Tag: Horse Racing

Equinox Overpowers Rivals in Arima Kinen

Five years after his sire clinched a second consecutive Horse of the Year title in Japan with a victory in the G1 Arima Kinen, Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) stated his case for top year-end honours for 2022 with a dominating display in front of a pandemic-restricted, but boisterous crowd of roughly 47,000 fans Christmas Day at Nakayama Racecourse.

The firming 13-10 favourite in the fan-voted affair, Equinox left without incident from gate nine and landed in midfield on the back of defending champion and reigning Horse of the Year Efforia (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) as Titleholder (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn})–returning off an 11th in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe–showed the way at an even tempo. Content with his position through the middle furlongs, Christophe Lemaire eased Equinox out for a four-wide sweep around the turn and it was all academic from there, as the flashy dark bay struck the front with a furlong and a half to travel and kicked on smartly. Boldog Hos (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}), this year's G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) runner-up, also made a bold move on the bend from far back and was a brave second ahead of G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup heroine Geraldina (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}), who closed off well after missing the kick. Efforia was a meritorious fifth first off a six-month absence.

“What happens twice will happen thrice,” said the winning jockey who was recording a 43rd Group 1 on the JRA circuit. “I won the Arima Kinen with Heart's Cry and Satono Diamond both on Christmas Day, and I'm really happy to be able to win the race on Christmas Day again. We were able to make a good start and the horse was keen to go so I held him and responded strongly when I brought him to the outside. Though he was not mature yet during his spring campaign, he became really strong from this fall and I look forward to his performance next year.”

Winning trainer Tetsuya Kimura indicated that Equinox is likely to travel in early 2023, with the Saudi Cup program a potential starting point.

“But first I need to watch his condition after the race,” the conditioner said.

Pedigree Notes:

Kitasan Black, who was narrowly second to Satono Diamond in 2016 before closing his career in this race, is the sire of 64 winners from his first two crops to the races and is also responsible for group winners Gaia Force (Jpn) from his first crop as well as the 2-year-old filly Ravel (Jpn), who took out this year's G2 Artemis S. Equinox's year-older half-brother Weiss Meteor (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) also carried the Silk Racing colours to victory in last year's G3 Radio Nikkei Sho. Shadai Farm acquired Equinox's fourth dam Blanche Reine (Fr) (Nureyev) carrying Maison Blanche for $410,000 at the 1988 Keeneland November Sale. Chateau Blanche is the dam of a 2-year-old colt by Just a Way (Jpn) and a yearling filly by Kizuna (Jpn). She was blank for 2022 and is due for a full-sibling to Equinox in 2023.

Sunday, Nakayama, Japan
ARIMA KINEN-G1, ¥764,800,000, Nakayama, 12-26, 3yo/up, 2500mT, 2:32.40, fm.
1–EQUINOX (JPN), 121, c, 3, by Kitasan Black (Jpn)
1st Dam: Chateau Blanche (Jpn) (GSW-Jpn, $1,096,970), by King Halo (Jpn)
2nd Dam: Blancherie (Jpn), by Tony Bin (Ire)
3rd Dam: Maison Blanche (Jpn), by Alleged
O-Silk Racing; B-Northern Farm; T-Tetsuya Kimura; J-Christophe Lemaire; ¥403,360,000. Lifetime: 6-4-2-0, ¥806,602,000. *1/2 to Weiss Meteor (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}), GSW-Jpn, $820,531. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Boldog Hos (Jpn), 121, c, 3, Screen Hero (Jpn)–Boldogsag (Fr), by Layman (Fr). O-Shadai Race Horse; B-Shadai Farm; ¥160,960,000.
3–Geraldina (Jpn), 121, f, 4, Maurice (Jpn)–Gentildonna (Jpn), by Deep Impact (Jpn). O-Sunday Racing; B-Northern Farm; ¥100,480,000.
Margins: 2HF, 1HF, 3/4. Odds: 1.30, 13.10, 6.40.
Also Ran: Izu Jo no Kiseki (Jpn), Efforia (Jpn), Win Mighty (Jpn), Justin Palace (Jpn), Deep Bond (Jpn), Titleholder (Jpn), Vela Azul (Jpn), Boccherini (Jpn), Potager (Jpn), Last Draft (Jpn), Aristoteles (Jpn), Akai Ito (Jpn), Breakup (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart.

 

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Fipke Firster The ‘Bee’s’ Knees in Dubai

7th-Meydan, AED82,500, Maiden, 2yo, 1600m, 1:38.92, ft.
SHIRL'S BEE (c, 2, Bee Jersey–Shirl's Soul, by Perfect Soul {Ire}) was the subject of some pre-race buzz and turned in a tough debut effort to stamp himself one to watch in next year's 3-year-old events in Dubai. Nicely into stride from gate two, the homebred colt appeared set to challenge for the lead at the rail, but was taken hold of by Pat Dobbs and immediately began to overrace. More settled as they raced past the half-mile marker, Shirl's Bee faced a potentially adverse set of circumstances when between rivals and on his incorrect lead with about 300 meters to race, but he rebroke as soon as he kicked over to his right leg and showed battling qualities from there to best Lahresh (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) by 1 1/4 lengths. “He's very professional at home, a naturally quick horse,” said Dobbs. “He'll get further but I'm not sure if he'll get further yet. He's better looking than his dad [Bee Jersey, who Dobbs also rode].” Shirl's Bee is the seventh first-crop winner for her Fipke homebred sire (by Jersey Town), who made the first four starts of his career for this trainer at this venue, finishing runner-up to Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) in the G3 UAE 2000 Guineas in 2017. That same event, to be contested Feb. 10, 2023, could be the next target for Shirl's Bee, who is closely related to Spikes Shirl (Speightstown), MSP, $336,277. The winner is out of an unraced full-sister to GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare upsetter Perfect Shirl (Perfect Soul {Ire}), whose 'TDN Rising Star' son Shirl's Speight (Speightstown) won this year's GI Maker's Mark Mile and was the recent runner-up in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile. Shirl's Soul is the dam of a yearling full-sister to Shirl's Bee and foaled a Speightstown colt earlier this year before being bred back to Bee Jersey. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $13,479. —Alan Carasso
O/B-Charles E Fipke (KY); T-Doug Watson.

 

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Fan-Voted Arima Kinen Lures Japan’s Star Gallopers

Sunday's G1 Arima Kinen offers fans of international racing the ultimate Christmas gift, as a field of 16–largely selected by the public–will face the starter in one of the world's most valuable Group 1 races not held in a desert environment.

Titleholder (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) was the leading votegetter and looks to atone for his speed-and-fade 11th-place effort in that boggy-ground renewal of the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp Oct. 2. He'd earned the right to contest Europe's weight-for-age championship, having defeated fellow Arc runner Deep Bond (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) in the G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) over the metric two miles in May followed by a two-length score in the G1 Takarazuka Kinen the next month. Fifth in this race last season, Titleholder looms the controlling speed and could prove tough to peg back.

“Last week, jockey Kazuo Yokoyama, who knows him best of all, rode to check his balance and how well he was communicating with the rider. Everything was fine,” said trainer Toru Kurita. “He carried himself well, with good balance, and raced solidly to the end. He is improving slowly, but surely. His muscle tone and coat are looking good and his wind was better than it had been the week before. He is also more eager to run. There are no particular points of concern.”

The flashy Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) was second in this year's G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) and most recently returned from a five-month break to post an improbable victory over loose leader Panthalassa (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) in the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) at Tokyo Oct. 30.

“At the bottom of the slope, he was so far behind the front-runner I was worried he wasn't going to make it,” admitted assistant trainer Yu Ota. “In the end, however, he moved on his own, gave it his all and was able to overtake the front-runner.”

Equinox will be looking to complete the same Tenno Sho/Arima Kinen double this year as did Efforia (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) did 12 months ago with a 3/4-length defeat of Deep Bond. But it hasn't been plain sailing since for the reigning Horse of the Year, who resumed with a slow-starting ninth in the G1 Osaka Hai at Hanshin Apr. 3 and his lone appearance since was a moderate sixth to Titleholder in the Takarazuka Kinen.

Vela Azul (Jpn) (Eishin Flash {Jpn}) was given a masterful steer from Ryan Moore to be up in the final couple of jumps in the G1 Longines Japan Cup Nov. 27 and shoots for a fourth straight victory, while Geraldina (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}) will try to follow-up on her win over recent G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase heroine Win Marilyn (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}) in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup last month. Geraldina's dam, the great Gentildonna (Jpn), swansonged victoriously in the 2014 Arima Kinen, as did the latter's legendary sire–Deep Impact (Jpn)–in 2006.

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Justify Filly Tries Two Turns on Nakayama Debut

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 Saturday running at Nakayama Racecourse. The highlight of the weekend and one of the year's main events, the G1 Arima Kinen (Grand Prix) has attracted most every top galloper in Japan. Tune in Sunday morning at 1:40 a.m. ET if still setting out the milk and cookies ahead of Santa's arrival:

6th-NKY, ¥13,400,000, Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m
JASPER TIARA (f, 2, Justify–Sweetgrass, by Street Sense) is the first foal to the races for her dam, placed no fewer than five times at the graded-stakes level for Six Column Stables and Randy Bloch and purchased by Baccari Bloodstock for $250,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. The May 3 foal, who was scratched from an intended debut in July, was one of 12 youngsters purchased by trainer Hideyuki Mori at Keeneland September last fall, hammering for $150,000. A full-sister to Jasper Tiara fetched $160,000 at this year's KEESEP sale, while Sweetgrass was sold on for $135,000 in foal to City of Light at last month's Keeneland November sale. B-Chris Baccari, Brad Stephens & Breeze Easy (KY)

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