Woodbine's GII Bessarabian S. and the GII Royal North S. will be downgraded to Grade III status, The Jockey Club of Canada's Graded Stakes Committee said via a press release early Friday.
After their annual review of the Graded and Listed Stakes slate, the organization added that all three of the top levels will remain at 42 races.
The Committee reviewed the North American Race Committee (NARC) figures and the Race Quality Scores (RQS) for all Graded, Listed, and potentially Listed races in Canada. Based on this data, they also determined that the Century Mile H., Hamilton S. and Speed to Spare Championship will be upgraded to Listed status.
The plane carrying the Japanese contingent to Riyadh for next Saturday's Saudi Cup meeting touched down at King Khalid International Airport, and each of the nation's four entrants for the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup appear to have taken the flight in good order.
Looking to make it back-to-back successes in the world's richest horse race following the stunning all-the-way victory by Panthalassa (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) last February are Japan's champion dirt horse Lemon Pop (Lemon Drop Kid); reigning G1 Dubai World Cup winner Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}); Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits), last year's G2 UAE Derby hero and runner-up to White Abarrio (Race Day) in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic; and the MGSW/MG1SP Meisho Hario (Jpn) (Pyro).
Lightly raced for a 6-year-old, with just 14 starts under his belt, Lemon Pop won last year's G1 February S. and ventured overseas for the first time for the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen. An outpaced 10th behind Sibelius (Not This Time), the chestnut successfully stepped up in trip and wired the G1 Champions Cup in his first try over nine furlongs last December. Connections have opted for the path of greater resistance for his seasonal debut a week from Saturday.
“There's going to be plenty of competition there and that nine furlongs will test him now because we're not absolutely sure that's his best distance,” Godolphin Japan President Harry Sweeney told the TDN's Emma Berry in a recent interview. “But anyway, the option really is either to stay at home in Japan and run in the February S….or to go abroad and run in the Saudi Cup. So that's what we're doing.”
Say hello to four of Team Japan's G1 Saudi Cup contenders!
A field of 16 will be drawn Friday for Sunday's February S., a 'Win and You're In' challenge race that offers a berth in the field for the 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar. But while the February does not lack for quantity, the racing calendar dictates that the country's stars are elsewhere.
“In truth, [the Saudi Cup] hurts the February S. a little bit, which is only one of two Grade 1 races in the JRA calendar on dirt,” Sweeney opined. So you have horses like Lemon Pop, Ushba Tesoro, Derma Sotogake all going to Saudi. Whereas in a different era they would all run in the February S.”
The Japanese have been major players in the brief history of the Saudi Cup races, and their other main chances include defending champion Bathrat Leon (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) in the G2 1351 Turf Sprint; Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) in the G3 Saudi Derby; and Remake (Jpn) (Lani), who will try to improve on his third-place effort in the G3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint.
The American representatives also touched down in Riyadh late Wednesday evening, including the Saudi Cup-bound White Abarrio, National Treasure (Quality Road) and Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming).
Three of Team USA's G1 Saudi Cup contenders arriving to quarantine at @JCSA_Racing.
In this continuing series, Alan Carasso takes 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 Kyoto and Tokyo Racecourses. Group 1 racing returns to Japan this weekend with Sunday's running of the G1 February S., whose defending champion Lemon Pop (Lemon Drop Kid) swerves the race in favor of next weekend's G1 Saudi Cup. The co-featured Listed Hyacinth S. is the third of the four races on the Japan Road to the Triple Crown and includes the expensive US-bred 3-year-old filly Pikari (Twirling Candy):
Saturday, February 17, 2024 1st-TOK, ¥10,480,000 ($70k), Maiden, 3yo, f, 1400m COLLEVILLE (JPN) (f, 3, Omaha Beach–Tiz a Chick, by Tiznow), who was purchased for $200,000 in utero by J S Company at the 2020 Keeneland November Sale, is out of an own sister to 2009 GII Demoiselle S. heroine Tizahit, who has since gone on to produce GI Ballerina S. winner Come Dancing (Malibu Moon), GSP So Darn Hot (Ghostzapper) and the dam of SW & MGSP Skipalute (Midnight Lute). This is also the female family of Tiznow's champion 2-year-old filly Folklore, multiple Eclipse Award winner Essential Quality (Tapit) and Japanese Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). B-Kazuyoshi Yamagami
4th-KYO, ¥11,850,000 ($79k), Newcomers, 3yo, 1800m KENJO (c, 3, Gun Runner–Be Fair, by Exchange Rate) is a half-brother to 2022 GI Del Mar Debutante S. winner And Tell Me Nolies (Arrogate) whose Grade III-winning and GI Apple Blossom H.-placed dam was purchased for $35,000 with this colt in utero at the 2021 OBS January Sale. An April foal, Kenjo also made an appearance at OBS, selling for $200,000 at last year's April Sale, having made $150,000 as a weanling at Keeneland November in 2021. Be Fair is a half-sister to GISW Macho Again (Macho Uno). B-Lara Run LLC (KY)
4th-TOK, ¥11,850,000 ($79k), Newcomers, 3yo, 1600m WIDE ETOILE (f, 3, Justify–Overheard, by Macho Uno) is the latest to the races for her dam, a two-time graded winner on the grass for the late Josephine Abercrombie's Pin Oak Stud and trainer Malcolm Pierce. A daughter of SW Whisper To Me (Thunder Gulch) and from the extended family of the Grade I-winning juvenile filly Confessional (Holy Bull), Overheard was purchased by Arch Bloodstock for $300,000 in foal to McKinzie out of the Pin Oak sale at Fasig-Tipton and produced a colt in 2022 who has since been sent to Russia. Overheard passed away in 2022. B-The Justify Syndicate & Pin Oak Stud LLC (KY)
Sunday, February 18, 2024 9th-TOK, Hyacinth S.-Listed, ¥36,200,000 ($241k), 3yo, 1600m PIKARI (f, 3, Twirling Candy–Laudation, by Congrats) fetched $265,000 from Redwings Enterprises at the 2022 Keeneland September Sale before blossoming into a $900,000 OBS March breezer that was purchased by trainer Hideyuki Mori for owner Susumu Fujita. Placed once from three starts on the grass to begin her career, she switched to the dirt for the first time in her most recent appearance and managed to break her maiden going six furlongs (see below, SC 9). She tries a one-turn mile in this spot. Pikari's dam is a daughter of GSW Rite Moment (Vicar), herself responsible for the Group 3-winning 'TDN Rising Star' Mimi Kakushi (City of Light) and dual stakes winner Moment Is Right (Medaglia d'Oro). Woods Edge Farm acquired Laudation for $150,000 with this filly in utero at KEENOV in 2020. B-Woods Edge Farm LLC (KY)
8th-GP, $89K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1mT, 3:37 p.m. ET.
Rich Shermerhorn, a real estate developer and Upstate New York neighbor of trainer Chad Brown, began buying racehorses two years ago. He purchased BORED NO MORE (Quality Road) for $700,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, which was the 10th highest yearling sold by that sire in 2022. The Brown trainee counts G3 UAE Oaks victress Nomorerichblondes (Hard Spun) as a half-sister, while dam SP Miss Luann (Unbridled's Song) is a full-sister to Catch My Eye, who is responsible for GI Gamely S. winner Maxim Rate (Exchange Rate). TJCIS PPS
SAUDI CROWN