-placed dam is out of MSW Velvet Snow (Subordination). B-Mountmellick Farm (KY)

PER AA (f, 2, American Pharoah–Nomee, by City Zip), a $210K graduate of the 2019 KEENOV sale, is out of an unraced half-sister to MGSW Secret Gypsy (Sea of Secrets), whose three other graded placings include a runner-up effort in the 2008 GII Lexus Raven Run S. Secret Gypsy was sold to Shadai Farm for $540K at KEEJAN in 2011 and has produced six winners from as many to start. Her final foal is the unraced 2-year-old colt Herrenchiemsee (Jpn) (Isla Bonita {Jpn}), who fetched the equivalent of $230K at the 2019 JRHA Select Foal Sale. B-Zayat Stables LLC (KY)

Sunday, October 24, 2021
8th-HSN, ¥19,110,000 ($168k), Allowance, 2yo, 1400m
CONCH PEARL (f, 2, American Pharoah–A Z Warrior, by Bernardini) finished runner-up on debut behind 'TDN Rising Star' Command Line (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) on the turf at Tokyo June 5 and the form was flattered when the latter resumed from a four-month absence to scoop the G3 Saudi Arabia Royal Cup two weekends ago. Third in a local grass maiden June 26, Conch Pearl most recently broke the track record when graduating by eight lengths over 1700 meters in her first spin on the dirt Sept. 4 (see below, gate 7). The daughter of the 2010 GI Frizette S. heroine, a $340K KEESEP yearling acquisition, cuts back to seven furlongs for this test. B-Triemore Stud (KY)

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Practical Joke Represented By First Japanese Winner

Coolmore America's successful first-crop sire Practical Joke (Into Mischief) was represented by his first Japanese winner and 15th overall when Dugat validated even-money favoritism in a 1200-meter turf maiden Saturday afternoon at Hanshin Racecourse.

Bred in Kentucky by Erv Woolsey and Ralph Kinder, the son of the mutiple stakes-placed Untraveled (Canadian Frontier) was knocked down to trainer Hideyuki Mori for $190,000 from the McKathan Bros. draft at this year's OBS March Sale after the Mar. 31 foal breezed an eighth of a mile in the bullet time of :9 4/5. So highly though-of was the colt that he made his career debut in allowance company, finishing third in testing conditions at Kokura Racecourse Aug. 14. Dugat just missed the placings in the G3 Kokura Nisai S. when making his second trip to the races Sept. 5 and was returning to the turf Saturday after finishing unplaced in a seven-furlong dirt maiden Sept. 25.

The heavy favorite bounced well from gate nine beneath Yutaka Take and crossed and cleared his rivals, covering the opening quarter mile from a standing start in :23.3 and the first 800 meters in :45.6 while well in hand. Under no urging whatsoever, Dugat widened his advantage in upper stretch and was gathered up in the final 50 yards, scoring by four lengths in 1:09.3 (see below).

Dugat is the only of his sire's first-crop runners to have started to date in Japan. Mori also paid a sales-topping $750,000 for a Practical Joke filly out of Peruvian champion Valiant Emilia (Per) (Pegasus Wind) at OBS March. The filly, from the family of GII Tampa Bay Derby hero Helium (Ironicus) and now named Clos de Mesnil, is in steady training and is likely to debut before the end of 2021. Dugat is the third of Mori's eight OBSMAR purchases–seven of which have started–to salute this fall.

WATCH: Dugat graduates easily at Hanshin

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