Tag: japan racing association

Japanese Horse To Come For Santa Anita Derby

Mandarin Hero (Jpn) (Shanghai Bobby), a winner of four of five career starts in Japan, will make his next start in the GI Santa Anita Derby Apr. 8 at Santa Anita.

Mandarin Hero races on the National Association of Racing (NAR) circuit, comprised of regional tracks predominantly offering dirt racing and widely considered to be a cut below the Japan Racing Association circuit. Mandarin Hero will be the first NAR horse to compete in the U.S., though Marche Lorraine (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) was a four-time black-type winner at NAR tracks before upsetting the 2021 GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff at Del Mar.

Mandarin Hero, one of 24 winners from the first Japanese crop of 2012 Eclipse Award-winning juvenile male Shanghai Bobby, was undefeated in four starts as a 2-year-old and won the Haiseiko Kinen (allowance) going a two-turn mile last November (see below, SC 9). He made his 3-year-old debut in an valuable 1800-meter [nine-furlong] test Feb. 23, finishing a close second. All of his races have come on the dirt at Ohi Racecourse outside of Tokyo, where he has earned the equivalent of $236,854.

 

 

 

“My goal of running in the Santa Anita Derby has come true, and I am determined to achieve good results,” said trainer Terunobu Fujita. “After a good run in the Santa Anita Derby, I hope to run in the Kentucky Derby. I have the experience of an overseas tour [in Korea] and I will do my best to do everything in my power.”

There are four races on the Japanese calendar win which points for the GI Kentucky Derby are awarded. Mandarin Hero has not run in any of them. Five Japanese horses are expected to take part in the G2 UAE Derby at Meydan Mar. 25, a race that offers Kentucky Derby points on a scale of 100-40-30-20-10 as does the Santa Anita Derby.

 

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Takamatsunomiya Kinen Goes to Naran Huleg

Naran Huleg (Jpn) (Gold Allure {Jpn}) prevailed in a desperately close finish in the 1200-metre G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen at Chukyo on Sunday.

The 6-year-old entire was a 26-1 shot, and took up his customary position near the tail of the field against the rail. The 6-5 crowd's pick Resistencia (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}), meanwhile, cut out fractions of :22.40 and :44.40, while pressed by Gendarme (Kitten's Joy). Ridden for luck on the far turn, the Katsushige Muraki runner still needed to pass most of his rivals when turning into the straight, but an animated Kyosuke Maruta gunned the blaze-faced chestnut through the rail gaps at just the right moments.

Resistencia was sending out distress signals 200 metres from home, and a host of foes were still in with a chance. Naran Huleg's strong drive had already carried him to within a couple lengths of the lead. He dove between Resistencia and Travesura (Jpn) (Dream Journey {Jpn}) 100 metres from the wire and clawed out a neck victory over the closing Lotus Land (Point of Entry), who bested Kir Lord (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) by a nose for second. It was another neck back to Travesura in fourth. Meikei Yell (Jpn) (Mikki Yell {Jpn}) was also part of the blanket finish, a neck behind in fifth, one length better than Resistencia.

“Racing from the rear is his usual style so I just concentrated on keeping the horse's rhythm,” said jockey Kyosuke Maruta, who was winning his first Group 1 in 16 seasons in the saddle. “He has never experienced heavy ground before but handled it well. I took him through the inner course with confidence as I did in the Tanzanite S. I was really happy when we were able to break free before the wire.”

“I'm very happy and a bit relieved to have been able to win a Group 1 race, thanks to Naran Huleg,” added trainer Yoshitada Munakata. “Though we would have preferred a better ground, he showed his usual strong charge in the stretch against a strong field.”

Second in the Listed Yukan Fuji Hai Opal S. at Hanshin in October, Naran Huleg took the Tanzanite S. there in December and was third in Chukyo's G3 Silk Road S. on Jan. 30. He went one better going this trip at Nakayama in the G3 Yukan Fuji Sho Ocean S. on Mar. 5, in his most recent trip to the post prior to Sunday's heroics.

 

Pedigree Notes

The late Gold Allure (Jpn), a former leading sire on the NAR circuit, now has 27 black-type winners to his credit, 12 at the group level. Naran Huleg is his sixth Group 1 winner, and is bred on the same cross as G1 Japan Cup Dirt, and G1 February S. hero Espoir City (Jpn), who is also out of a Brian's Time mare. That sire's daughters have foaled 38 black-type winners, 22 of them group scorers. Other Group 1 winners besides Naran Huleg and Espoir City in that sphere for Brian's Time are Dee Majesty (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), Time Flyer (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) and Beat Black (Jpn) (Miscast {Jpn}), all by sons of Sunday Silence.

A winner at both three and four, Kelley's Beauty (Jpn) (Brian's Time) threw Listed Oro Cup winner and G2 Keio Hai Spring Cup-placed Impress Winner (Jpn) (Fusaichi Concorde {Jpn}) as her first foal in 2007. Her produce record currently stands at 10 runners and nine winners, with Naran Huleg the best of the lot. Her filly of 2018, Diamond Canon (Jpn) (Victoire Pisa {Jpn}) has been placed, while her Talismanic (GB) juvenile filly Isa Chil Cute (Jpn) has yet to race. She did not produce a foal last year, but was bred to Discreet Cat for this spring.

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Japan: Chrono Genesis, Efforia Top Fan Votes For Arima Kinen

Final nominations for the Grade 1 Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix) number 17 for the full gate of 16. The year-end tradition, arguably Japan's most beloved and one that carries a winner's prize of JPY 300 million (over US$2.8 million), falls this year on the day after Christmas and will be followed by the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes two days later. Ages range from 3 to 7, with a very strong representation by 3-year-olds. Five females are also in the mix.

Despite the many popular horses that traveled to Hong Kong for the International Races earlier this month, the fans will not be disappointed with this year's Arima Kinen lineup, which includes six Grade 1 winners and the top three ballot winners – Efforia, Chrono Genesis, and Titleholder. All three fan favorites won upwards of 200,000 votes each and Efforia's 260,742 votes set a new record, topping Chrono Genesis's record from last year by 46,000 votes. Chrono Genesis this year received a personal best of 240,165 votes.

The Arima Kinen was begun in 1956 as the brainchild of Yoriyasu Arima, the Japan Racing Association's second president. Arima wanted a race to rival the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) and the event began as the Nakayama Grand Prix. At the time, it was the only race to solicit fans' votes for the horses they most wanted to see run. Arima got to see his race's inaugural run on Dec. 23, 1956, but fell ill and passed away less than three weeks later. The race name was changed in memoriam later that year.

The Arima Kinen, shortened half a furlong from 1966, is currently run over 2,500 meters (about 1.55 miles) of turf. The race record, set by Zenno Rob Roy in 2004, stands at 2:29.50. The race has been staged from its beginning every year at Nakayama.

The Arima Kinen will be the 11th race on the Sunday, Dec. 26 at Nakayama and its post time is 3:25 p.m. It's open to 3-year-olds and up and horses carry 57 kg, with a 2-kg allowance given females and 3-year-old colts.

The expected top picks are:

Chrono Genesis: The Arima Kinen will be the final race for the 5-year-old daughter of Bago. Looking to secure her fifth Grade 1 victory, Chrono Genesis returns directly from her seventh-place run at Longchamp, where the gray encountered ground like none she'd known before and her forward position made for even a harder race. Following her win of last year's Arima Kinen, Chrono Genesis started the year off with a second in the Dubai Sheema Classic, and next up back home captured her second successive win of the Takarazuka Kinen, both Grade 1 events. Jockey Christophe Lemaire took the reins in the Takarazuka Kinen after regular rider Yuichi Kitamura was seriously injured in a fall in May, and Lemaire is expected up on Sunday.

Efforia: The Epiphaneia-sired Efforia, this year's Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and Tenno Sho (Autumn) winner, has made dreams come true for jockey Takeshi Yokoyama, whose 100 wins this year have brought him to No. 5 in the jockey standings in only his fourth-year riding. Efforia returns from his Oct. 31 Tenno Sho run and the course is familiar from the Satsuki Sho, and only 100 meters longer than Efforia's longest trip so far. Last week, the bay colt breezed under the jockey in a trio on the woodchip course over six furlongs for a time of 84.1-38.2-11.8.

Trainer Yuichi Shikato expressed his satisfaction with the work: “It was fine for a week out. He'll get two more workouts before the race. He came back from the farm looking happy and healthy and training has gone well.”

Titleholder: The Duramante colt Titleholder was 2-6-1 in the Classic races, with a win of the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) by five lengths. He's experienced at Nakayama with a record of 1-4-1-2-13, and the last of those (the Asahi Hai St. Lite Kinen) saw him stuck helplessly in traffic and was not representative. Though jockey Takeshi Yokoyama rode the Kikuka Sho, this time his older brother Kazuo Yokoyama is expected to be partnered with the colt for the first time. Like, Efforia and Chrono Genesis, Titleholder will also be racing under only 55 kg. It should be noted that over the last 10 runnings of the Arima Kinen, four winners have come straight from the Kikuka Sho. Three had won the classic and one had finished fourth.

Stella Veloce: Fourth-place finisher in the Kikuka Sho this year was Stella Veloce, also by Bago and, despite the name, a colt. The name translates from the Italian as “fast star” and he was 3-3-4 in the classics, as well as second in the 2-year-old Grade 1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes last year. Stella Veloce also pocketed the Grade 2 Kobe Shimbun Hai at Chukyo, before heading in to the Kikuka Sho. He's good over any ground and versatile in his running style. The Arima ride, however, is not going to Hayato Yoshida, who rode the colt's last four starts, but most likely to new partner jockey Mirco Demuro, who captured the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies two weeks ago, his second Grade 1 win of the year.

Akai Ito: Akai Ito, a 4-year-old filly by Kizuna, won her first Grade 1 on her first bid last out in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Hanshin. And she did it as the race 10th pick. Helping her win was jockey Hideaki Miyuki, who is to have the ride Sunday as well, for the first Arima Kinen victory of his 27-year career. Akai Ito has only competed in two other graded-stakes races, also females only, and finished seventh in both. Not only will it be her first graded race against males, it will be her first time over a distance longer than 2,200 meters. She does have previous experience at Nakayama though with a 4-5 over 1,800 and 2,000 meters, respectively.

Deep Bond: Another progeny of Kizuna, Deep Bond raced in the 2020 Classics alongside Contrail for a score of 10-5-4. Like Chrono Genesis, the colt returns from the Arc, and he too, even more than the mare, was done in by the ground and finished last. Just a little over two weeks before that, he had captured the Grade 2 Prix Foy at the same venue, Longchamp. Being one of the best stayers in the generation, the more distance seems better for him and he may even find the 2,500 meters a bit short. He was three from the last in the Grade 3 Nakayama Kimpai (2,000 meters), aced the Hanshin Daishoten (3,000 meters), followed by a second in the Tenno Sho (Spring) (3,200 meters) before leaving for Europe.

Kiseki: Deserving mention is veteran Kiseki, who'll be capping a career of 33 outings that includes four bids overseas. It's been four years since his win of the 2017 Kikuka Sho, his only Grade 1 victory and the last time he made the winner's circle. Though Kiseki has only notched four wins in his career, he has made the top three 16 times. This will be his fourth Arima Kinen and his previous 5-5-12 results aren't promising, but his rotation heading in is his least arduous yet. His sire Rulership posted 6-4-3 in his three Arima runs.

Others of interest include:

Also by Epiphaneia, Aristoteles finished only a neck behind Contrail in the Kikuka Sho last year. Being sent to the front last out in the Japan Cup, he finished in ninth place. Preceding that, however, he showed a more relaxed run and finished second in the Grade 2 Kyoto Daishoten two races back. Though this will be only his second run at Nakayama, he scooped the Grade 2 American Jockey Club Cup in January and the venue looks suit him.
The 5-year-old Heart's Cry mare Shadow Diva won the Grade 2 Ireland Trophy Fuchu Himba Stakes before scoring a seventh-place finish in the Japan Cup. This time will be her first time over anything longer than 2,400 meters, and she has posted 4-1-5 from three previous Nakayama runs, all over 1,800 meters.

Also, we can't overlook trainer Yoshito Yahagi's colt Panthalassa, as he's on a two-race winning streak, a wire-to-wire victory in the October Stakes followed by a four-length win of the Grade 3 Fukushima Kinen.

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Japan: Six Undefeated Colts Among 18 Contenders For Asahi Hai Futurity

It's the turn of the colts this coming Sunday, when Hanshin Racecourse once again stages a Grade 1, with the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes run over a mile on the outer turf course at the Kansai track. It'll be the 73rd running of the race for 2-year-olds, with the exclusion of geldings, and the colts carry an allotted weight of 55kg.

This year sees 19 nominations for a maximum 18 runner field, and just to show the competition involved, six of the nominated horses are unbeaten in their short careers so far.

The winner's purse this year is JPY 70 million (about US$610,000). The race is timed to start at 15:40 Japan time, and will be Race 11 on the Sunday card at Hanshin.

Here's a look at some of the horses bidding for a win in the race:

Serifos: Trainer Mitsumasa Nakauchida won the race last year with Grenadier Guards, and while leading the trainers' table this year, he sends out this unbeaten colt by Daiwa Major here, who has won both the Grade 3 Niigata Nisai Stakes and the Grade 2 Daily Hai Nisai Stakes, as well as one other race in the three times he's been to the races. Visiting jockey Cristian Demuro has been booked for the ride, and the horse looks sure to be one of the favorites, as he tries to keep his unbeaten record intact. Serifos runs in the colors of the G1 Racing Co. Ltd.

Geoglyph: There's no doubting the potential of the chestnut colt by Drefong, who came home a four-length winner in the Grade 3 Sapporo Nisai Stakes over 1,800 meters (1 1/8 miles) at Sapporo in September. He won his only other race on his debut at Tokyo in June, also winning over 1,800 meters.

Assistant trainer Yu Ota said: “He ran well in the Sapporo Nisai Stakes, 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 looks set to be ridden by Christophe Lemaire, who has ridden the colt in both his starts to date.

Danon Scorpion: Another unbeaten colt, the son of Lord Kanaloa is coming off a win in the Hagi Stakes over 1,800 meters at Hanshin in October, and won his other race on his debut in June, also at Hanshin, over the course and distance of the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes. Step by step, he looks good for a shot at a Grade 1, and in a recent piece of work at Ritto on the woodchip course under race jockey Kohei Matsuyama, he posted a six furlong time of 81.9 seconds, with a final furlong time of 11.7 seconds, his third time to clock under 12 seconds in recent trackwork. The horse was bred at K.I. Farm and is trained by Takayuki Yasuda.

Dobune: The colt by Deep Impact was purchased for quite a sum at the 2021 Chiba Thoroughbred Sale, and has got his career off to a good start, winning both his races since September, the latest being the Kikyo Stakes over 1,400 meters at Chukyo in October, after winning a 1,500-meter race on his debut at Sapporo. He's trained by Koshiro Take, and the trainer recently said: “He's an intelligent horse and knows a lot already, as well as being quite relaxed. He can certainly take on a Grade 1 with the ability he shows, although he will need to run to his best.” Jockey Hayato Yoshida looks set for the ride on Dobune.

Do Deuce: Trainer Yasuo Tomomichi and jockey Yutaka Take team up here with the Heart's Cry colt, who is out of the American bred mare Dust and Diamonds, who in turn is from a strong line of other American bred horses. Do Deuce won on his debut at Kokura in September, and since then has won his only other race, the Listed Ivy Stakes over 1,800 meters at Tokyo in October. He's developing the right way, and has been working well, if only lightly, on the woodchip course at Ritto, as he also aims to stay unbeaten in the big race on Sunday.

“He's a horse with a lot of power and has good racing sense. He showed what a good finish he has when winning the Ivy Stakes last time,” said the trainer recently.

Otaru Ever: A confirmed frontrunner in what he's shown so far, the striking dark bay colt by Leontes cuts quite a dash when he's out in front, racing in the green and white checked colors of owner Ikuko Sumitani. He finished third in the Grade 3 Niigata Nisai Stakes, behind Serifos, over 1,600 meters in August, and he led all the way to win the Shumeigiku Sho over 1,400 meters last time at Hanshin in November. He's already repaying some of the JPY 45 million he cost at the 2020 Select Sale, and he's an interesting entry here.

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