Japan | Horse Racing Free Tips

Efforia Looks To Remain Undefeated in Satsuki Sho

Efforia (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) will look to take his career mark to a perfect four-from-four and will attempt to give the Carrot Farm syndicate a second victory in three years in the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) over the metric 10 furlongs Sunday afternoon at Nakayama Racecourse.

Descending from the family of G1 Japan Cup hero Admire Mooon (Jpn) (End Sweep) and champion Hishi Amazon (Theatrical {Ire}), Efforia made a successful debut over a right-handed 2000-metre trip at Sapporo last August and made it two straight with a Tokyo allowance in November. He has one prep run under his belt this season, a handy defeat of Victipharus (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) in the G3 Kyodo News Hai (1800m) at headquarters Feb. 14 and is primed for his first Group 1 test.

“As a 2-year-old, physically and mentally he was a little weak, and his hindquarters weren't so strong, so it took him a bit of time to recover from races,” said trainer Yuichi Shikato. “Over time though, he's developed well and has become a lot stronger. He's been working uphill recently and has trained as I would have liked.”

Saturnalia (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) won the 2019 Satsuki Sho in Carrot Farm's green-and-white colours and Admire Hader (Jpn) can give Lord Kanaloa his second winner in three years. Once-beaten from four starts to date, the Junko Kondo runner was a bit out of his comfort zone when closer to the pace than he prefers in a 2000-metre Hanshin allowance in December, but nevertheless held sway to best Deep Monster (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) by a cosy half-length. He was a bit farther off the speed in the Listed Wakaba S. (2000m) last time Mar. 20 and showed sharp acceleration to defeat Chevalier Rose (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) by a decisive three-length margin. Admire Hader is the choice of Christophe Lemaire.

Danon the Kid (Jpn) (Just a Way {Jpn}) clinched the 2-year-old championship with a workmanlike success in the G1 Hopeful S. over this course and distance on Boxing Day, but there were no visible excuses when only third to front-running Titleholder (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) in the G2 Hochi Hai Yayoi Sho (2000m) at this venue Mar. 7.

Yoho Lake (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) has proved he can run with these, but is a big price in ante-post markets at 30-1. Third and running-on in the Hopeful S., he was flushed extremely wide into the lane in the G3 Kisaragi Sho at Chukyo Feb. 7 and fell just a neck short of Lagom (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}), who re-opposes here at about a third of the price of Yoho Lake.

Five of the sires represented in the Satsuki Sho are themselves winners of the race–Deep Impact (2005), Victoire Pisa (Jpn) (2010), Orfevre (2011), Gold Ship (Jpn) (2012) and Duramente (2015). Deep Impact is responsible for three of the last five winners: Dee Majesty (Jpn), 2016; Al Ain (Jpn), 2017; and Triple Crown hero Contrail (Jpn) last season.

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$1 Million Bonus Offered To Any Japan-Based Horse Who Wins Belmont Stakes

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced it will again offer a $1 million bonus to the connections of any Japan-based horse who wins the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes slated for Saturday, June 5 at Belmont Park.

The three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival from Thursday, June 3 through Saturday, June 5 will encompass 17 total stakes, including eight Grade 1s on Belmont Stakes Day, capped by the $1.5 million “Test of the Champion” for 3-year-olds in the 1 ½-mile final leg of the Triple Crown.

Tickets for the 2021 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival are not yet on sale to the public. Additional information and the timing of the general on-sale will be released in the coming weeks.

The $1 million bonus, offered for the first time in 2017, is in addition to the $800,000 winner's share of the Belmont Stakes, which is contested at 1 ½ miles [2,400 meters], the same distance as classic races in Japan.

In 2017, the Japan-based Lani competed in all three legs of the Triple Crown, with his best showing being a third-place finish in the Belmont Stakes.

The Japan-based Master Fencer, who was elevated to sixth in the 2019 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, closed to finish fifth in that year's Grade 1 Belmont.

To qualify for the bonus, a horse must have made at least three starts in Japan prior to starting in the Belmont and must be nominated to North America's Triple Crown series. In the event of a dead heat, the connections will receive a $600,000 bonus.

For more information, visit www.BelmontStakes.com.

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Notable US-Bred & -Sired Runners in Japan: Apr. 18, 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 Sunday running at Hanshin, Niigata and Nakayama Racecourses, the last of which stages the first colts' Classic of 2021, the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) over the metric 10 furlongs:

Sunday, April 18, 2021
1st-NII, ¥9,680,000 ($89k), Maiden, 3yo, 1800m
ALIENOR (JPN) (f, 3, Nyquist–Land Over Sea, by Bellamy Road), a well-beaten 12th in a 1600-meter newcomers' event on the turf at Tokyo last November, switches to the dirt for this second appearance and is bred top and bottom to appreciate the change. From her GI Kentucky Derby-winning sire's first crop, the January foal is out of Paul Reddam's 2016 GII Fair Grounds Oaks winner and GI Longines Kentucky Oaks runner-up who was acquired for $1.3 million with this filly in utero at Fasig-Tipton November in 2017. Land Over Sea is a half-sister to the durable MGSW & GISP War Story (Northern Afleet). B-Shadai Farm

5th-HSN, ¥13,830,000 ($127k), Allowance, 3yo, 1800m
TOP THE BILL (JPN) (f, 3, American Pharoah–Top Decile, by Congrats) has a record of 1-1-1 from four starts on the dirt, having broken her maiden from a near impossible position going this distance two back at Chukyo Jan. 11 (see below, gate 16) ahead of a third when trying winners for the first time over that track and trip 13 days hence. The chestnut is the first foal from her dam, runner-up in the 2014 GI Darley Alcibiades S. and a tough-trip second in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Top Decile was sold for $950K with this filly in utero at Keeneland November in 2017. B-Shadai Farm

5th-NKY, ¥13,830,000 ($127k), Allowance, 3yo, 1800m
COSMIC MIND (c, 3, Into Mischief–Mystical Star, by Ghostzapper) opened his account in spectacular fashion, overcoming all sorts of trouble to graduate narrowly over this course and trip Jan. 17 (video, gate 4) and has not disgraced in two runs since, finishing fifth and fourth, respectively, while not beaten far. A $280K KEESEP yearling, the bay is out of the versatile Mystical Star, a Grade II winner on the grass and runner-up in a Polytrack renewal of the GI Juddmonte Spinster S. Remarkably, this colt's breeder is also represented in the same by Bourbon Highball (Curlin), who hails from the same crop of about 18 horses, according to Candy Meadows's Matt Lyons. B-Candy Meadows LLC (KY)

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Notable Runners By US-Sires in Japan: Apr. 11, 2021

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners (and, in today's case, by a US-based shuttle stallion) 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 Niigata and Hanshin Racecourse. The second of those venues hosts the first of this year's fillies' Classics, the G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas), featuring champion Sodashi (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}):

Sunday, April 11, 2021
3rd-HSN, ¥9,680,000 ($89k), Maiden, 3yo, 2000m
SUZUKA PHAROAH (AUS) (c, 2, American Pharoah–Berrimilla {Aus} by Fastnet Rock {Aus}) spots his Northern Hemisphere-bred opponents a significant amount of maturity, but, in broad terms, Australian imports typically hold their own at this level. An A$120K purchase out of the 2020 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, the Sept. 18 foal is a maternal grandson of the stakes-placed Purrfection (NZ) (Tale of the Cat), resulting in Storm Cat inbreeding that has proved successful with this successful young sire. The colt's third dam is responsible for G1 New Zealand Oaks winner and G1 Australian Oaks runner-up Boundless (NZ) (Van Nistelrooy). B-Dr D J O'Brien (Qld)

6th-NII, ¥9,680,000 ($89k), Maiden, 3yo, 1800mT
HIROSHIGE SAPPHIRE (JPN) (f, 3, Medaglia d'Oro–Al's Gal, by English Channel) is the first produce for her dam, a $35K Mike Maker claim turned Grade I winner of the 2016 E.P. Taylor S. (see below). Sold for $800K at Fasig-Tipton November a few weeks later, she remained in training into early 2017, but was retired, was covered by this sire and fetched $950K at Keeneland November that fall. Among the competition Sunday is Ho O Margaux (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), a once-raced (third) daughter of GI Ballerina S. winner Haveyougoneaway (Congrats). B-Shigeki Nishikawa

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