Sent off at 37-10, Ecoro Bloom soon cruised up to sit in third behind Yukino Royal (Jpn) (Dee Majesty {Jpn}) and Clean Air (Jpn) (Real Impact {Jpn}) before drifting back a bit to the fence while saving ground. Full of run with 600 metres left, he ranged up to within a length of the leaders, but was forced to alter course in early stretch as a hole closed. A gap opened a few strides later and Takeshi Yokoyama directed the colt through, before the duo kicked past a stubborn Yukino Royal, who lost the battle for second with Bond Girl by a head.

Third on debut over soft ground going this trip at Tokyo in October, the chestnut claimed a similar affair at that course over a firm surface in November. Making his 2024 bow, Ecoro Bloom was a close second in the G3 Nikkan Sports Sho Shinzan Kinen at Kyoto on Jan. 8.

Pedigree Notes

The winner is the 47th stakes winner for his sire, who was pensioned after breeding a handful of mares in 2023.

American threads run through the dams of both Ecoro Bloom and Bond Girl, as the former's dam, Sugar Shock, a winner of the 2014 GIII Fantasy S., was picked up for $360,000 out of the Fasig-Tipton November Sale in 2015 by Katsumi Yoshida. Stakes winner Coasted (Tizway), the 2016 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf runner-up and the dam of Saturday's runner-up, was sent to Japan after making $1.3 million at that same sale two years later, also on the bid of Yoshida.

At stud, Sugar Shock delivered the winning Admire Metis (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) as her first foal. Four more winners followed, including G3 Kisaragi NKH Sho hero Lagom (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) and Saturday's victor. After foaling the New Zealand Trophy hero, she produced a 2-year-old filly to the cover of dual Saturnalia (Jpn), a yearling full-brother to Lagom and she visited Kizuna (Jpn) last spring.

Saturday, Nakayama, Japan
NEW ZEALAND TROPHY-G2, ¥105,100,000, Nakayama, 4-6, 3yo, c/f, 1600mT, 1:34.40, gd.
1–ECORO BLOOM (JPN), 126, c, 3, Daiwa Major (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Sugar Shock (GSW-US, $475,619), by Candy Ride (Arg)
                2nd Dam: Enthusiastically, by Distorted Humor
                3rd Dam:  Unbridled Hope, by Unbridled
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. (¥84,000,000 Ylg '22
JRHAJUL). O-Masatoshi Haramura; B-Northern Farm (Jpn);
T-Yukihiro Kato; J-Takeshi Yokoyama; ¥55,120,000. Lifetime
Record: 4-2-1-1, ¥78,606,000. *1/2 to Lagom (Jpn) (Orfevre
{Jpn}), GSW-Jpn, $1,287,497. Click for the
   free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Werk Nick
   Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Bond Girl (Jpn), 121, f, 3, Daiwa Major(Jpn)–Coasted, by
Tizway. (¥210,000,000 Ylg '22 JRHAJUL). O-Susumu Fujita;
B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥22,320,000.
3–Yukino Royal (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Dee Majesty (Jpn)–Yukino
Queen (Jpn), by Taiki Shuttle. 1ST BLACK TYPE. 1ST GROUP
   BLACK TYPE. O-Motoyuki Inoue; B-Hattori Farm (Jpn);
¥14,160,000.
Margins: 3/4, HD, HF. Odds: 3.70, 2.20, 36.50.
Also Ran: Kazu Mikulase (Jpn), Dreaming Up (Jpn), Clean Air (Jpn), Aim For Ace (Jpn), Awesome Stroke (Jpn), Enya Love Faith (Jpn), Spark Richard (Jpn), Rouge Suerte (Jpn), Shines On You (Jpn), Satomino Kirari (Jpn), David Tesoro (Jpn), Bright Man (Jpn), Captaincy (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart & video.

The post One-Two For Daiwa Major In New Zealand Trophy appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Having left Japan at the age of 16 to study initially in Ireland, the young would-be jockey had just turned 22 at the time of his first victory for Richard Hannon aboard Dolphinelle (Ire), beating Eve Johnson Houghton, on her father's Corn Dolly (Ire), by a head. 

That was half a lifetime ago for Nakauchida, who, 21 years later was crowned champion trainer in Japan. A year after that he took charge of the filly who will take some beating in the race to be his horse of a lifetime. Liberty Island (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) wasn't just the best filly in Japan last year, she was the top-rated three-year-old filly in the world on a mark of 121, and she is set to head a star-studded cast on Dubai World Cup night on March 30.

Bred by Northern Farm and campaigned in the colours of Sunday Racing, she has amassed four Grade 1 victories from only seven lifetime starts. At two, Liberty Island won the GI Hanshin Juvenile Fillies before returning the following April to sail through the Fillies' Triple Crown of the Oka Sho, Yushun Himba and Shuka Sho. Only one horse could get the better of her last year, and that was the mighty Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}), to whom she finished second in the Japan Cup. Next, she will aim to emulate his international smash and grab on the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic.

Liberty Island is on course for the Dubai Sheema Classic | Scoop Dyga

We've seen plenty of Japanese trainers at the top meetings around the world over the years. Nakauchida is one who won't be calling on the excellent translating skills of Naohiro Goda or Mariko Seki as he is a fluent English speaker, having completed a thorough grounding in international racing since flying the nest at such a tender age. His list of former bosses reads like's a who's who of the Turf and includes Richard Hannon, Criquette Head and Bobby Frankel. 

“As a student I wanted to learn equine science at college or university in Europe and I decided to go to Ireland first,” says Nakauchida, who also rode out for trainer JJ Lennon in Ireland and later for Sylvester Kirk in the UK. “Then I found a course in Witney in England which specialised in Thoroughbreds. It's thanks to my parents for letting me do that.”

His parents' way of life had no doubt ignited the flame as Nakauchida was born at Shigaraki Farm, a pre-training yard run by his father Katsuzi and based close to the JRA's famous Ritto training centre where he is now based.

After eventually returning to Japan and initially assisting Mitsuru Hashida, Nakauchida started training in his own right in 2014 and, now 45, is a permanent fixture in the JRA's list of top ten trainers. Liberty Island could yet bring his name and talents to even wider prominence. 

“It's such an honour to have a horse like her,” he says. “Her racetrack record is incredible. She's just a natural in her races and she has such talent. It's a pleasure to have her in my stable.

“After the Japan Cup she had a little rest and she was actually tired after the race so it took her a little while to recover. After that she bounced back and she did quite well during the winter. She looks much stronger now and she looks like she is starting to fill out.”

Liberty Island, a product of the mating between dual Japanese Classic winner Duramente, who died woefully young at the age of just nine, and champion Australian filly Yankee Rose (Aus) (All American {Aus}), will travel to Dubai 10 days prior to what will be her 2024 debut. She follows in the footsteps of the great Japanese fillies Gentildonna (Jpn) and Almond Eye (Jpn), both of whom were crowned Horse of the Year in their native country. The Sheema Classic has been a happy hunting ground for Japanese raiders, with the fourth running in 2001 going to Stay Gold (Jpn). Since then Heart's Cry (Jpn), Gentildonna, Shahryar (Jpn) and Equinox have all joined the roll of honour. 

Liberty Island will be the red-hot favourite to bring up a third consecutive win for Japan in the mile-and-a-half contest and, should she prevail, she would become the first major international winner for her trainer. 

“Considering the international racing programme, we look throughout the year to choose which horses we can take to Dubai or Saudi or Europe, even Hong Kong and Australia. All around the world there are great races and I am always looking for an opportunity to run in them,” he says.

Nakauchida was represented in Dubai and Hong Kong last year by the Grade 1 winner Serifos (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}), and he came close in Sha Tin's G1 FWD QEII Cup with Prognosis (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who was runner-up to Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}). He also managed to call in on family when represented at Royal Ascot in 2022 by Grenadier Guards (Jpn) (Frankel {GB}), who was stabled in Newmarket with his brother-in-law Roger Varian. Nakauchida and Varian are married to the sisters Yoko and Hanako (née Sonobe) respectively.

Through his experience working for trainers in Britain, Ireland, France and America, Nakauchida has accrued vital knowledge of the aspects of different racecourses and racing styles.

“That's why I can't take anything and everything overseas,” he says. “I have to think very carefully. You cannot take light-footed horses to Europe. You have to think of the suitable track for each horse.

“We are planning to take Prognosis to Hong Kong this year again. He likes Sha Tin and performs well there. We tried to run Serifos in Dubai and Hong Kong but we didn't get the result we wanted so, this is another good example. He's good in Japan, he's well built and a muscular horse, and you'd think he would run well overseas but we tried and it didn't work. So we will concentrate on Japan for him this spring.”

In the past, Nakauchida has spoken of having to relearn about training on his return to Japan, and he outlines the differences between his overseas experience, were he recalls “every person was good to me”,  and the way he now operates back at home, where he has 20 boxes at Ritto.

“The whole system in Japan is different to any other country,” he says. “Each trainer is allocated a certain number of boxes in the training centre but you obviously have more horses than the number of stables, so we shuffle the horses around a lot, which is quite different. The racing style is different too. [The going is] like concrete here and the racing time is different, much faster than any other country. You have to jump off well, settle down, then you have to finish strong. Even the top level of races, they jump off fast and then there is no slowing down in the middle part of the race, but then you still need to quicken at the end. The races are very tough.”

On the home front this year his main Classic hopes appear to rest on Queen's Walk (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), the winner of last month's G3 Daily Hai Queen Cup, whose brother, the aforementioned Grenadier Guards, won the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity for the stable in 2020. The latter has just commenced his first covering season at Shadai Stallion Station. Their dam is the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner Wavell Avenue (Harlington).

“We are lucky to have a filly going to the Classics this year,” says Nakauchida. “She is a half-sister to Grenadier Guards, who has just become a stallion this year. We really liked him and took him to Royal Ascot. Actually it was the other way round: he took us to Royal Ascot. That's the way I look at it.”

Now it is the turn of Liberty Island to take her trainer and owners to Meydan for Dubai's biggest meeting of the year. Whether that will be her only overseas trip of 2024 is yet to be decided. 

He says, “With Liberty Island we still don't know how good she is. So we will just see how she performs in Dubai against the top international horses, then she will probably open the door for other options. It's nice to be in this position.”

The post ‘We Still Don’t Know How Good She Is’: Japan’s Triple Tiara Winner Liberty Island Heads to Dubai appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Two of the four are brand new to stud and have arrived from Britain with pretty lofty reputations, and rightly so. Both Adayar (Ire) and Hukum (Ire) are winners of the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S., while Adayar, more pertinently, is a Derby winner. Hukum also triumphed over a mile and a half at Epsom, but in the G1 Coronation Cup as a five-year-old. While that may – unfathomably – count against him in Europe, such longevity is a badge of honour in Japan, so the fact that Hukum's King George win came when he was six is yet another feather in his cap. In addition to their race records, Adayar and Hukum are sons of two of the most celebrated racehorses and successful stallions of the modern era in Frankel (GB) and Sea The Stars (Ire) respectively.

“It's going to be a big week for them and for us,” says Harry Sweeney, the Irish-born president of Darley Japan in anticipation of welcoming visitors to this week's parades. “Breeders don't make mating plans too soon here in Japan. They take their time about it. We have an open house that extends for six days. And over that period we have 600 people booked in to look at our new stallions.”

He adds, “Hukum and Adayar have been here for a little while, they came in last year. So they're well settled in and both of them are being well received.”

There was some gnashing of teeth from those followers of the sport in Europe who still value high-level middle-distance form at the departure of not just Adayar and Hukum but also another son of Frankel, the Irish Derby winner and Arc runner-up Westover (GB). He has joined the Yushun Stallion Station. 

In regard to the respective owner-breeders of these three horses – Darley, Shadwell and Juddmonte – there are of course legitimate reasons for standing them overseas when their British-based operations have each welcomed a new son of Frankel this season in Triple Time (Ire), Mostahdaf (Ire) and Chaldean (GB), and Shadwell already has Hukum's year-younger full-brother Baaeed (GB) at Beech House Stud. Still, such a power-packed trio leaving these shores all at once should be a source of consternation, even though it is not a new development. In the 1990s in particular, Japan recruited a run of Derby winners when the export of Dr Devious (Ire) was followed by Commander In Chief (GB), Lammtarra, High-Rise (Ire) and Oath (Ire). A little over a decade later another Juddmonte homebred, Workforce (GB), started his stud career in Japan. Adayar is the first to leave since 2011.

“Of course, Frankel is a world force,” says Sweeney, emphasising the appeal of Adayar, who became Charlie Appleby's second Derby winner for Godolphin, and a deserved first Classic winner for jockey Adam Kirby.  

“Interestingly, Frankel's very early success actually came in Japan from his first crop. Mozu Ascot won the Yasuda Kinen and Soul Stirring won the [Japanese] Oaks. So from Frankel's very first crop, he had two Group 1 winners in Japan, and subsequently he's had Grenadier Guards. So Frankel has had three Group 1 winners here in Japan and he needs no introduction at all.”

He continues, “Adayar and Hukum are both outcrosses to Sunday Silence and we have so much dominance of Sunday Silence in Japan that to have stallions that can be outcrossed is very welcomed by breeders. 

“Interestingly, in relation to Adayar, some breeders were explaining to me recently that, of course, the Holy Grail for Japan is to win the Arc, and it's something that Japan has gone close to doing once or twice. Someone pointed out to me that since about the last 12 Arcs have all been won by horses from the Northern Dancer line, they were going to breed Sunday Silence-line mares to a son of Galileo, like Frankel, with the hook that they might run well in Europe in addition to Japan.”

The reverse of that idea has also been seen to good effect in European Classics of late, with Coolmore's Derby and Oaks winners Auguste Rodin (Ire) and Snowfall (Jpn), as well as 2,000 Guineas winner Saxon Warrior (Jpn) all being by Deep Impact (Jpn) out of Galileo (Ire) mares. 

There has however been a growing trend, which is both mystifying and depressing, for breeders to eschew winners of the races which regularly produce some of the world's top-rated racehorses.  It will not come as a surprise to hear that in Japan, which is currently an impressively dominant force in world racing, this is not the case.

The idea of a horse coming out and winning a Group 1 race at two and then going to stud, that really couldn't happen in Japan because breeders want to see soundness, they want to see longevity

“Derby winners have kudos here, and the major races in Japan are largely middle-distance and staying races,” says Sweeney, who is now in his 35th year in the country. “Our 2,000 Guineas, the Satsuki Sho, is over 10 furlongs. So this is unlike other places in the world. A horse that is an out-and-out sprinter really has nowhere to go in Japan because there are only two Group 1 races at sprint distances in Japan in the JRA. So we want horses that are mile-and-a-half, 10-furlong horses, and that's an incentive to people to use them here in Japan. Even the great Deep Impact, the shortest distance he won over was 10 furlongs. And he won a 10-furlong race at two, that was his introduction. And he never went shorter, but was a brilliant race horse and a very good sire.”

While the wheel is turning in this part of the world, as it has already done in Australia, towards the whisking off to stud of precocious, sprint-orientated stallions, Sweeney says that there is not a desire to follow that example in Japan.

“There is no real move to change,” he says. “The idea of a horse coming out and winning a Group 1 race at two and then going to stud, that really couldn't happen in Japan because breeders want to see soundness, they want to see longevity. And I mean that's one thing that's interesting for both of these horses. Adayar won races at two, three, four and five, but actually Hukum was one step better: a winner at two, three, four, five and six. Japanese breeders appreciate that, because we need soundness.”

He adds, “Japan has a great programme for running older horses. A horse like Ushba Tesoro, for example, who won the Dubai World Cup last year, he stays in training at seven. So we like longevity, and that's one thing that the Japanese breeders will appreciate regarding these horses. They were sound and won over many seasons. There is no rush here to win a big race like the Golden Slipper, or the equivalent, and send them off to stud, absolutely not.”

While Adayar has the 'Frankel factor', Hukum has a number of attributes in addition to his race record that are likely to be of interest to breeders in his adopted country.

“We appreciate the success of Baaeed and I have noticed that a number of mares that have been imported to Japan are in foal to Baaeed, so Baaeed's star is high here,” says Sweeney. “Hukum, of the two full-brothers, was perhaps a little bit less celebrated as a racehorse, I think that would be fair to say. But there's an interesting precedent here in Japan, which has been quite topical recently, and that was between Deep Impact and his full-brother who is one year older, Black Tide. And Black Tide was less celebrated as a racehorse, but now through Kitasan Black, Equinox, Sol Oriens and Wilson Tesoro, he is making a huge impact.”

Hukum remains the property of Shadwell and we are very humbled that Sheikha Hissa has entrusted Hukum to us

Hukum's broodmare sire Kingmambo is also a name with star appeal in Japan. His son King Kamehameha (Jpn) in particular has left a lasting legacy through his own sons, such as Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) and Duramente (Jpn), and also as a broodmare sire, with his daughters crossing well with Sunday Silence-line stallions. 

“It's led to Wagnerian, who's a Derby winner, and it's also the same cross as Ushba Tesoro,” Sweeney notes. “So that's something yet again that breeders will be very conscious of, and of course, both Baaeed and Hukum come from the family of Deep Impact, so it's easy to relate to all that.”

He adds, “Hukum remains the property of Shadwell and we are very humbled that Sheikha Hissa has entrusted Hukum to us. We're looking forward, hopefully, to Sheikha Hissa coming to visit him in Japan sometime.”

The illustrious additions to the Darley Japan roster don't end there, for the operation has in the last week welcomed the arrival of two stallions from America.  The 14-year-old G1 Belmont S. and G1 Metropolitan H. winner Palace Malice, a son of Curlin, has a growing reputation in his new home country, while for Yoshida (Jpn), named in honour of his breeder Katsumi Yoshida of Northern Farm, it is essentially a homecoming. The son of Heart's Cry (Jpn) was bought as a yearling at the JRHA Select Sale for the equivalent of roughly $750,000 by John McCormack on behalf of WinStar Farm, who raced him with the China Horse Club and Head of Plains Partners. Yoshida stood his first four seasons for WinStar in Kentucky after a racing career which included victories in the GI Woodward S. on dirt and the GI Old Forester Turf Classic.

“Because he's a winner in America on turf and on dirt, we felt that he would have appeal in Japan,” says Sweeney of the 10-year-old. “He's a very attractive, correct horse and he's by Heart's Cry, who's doing very well.”

Extra encouragement is drawn from the fact that the late Heart's Cry provided the leading first-season sire in Japan last year in Suave Richard (Jpn). He is also the sire of Coolmore's St Leger winner Continuous (Jpn).

The signing of Palace Malice is looking something of a coup. Not only did his half-brother Justin Palace (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) win the G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) last year, but the former Three Chimneys resident is the sire of Japan's champion two-year-old colt of 2023, Jantar Mantar (Jpn), as well as Noble Roger, who won the GIII Nikkan Sports Sho Shinzan Kinen in January to remain unbeaten. 

“So we have two graded stakes winners by Palace Malice, both three-year-olds, both unbeaten, and both will run in the Classics,” says Sweeney. “That is exciting too. We have a very exciting line-up of stallions this year.”

Outside the walls of Darley, the situation across the Japanese breeding industry appears to be similarly rosy. Stallion fees are on the rise, and the word's top-rated horse of last year, Equinox (Jpn), retired to stand at a fee of ¥20 million (€124,000), which is a record for a first-season sire in the country. As soon as he was announced on the roster at Shadai Stallion Station, his book was full. 

“That's a big price in any market, and [his sire] Kitasan Black has gone up to that price as well,” says Sweeney. “There is no contraction here. Bloodstock sales were good last year. There is still an enormous appetite for horses. Betting turnover was up again last year, and the number of people applying for owners' licences is on the increase as well. So things are good in Japan, I have to say. It's a very good industry here and the racing aspect is well managed by the JRA, and that makes a huge difference.

“To have the leading horse in the world in Equinox and also to have the leading race in the world last year, which was the Japan Cup, Japan should be proud. Japan is proud.”

The post Longevity is Key as Adayar and Hukum Join Japan’s Stallion Ranks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The reigning Japanese Horse of the Year has never finished worse than second in eight starts, and landed the G1 Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin over 2200 metres–200 metres farther than Sunday's trip–at the end of June. Ridden by Christophe Lemaire, just like fellow Silk Racing colourbearer, Japanese Horse of the Year and dual Tenno Sho (Autumn) heroine Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) (2019/2020), the Tetsuya Kimura trainee's task will not be an easy one.

“Christophe Lemaire rode work last week and it was the usual work we do a week out,” said Kimura of his charge, who worked well at his Miho base last week. “Things were very routine. This week, the training was quite orthodox. In some ways the main concern was making sure everything went as usual amid all the attention. I don't think there's any problem with him.”

Of the 10 rivals that oppose the 8-5 favourite the greatest danger looks to be 14-5 shot Do Deuce (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), a winner of both the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity S. in 2021 and the 2022 G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby). He defeated Equinox by a neck in the latter contest, and also earned a Group 2 victory in the Kyoto Kinen in February. Part of the numerous Japanese challengers for the Dubai World Cup night, he was forced to scratch after coming up lame before the big dance, but is reportedly working well since recovering.

Said trainer Yasuo Tomomichi, “His fast work was on the hill course this week. His time was fast, but we didn't overdo it. I think he's in excellent shape. Jockey Yutaka Take rode him last week, and the horse was switched on mentally this week the same. After work, he was bothering the other horses, that's how full of energy he was. His breathing was good too. I'll leave the race strategy up to the jockey.”

The progressive Prognosis (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) holds all the ingredients to upset the big two, and the Mitsumasa Nakauchida charge was second in the Aug. 20 G2 Sapporo Kinen after taking the G2 Kinko Sho at Chukyo in March. In between those starts was another runner-up performance in the G1 QEII Cup at Sha Tin to the classy Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}).

“He won the Sapporo Kinen strongly and I could see that he had matured considerably,” said trainer Mitsumasa Nakauchida. “The ground that day wasn't the best, but still he ran well. I think he has gotten stronger both mentally and physically. Even from before the Sapporo Kinen, I'd been thinking of sending him here.

“Last week, I had Yuga Kawada ride trackwork and the horse was more switched on than I'd thought he would. So this week, an assistant breezed him and we focused on keeping the horse relaxed and well balanced. He's in really good shape.

“As expected, the lineup is a very strong one, with horses that have proven their ability, so we'll just have to see how well Prognosis can do up against them. He has no problem racing to the left, and he's raced over 2,000 meters a number of times so the distance and course are not concerns. He won handily last start and his prep has gone well, so I think he'll be able to race to his best here.”

Former Hong Kong champion jockey Joao 'Magic Man' Moreira will be on hand to pilot Group 3 winner Danon Beluga (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}). Fourth in both the 2022 G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and the Japanese Derby behind both Do Deuce and Equinox, the 4-year-old was third to the last-named horse in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) last year, and was second to Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G1 Dubai Turf on Dubai World cup night later in his career. The Noriyuki Hori-trained colt was fourth most recently in the Sapporo Kinen and his morning line odds are currently 13-1.

“It was hard before and after the Sapporo Kinen to get a reading on his condition,” said Hori. “To be honest, his fast work two weeks ago seemed slow, but from last week he started to look stronger. I don't think he's quite up to his overall best though. I think he can do better if he can show off his ability.”

Third to Equinox in the Takarazuka Kinen in June is Masahiro Miki's Justin Palace (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who prevailed in the 3200-metre G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) in April. Handed stall six, he is one to the inside of Equinox. Another Group 1 winner partaking in the Tenno Sho is Osaka Hai victor Jack d'Or (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}). He was sixth in the wake of Prognosis in the Sapporo Kinen, and departs from stall 10.

The post Equinox Primed For Tenno Sho Autumn Defence appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Rouget is a veteran of keeping his head in such situations and he was typically steady in his pre-race assessment this week. “We're not going to do anything special,” he said. “He's quite calm in the morning and while it's true that in a race, like all good horses, he's more exuberant we shall just handle it as we always do. The track is going to be fast enough so everyone will be able to find a position and I'm not really worried that there isn't going to be any pace.”

“Ace Impact, given his stride devouring-action, should relish these conditions,” Rouget added. “We can't be absolutely certain that he'll stay the trip, but the manner in which he finishes his races allied to the fact that his sire had the required stamina lend me to feel fairly optimistic. The fact that he's discovering Longchamp for the first time isn't a worry, as the colt is a straightforward ride once he settles. The race holds no particular terrors! I'm just hoping for a race run at a proper gallop.”

The Flame Still Burns…

   In the days of the old 12-furlong Prix du Jockey Club, it was Pascal Bary who held sway with five winners but surprisingly none of them managed to provide him with the Arc victory he so covets. Surprisingly, his top-class 1998 Chantilly Classic hero Dream Well (Fr) (Sadler's Wells) cut no ice that year at Longchamp while his best Jockey Club hero  Sulamani (Ire) (Hernando {Fr}) beat High Chaparral (Ire) in the 2002 Arc but failed to get past Marienbard (Ire) (Caerleon). Perhaps the fairytale victory will come during his twilight via his longstanding supporter and friend Jean-Louis Bouchard's TDN Rising Star Feed The Flame (GB) (Kingman {GB}). This lightly-raced and probably still-improving colt is tried and tested over the course and distance on similar ground and the manner of his G1 Grand Prix de Paris display lingers in the memory.

“He really likes Longchamp, because it's a track that allows him the time to produce his potential,” Bary reflected. “He's a horse that likes to take his time and at Longchamp he can do that because there's the long straight. He's a horse that can be a bit cold at the beginning of a race, but he develops throughout the race as he goes further and he showed in the Grand Prix de Paris that he accelerated really well in the final straight.”

“Having such a horse at the end of my career is something very fortunate,” the trainer added. “Jean-Louis Bouchard is very upbeat ahead of Sunday, we have a magnificent colt and are heading to the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with a chance. Obviously, we are heading there with a mix of pleasure and enthusiasm and if not this year, it will be next year! He will be an even better four-year-old.”

Japan's Long Wait To End?

Over the past two seasons, it is clear that Japan sits at the forefront of the international racing world and most would agree that it is only a matter of time before the country achieves the Arc glory it has strived for with such admirable determination and patience. While the 5-year-old mare Through Seven Seas (Jpn) (Dream Journey {Jpn}) seemed the unlikeliest of flagbearers for the nation when winning a Nakayama handicap in January, she has since used a win in the G3 Laurel R C Sho Nakayama Himba S. as a springboard to the big time.

That came when pushing the world's best Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) to a neck in Hanshin's G1 Takarazuka Kinen at a huge 55-1 and she has reportedly thrived since arriving in France. It is ironic that in a year when Equinox would have had his ideal ground to finally satiate Japan's hunger for his prize, his rider Christophe-Patrice Lemaire could still be in for the ultimate glory ride on what could be a supersub of supersubs.

Trainer Tomohito Ozeki is on the verge of history, notoriety and immortality and he knows it. “For any trainer, the Arc is a huge goal which seems somewhat removed, but it is now staring me right in the face,” he said. “Everything has gone well in her training. She has acclimatised really well to a new environment. Through Seven Seas has reached her optimum level as a five-year-old. In her younger days she showed a lot of temperament, ate little, was very thin and lacked strength. The mare was roughed off for the season after last August and she has strengthened up as a result. I believe in the mare.”

A Solid Cast…

Representing the brilliant-to-watch G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S., the race that Aidan O'Brien said was “turned into a St Leger”, are the respective monarchs of two of the most successful breeding and racing operations in the sport in Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}). While Hukum's illustrious brother Baaeed (GB) ended his career in anti-climax in the soft ground that blurred his brilliance, Shadwell's latest flame could have done with plenty of the rain that undermined his sibling in last year's G1 Champion S. Instead he has none and a very difficult wide draw, so perhaps his desire for attritional warfare will go unrequited.

Juddmonte's Westover was a respectable sixth in the sapping, deep going in this 12 months ago, but a quartet of big shows at the top level this term demonstrate what an expert job Ralph Beckett has done with a colt that could have gone the wrong way. While he has a far-from-straightforward number one draw, Rob Hornby may have in his mind what his mount did when ridden forward by Colin Keane on a sound surface in last year's G1 Irish Derby.

Just what the G1 St Leger hero Continuous (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) is capable of is a tantalising mystery and he thankfully continues the long mission to at last marry the dear old Doncaster Classic and this ultimate prize. Had the former Ballydoyle legend Alleged not encountered the rock-hard Royal filly Dunfermline (GB) in that Classic prior to winning his first Arc in 1977, this would have been a story long since concluded. However, the stark fact is that in the extensive interim period there have been many in the Continuous category who have looked as good as him coming here only to have failed by some margin.

Thankfully for Germany, their own search for an Arc winner is already a past success story and the country is now a regular and rightly-respected presence in the race. In the hero of the 154th G1 Deutsches Derby, Fantastic Moon (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}), it has another contender along with that Classic's runner-up Mr Hollywood (Ire) (Iquitos {Ger}) who remains unexposed and potentially problematic for his adversaries. Fantastic Moon seemed to beat Feed The Flame fair and square in the course-and-distance G2 Prix Niel three weeks ago, while TDN Rising Star Mr Hollywood is not far off the standard of Westover based on his battle with the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud runner-up Zagrey (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) in the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden.

Then there is the spectre of the reigning G1 Champion S. hero Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay {GB}), whose five-length dismissal of Mostahdaf (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in Sandown's G3 Brigadier Gerard S. last May was a performance consistent with what is required to win one of these. Among those who rate as “outsiders”, Sir Michael Stoute's fully-mature charge is the stand-out during an era that is favouring experience over youthful zest.

Raiders Take Aim At Beauvatier In The Lagardere…

   Sunday's action at ParisLongchamp begins with an open-looking renewal of the G1 Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, in which Philippe Allaire and Haras d'Etreham's TDN Rising Star Beauvatier (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) puts his unbeaten record on the line against the usual collection of British and Irish challengers. Stall seven is no problem, but seven overseas peers in attendance could be as he bids to show he is more than just a very effective group 3 bully.

There is no arguing with his string of precision strikes, starting with the edging out of the high-class Ramatuelle (Justify) in a Saint-Cloud showdown in May followed by an upstaging of the subsequent G3 Prix des Chenes winner Zabiari (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in Deauville's Listed Prix Roland de Chambure in July. Even his defeat of Evade (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in the course-and-distance G3 Prix la Rochette in early September stands up well, but the trouble for Yann Barberot and co. is that he has no direct line to the likes of fellow TDN Rising Star Unquestionable (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) from Ballydoyle or the still-exciting Hannon trainee Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}).

Where Rosallion is concerned, it is a question of whether the version that ran away with Ascot's Listed Pat Eddery S. turns up or the one that flopped in third in the G2 Champagne S. at Doncaster. Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's homebred grandson of his remarkable broodmare Reem Three (GB) (Mark Of Esteem {Ire}) has been done no favours drawn in 10 in a race where that really matters, so he will have to be every bit as good as he looked when dismissing the subsequent impressive winners Al Musmak (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Alyanaabi (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) and Dancing Gemini (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) on the King George card.

“It looks like it's going to be fast ground out there which will be much more to his liking,” Hannon said. “We were very disappointed at Doncaster and we hope he is going to show what he can really do. They went very slow at Doncaster and he just didn't look like the horse we saw at Ascot or we've seen at home, so hopefully we will see him in a much better light.”

One of the live outsiders is Wathnan Racing's unbeaten Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sale S. scorer Native American (Ire) (Sioux Nation) from the Richard Fahey stable responsible for Wootton Bassett who captured this in 2010 and who is the sire of three runners in this renewal. “They would be similar horses and both undefeated going there,” the trainer said. “I think Wootton Bassett had won four before going there. He was slightly more experienced, but this horse will have improved a lot now. He's going to be a better three-year-old than two-year-old, but we've been really pleased with him since the Curragh.”

Another Turn-Up Due In The Marcel Boussac?

If there is one race on the Arc card that has proven difficult for favourites, it is the G1 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac with no market leaders successful since Ballydoyle's Ballydoyle (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in 2015. Since then, there have been recorded returns of 8-1, 10-1, 25-1 and 28-1 which perhaps reflects the changing of the season and the flux in these juvenile fillies' fortunes as a result. As a rule, proven sequence winners like Newtown Anner Stud Farm's G2 May Hill S. and G3 Prestige S. winner Darnation (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) can find it hard, especially after having to travel, but with the sun shining like summer she could still have an edge despite her horror draw in 10 of 10.

Aidan O'Brien's sole favourite on the card is his representative here Opera Singer (Justify), who is unbeaten over this mile trip and who came into her own when taking The Curragh's G3 Flame of Tara S. in August. Drawn best of the main contenders in two, she carries the confidence of Ryan Moore. “This Justify half-sister to Hit It A Bomb and Brave Anna , both group one-winning juveniles, took a big step forward when winning at the Curragh last time. She looked a serious filly there and, although the likes of Darnation and Les Pavots clearly have to be respected, I reckon she has a big chance here to follow in the family footsteps,” he said.

Interestingly, the aforementioned Les Pavots (Ire) (No Nay Never) is a half-sister to a duo by Camelot (GB) that the Ballydoyle handler has recently had through his hands in Sir Dragonet (Ire) and Sir Lucan (Ire), but Haras d'Etreham and Craig Bernick's TDN Rising Star is not surprisingly more about speed and precocity than those middle-distance colts. After a string of creditable efforts over five and six furlongs, the Francis-Henri Graffard trainee is two-for-two over seven with a latest triumph in Deauville's G2 Prix du Calvados but on strict form has to improve again upped another furlong.

In general, winners of this tend to be already battle-hardened fillies, with Wuheida (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in 2016 the last to come off a debut win and succeed. That augurs badly for Albert Frassetto's highly-regarded Ribaltagaia (Blame), but what the Gianluca Bietolini-trained Lyon Parilly winner lacks in experience she more than makes up for in star potential if the manner of her performance in that 6 3/4-furlong maiden is anything to go by.

Can Blue Rose Bloom Again?

Dominant in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac on this fixture 12 months ago, Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) seemed an unstoppable force by the time she had extended her sequence in the G1 Prix de Diane in June. Now approaching the G1 Prix de l'Opera Longines, Yeguada Centurion SL's homebred has had her wings clipped to a degree with two defeats marring her otherwise admirable record. While the latter probably came as a result of insufficient stamina in the 12-furlong G1 Prix Vermeille, the prior reversal was marked by a sluggish display in the G1 Nassau S. over this 10-furlong trip.

Only fourth having been hampered in that Goodwood feature won by the more straightforward Al Husn (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), the dual Classic heroine is on a retrieval mission but Christopher Head is confident she is going to go out on a high in 2023. “I think that's pretty much going to be the end of the season for her,” he said. “She's going back to the 2,000, she's had a tremendous season and we can't wait to see her this weekend.”

With the possibility that Blue Rose Cen may fail to fire and Al Shira'aa Farms' G1 Prix Saint-Alary heroine Jannah Rose (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) being drawn in 12, this could open up. There was only a head between that Carlos Laffon-Parias-trained 3-year-old and Lumiere Rock (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) in the G2 Prix Alec Head at Deauville in August and that subsequently impressive G2 Blandford S. winner has the upper hand from stall three.

Princess Has a Question To Answer In The Abbaye…

Uncharacteristically tame defending her crown in the G1 Flying Five at The Curragh when last seen on Irish Champions Weekend, Highfield Princess (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) looks to bounce back on her first tilt at the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines. Having dodged this burn-up 12 months ago in favour of a build-up to the Breeders' Cup, John Quinn is keen to have a go this time on the back of a season which can be seen as slightly underwhelming. That may be a harsh summary given that her current campaign has yielded a win in Goodwood's G2 King George S. and three placings at this level, but then she was such a force in 2022 anything other than a repeat was always going to engender a touch of deflation.

“She's doing fine and has been well since the Curragh,” Quinn said. “I've been happy with her the last 10 days. She did a little bit of work on Tuesday morning and moved well and Jason [Hart] was happy with her. She looks well, it didn't work out at the Curragh but Sunday is a different day.”

Of her draw in stall 14, he added, “She missed the break at the Curragh and slipped coming out and at least in 14 she has a bit of space where she can manoeuvre. I was hoping to get somewhere in the middle, like 10 or 12, so I'm not going to cry over 14. This is a nice flat track, she has good form on flat tracks and we're looking forward to Sunday.”

Of the 3-year-olds, The Rogues Gallery's Listed Scarbrough S. winner Rogue Lightning (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) is dangerously progressive albeit from the widest draw in 19. Others in the mix are the Flying Five hero Moss Tucker (Ire) (Excelebration {Ire}) and Clipper Logistics' TDN Rising Star Dramatised (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}) who needs to arrest a decline having failed to fire since opening her season with an impressive win in the G2 Temple S.

Rogue Lightning's trainer Tom Clover said of the post position, “It is a bit of a graveyard draw, but he's in really good form. We're not drawn too far from Highfield Princess, so hopefully that gives us some pace and he can run a really nice race.”

Kinross Poised For Foret Defence...

The draw is all-important in the G1 Qatar Prix de la Foret, particularly when there are 14 in the line-up as is the case this year, so Marc Chan's ever-reliable TDN Rising Star Kinross (GB) (Kingman {GB}) has an immediate headstart in two as he bids for back-to-back wins in the seven-furlong contest. This has been dominated by British raiders since Make Believe (GB) prevailed for France in 2015 and one of his main rivals, the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp heroine Sauterne (Fr) (Kingman {GB}), has a nightmare scenario from stall 13. In nine is Kinross's 2022 1000 Guineas-winning compatriot Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}), who will need to go forward from there as she continues her road back.

Chan's racing manager Jamie McCalmont said of Kinross, “Knowing Frankie as long as I've known Frankie, he's not really one to become emotionally attached to horses but one thing is for sure, he really does like this horse and is fond of him. I remember last year by the time that race was run, the English crowd had got a fair few drinks in them and when they went back into the winner's enclosure the crowd were chanting 'oh Frankie Dettori'. It was pretty cool. Let's hope they are all singing again.”

The post ParisLongchamp: “The race holds no terrors.” Confident Rouget Waits for Arc Impact appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The biggest name among the Japanese horses set to run in the Derby is Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits), the runaway winner of the G2 UAE Derby. The Writers' Room's Randy Moss has made him 6-1 in his early line for the Derby. Can he win the Derby?

“I believe he's definitely one of the best 3-year-old horses on dirt in Japan,” Onikubo said. “But we don't really know because we don't have any benchmarks when it comes to comparing him to American horses. And it's a big ask, to come over and win the Kentucky Derby. We recently have had really successful results, on turf and on dirt and in the Breeders' Cup two years ago. But we haven't really had those successes previously. So it's still a big ask for Derma Sotogake. And I hope I'm wrong, but this will be really tough for him to do. There are a lot of things to overcome.”

Mandarin Hero (Jpn) (Shanghai Bobby) is next on the Japanese depth chart, but he may not get into the race because he currently does not have enough points to qualify. Nonetheless, his performance in the GI Santa Anita Derby, where he lost by just a nose to Practical Move (Practical Joke) was a big one. Mandarin Hero races in Japan at the National Association of Racing (NAR) tracks, which are considered inferior to the Japan Racing Association (JRA) tracks. So what does that say about Derma Sotogake, who, in Japan, is clearly regarded as the better horse of the two.

“It definitely was a surprising result,” Onikubo said of the Santa Anita Derby. “The JRA, that's division one, league A, and NAR is league two, division two. The primary leading trainers are basically all on the JRA circuit, and Mandarin Hero is not from JRA. He was coming from a NAR track and running in one of the best prep races for the Kentucky Derby, an international Grade I race on dirt and finished a very close second. That was a really surprising result, but it's an encouraging result as well.”

The third potential Japanese starter is Continuar (Jpn) (Drefong). He was third behind Derma Sotogake in the UAE Derby but has made the Derby field because he won a “Win and You're In” race for the Derby in Japan. Onikubo said the best thing he has going for him is his trainer, Yoshito Yahagi. Yahagi was the mastermind behind the Japanese invasion of the 2021 Breeders' Cup, where he won two races. Loves Only You (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) won the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mate Turf.  Marche Lorraine (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) won the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff.

“He's trained by the master, Yoshito Yahagi, an internationally successful trainer with the two Breeders' Cup wins,” Onikubo said. “He's also won the Saudi Cup and he won the Cox Plate, so he's a really successful trainer on international stages. He seems to know something other trainers don't know.”

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by Coolmore,https://lanesend.com/  the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders,  1/st Racing, WinStar Farm and West Point Thoroughbreds, the team of Moss, Zoe Cadman, and Bill Finley took a look back at last weekend's biggest races, including the bounce-back race by Clairiere (Curlin) in the GI Apple Blossom H., which vaulted her back to the top of the older filly and mare division. Looking ahead, the team focused on the GII Oaklawn H., with all agreeing that it has assembled a top field worthy of Grade I status.

In off-the-track news, the trio talked about the fate of Turf Paradise and delved in an interesting story in the TDN by Dan Ross that shed some light on computer assisted wagering play in California and whether it is hurting the industry or not.

Click here to listen to the audio version of this podcast or click here to watch the video version.

The post Japanese Racing Journalist Toshi Onikubo Joins The TDN Writers’ Room Podcast appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

With 26 runners on the night, it was always a given that Japan would feature prominently and, in an exhibition of excellence that we are now becoming accustomed to, they led all comers, just as they had in Riyadh last month. The performance of Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) alone was pretty dramatic, coming from tailed off to a rallying victory in the big race itself, but all else pales when compared to the extraordinary Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}).

There have been some classy winners of the Dubai Sheema Classic over the years but none has cruised over the line with such imperious ease as the 4-year-old, who was Japan's Horse of the Year in 2022. 

We may be only three months into 2023, but Equinox has quickly become almost everybody's horse of this year. His connections appear to have ruled out a bid for the Arc, with the Breeders' Cup Turf a more likely international option for later in the year. Those of us on this side of the pond can only hope they change their mind and consider Ascot in July for the King George and Queen Elizabeth S.

Once again it was a major meeting which showcased the rewards to be reaped when keeping horses in training beyond their 2- or 3-year-old seasons. Leaving aside the  UAE Derby, Equinox was the youngest winner of the night, with horses aged five, six and seven claiming two victories apiece. 

Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) were born a day apart in February 2016, and have mustered 52 runs and 19 wins between them. Both may be a little under-appreciated, though surely not by their connections, considering that the former has triumphed in exactly half of his 20 starts and accumulated almost £6.5 million in prize-money, largely through his historic hat-trick in the Dubai Turf. The well-named Broome (out of Sweepstake) has taken his connections on a merry dance from Ireland to England, France, America, Japan, Hong Kong, Qatar, and now Dubai. He has also overcome a fractured shin from  a kick by another horse after running in the Japan Cup of November 2021. Quick thinking and treatment by vet Kanichi Kusano, who is now the Japan Racing Association's representative in London, meant that Broome was able to resume racing the following May, winning the G2 Hardwicke S. on his second run back after the break, and now the G2 Dubai Gold Cup.

A chance outing on Sunday took this correspondent to the ancestral home of the original Lord North. Kirtling Tower, not far from Newmarket, is the remaining part of what was once Kirtling Hall and its vast estate across Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. A financial advisor and treasurer of sorts to Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell when it came to the dissolution of the monasteries, Lord North, who died in 1564, is entombed at Kirtling Church. Some 14 years later, his son Roger, the second Lord North, entertained Elizabeth I at Kirtling Hall.

Legend has it that the among the long list of food served to the Queen and fellow guests during their three-day stay were 2,316 pigeons, 446 quails, 221 cows' tongues, feet and udders, 110 bitterns, 99 dottrells, 96 rabbits, 67 sheep, 34 pigs, 32 swans, 28 plovers, four stags, and one crane. This was all washed down with 74 hogsheads of beer, six hogsheads of claret and six gallons of spiced wine known as hippocras. It makes the Federation of Bloodstock Agents' annual lunch seem positively abstemious. 

Saudi, Dubai, Next Stop Kentucky

It is hard to get away from Sunday Silence in the Japanese sire lists, and he featured as the paternal great grandsire of both Ushba Tesoro and Equinox. The 1989 Kentucky Derby winner also pops up on the dam's side in the third generation of the G2 UAE Derby winner Derma Sotogake (Jpn), who will now try to emulate his notable ancestor by heading to Churchill Downs on the first weekend of May.

The Shadai-bred Derma Sotogake, who was also third in the G2 Saudi Derby, is the first major international winner from the debut crop of Mind your Biscuits, who ended 2022 as the leading first-season sire in Japan. In his racing days, the 10-year-old son of Posse landed back-to-back runnings of the G1 Golden Shaheen as well as winning the GI Malibu S. at three, and he looks an inspired purchase for the Shadai Stallion Station. His pedigree appears to be a natural fit for mares from the Sunday Silence/Deep Impact line and, as a great grandson of Deputy Minister, his is a sire-line which has succeeded in Japan through French Deputy and his son Kurofune. The latter, himself a grey, features most notably as the sire of the pure white Sodashi (Jpn), winner of the 2021 G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1,000 Guineas).

Amo Racing's Season Off to a Flyer

The 2023 Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up was represented by its first winner on Saturday before the sale had even taken place. Formerly known as Lot 153 but now racing as Bucanero Fuerte (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), the full-brother to G1 Prix de l'Abbaye winner and Haras de Bouquetot sire Wooded (Ire) won Ireland's first juvenile contest of the year at the Curragh.

Bought as a yearling last August at Arqana for €165,000, he was signed for by breeze-up consignor Robson Aguiar, who presumably had plenty of involvement in the colt's preparation for his debut for owners Amo Racing and Giselle de Aguiar and trainer Adrian Murray. The same triumvirate is also involved in Lightening Army (GB), a juvenile from the first crop of Soldier's Call (GB) who has an entry at Dundalk on Friday.

By Saturday evening, Amo Racing had notched its first stakes winner in America when Crispy Cat (GB) (Ardad {Ire}), who had also been selected by Aguiar as a yearling, won the Texas Glitter S. at Gulfstream Park. A decent juvenile last term for Michael O'Callaghan, Crispy Cat won on debut and notched several black-type places, including an unlucky third in the G2 Norfolk S. He later filled the same position in the G2 Flying Childers, and he could well have a fruitful year ahead of him in the States, where is one of a team of around 30 horses for Amo Racing.

The Amo colours could also be seen in Classic action this year as among the entries for the Irish 2,000 Guineas is the G2 Beresford S. winner Crypto Force (GB) (Time Test {GB}), who has moved from O'Callaghan to the Gosdens.

Murphy Skilled in Both Spheres

Amy Murphy has made a habit of targeting French races in recent years and her approach paid dividends across the codes last week with two markedly different winners.

At Saint-Cloud on Thursday, the versatile trainer saddled the first winner for Coolmore's freshman sire Magna Grecia (Ire) when Myconian (Ire) won the Prix de Debut for Daniel Macauliffe and Anoj Don. Murphy's husband Lemos de Souza has been a key part of her training establishment from the outset and he had selected the colt for €27,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale.

For sheer emotion, however, nothing could top the trainer's second French victory of the week. Now 10, Kalashnikov (Ire) (Kalanisi {Ire}) had been an early star for Murphy and headed into the 2018 Cheltenham Festival with four wins to his credit. He was beaten just a neck when second in the G1 Supreme Novices' Hurdle and went on to become the trainer's first Grade 1 winner the following year in the Manifesto Novices' Chase at Aintree. 

Having had almost two years away from the track while recovering from a tendon injury, Kalashnikov, who races in the colours of Murphy's father Paul, returned to action on Boxing Day. On Sunday, he recorded his eighth victory in the Prix Hubert de Navailles at Auteuil, reducing his trainer, who also rides him every day, to tears.

Globetrotting Murzabayev Off the Mark for Fabre

We may struggle to spell his name correctly but be prepared to hear and see plenty more of Bauyrzhan Murzabayev, the Kazakhstan-born, four-time German champion jockey, who rode his first winner for his new boss Andre Fabre at Fontainebleau on Monday. 

Having race-ridden in both in his native country and the Czech Republic, Murzabayev was initially connected to Andreas Wohler following his move to Germany in 2017. He later joined Peter Schiergen, for whom he won last year's G1 Deutsches Derby on Sammarco (Ire) and G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern aboard Tunnes (Ger). A further breakthrough came during this winter's stint in Japan, where he partnered Dura Erede (Jpn) to land the G1 Hopeful S. among his 21 winners in the country.

Fabre initially called him up ride Mare Australis (Ire) in last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, and the 30-year-old was announced as the French trainer's retained jockey earlier this month. On Monday, Palais Du Louvre (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) became the duo's first winner. He is unlikely to be the last.

The post Seven Days: A Feast Fit For a Queen appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The 46-year-old had his final rides on the Japan Racing Association (JRA) circuit at Tokyo Racecourse earlier this month but will close the chapter on his storied career when he partners Remake (Jpn) (Lani) in the G3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint presented by Sports Boulevard and Ecoro Ares (Unified) in the G3 Saudi Derby presented by Boutique Group on Saturday.

The veteran rider will concentrate fully on his training career upon his retirement from the saddle and told fans of how that new ambition outweighed his desire to continue riding.

“I have found other things I really want to do as my job,” he said. “I never felt I did not like being a jockey. The attraction of becoming a trainer outweighed the motivation to continue my riding career because I have had enough as a jockey. As a trainer, I can be more deeply involved with horses.”

Fukunaga will retire with a spectacular list of achievements. As an established rider, he has collected 45 Grade/Group 1 wins which include 34 on the JRA circuit, six at the National Association of Racing (NAR) level and five overseas.

Those were the American Oaks on Cesario (Jpn) (Special Week {Jpn}) in 2005, three times in Hong Kong on Eishin Preston (Green Dancer) and the Dubai Duty Free on Just A Way (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) in 2014. In 2022, he won the G1 February S. on Saturday's G1 Saudi Cup entrants Cafe Pharoah (Jpn) (American Pharoah) and Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) on Geoglyph (Jpn) (Drefong), having helped Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) land the Japanese Triple Crown in 2020.

He continued, “I'd like to thank all the racing fans for supporting and cheering the horse racing in Japan, I never thought I wanted to quit as a jockey in these 27 years. I am very grateful to all the people involved in my jockey life. I will go to the next stage as a trainer, and I do hope I can train horses that many people want to cheer.”

Fukunaga added, “I want to express my gratitude to the connections for the chances to ride in Saudi Arabia for my final rides. Hopefully I can show their best runs and bring the best results to all the fans in Japan.”

The post Japanese Superstar Fukunaga To Hang Up The Saddle At Saudi Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Third choice in the field at 3-1, the Godolphin colourbearer was part of the early pace discussion and shadowed From Dusk (Bolt d'Oro) and Smooth Velvet (Jpn) (Discreet Cat) through splits of :23.50 for the quarter and :47.30 for the half mile. He remained in shouting distance of the leaders and saved every inch of ground on the bend.

Given a small nudge from Smooth Velvet to his outside entering the stretch, he recovered and charged up in between the two frontrunners to take over a quarter-mile from home. Satono Wille (Jpn) (Declaration Of War) gave chase, but Yakushima rolled across the line a three-quarter length winner. It was two lengths back to the group-placed From Dusk.

The grey was a first-out winner against newcomers at Kokura over 1200 metres last July, and placed third in the Listed Kikyo S. going this trip at Chukyo in September. Fifth in the G2 Keio Hai Nisai S. behind Obamburumai (Jpn) (Discreet Cat) and From Dusk on Nov. 5, he ended his juvenile season with a fourth in the Sports Hochi Hai Chukyo Nisai S. Warming up for this run, the colt was third in a 1200-metre 3-year-old Class 1 affair at Chukyo on Jan. 7.

A half-brother to Good Vibes (GB) (Due Diligence), who won the G3 Cornwallis S. and was third in the G2 Lowther S., Yakushima is followed by fillies by Showcasing (GB) and Due Diligence born in 2021 and 2022, respectively. The Showcasing filly went to Carmel Stud for 120,000gns at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale in 2021.

Under the second dam is the G2 Flying Childers S. runner-up Astrophysics (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}), while both G3 Ballyogan S. heroine Age Of Chivalry (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and GI Hollywood Derby second Sebastian Flyte (GB) (Observatory) are also members of the extended family.

Saturday's Result:
CROCUS S.-Listed, ¥38,300,000, Tokyo, 1-28, 3yo, 1400mT, 1:21.10, gd/fm.
1–YAKUSHIMA (GB), 123, c, 3, Havana Grey (GB)
                1st Dam: Satsuma (GB), by Compton Place (GB)
                2nd Dam: Jodrell Bank (Ire), by Observatory
                3rd Dam: Aravonia (GB), by Night Shift
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. (130,000gns Wlg '20 TATNOV).
O-Godolphin. B-Whitsbury Manor Stud (GB). T-Ryo Terashima.
J-Christophe Lemaire. ¥20,000,000. Lifetime Record: 6-2-0-2,
¥39,237,000. *1/2 to Good Vibes (GB) (Due Diligence),
GSW-Eng, $126,592.
2–Satono Wille (Jpn), 123, c, 3, Declaration Of War–Daiwa
Gelato (Jpn), by Fuji Kiseki (Jpn). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Hajime
Satomi. B-Fujiwara Farm (Jpn). T-Yuichi Shikato. ¥8,000,000.
3–From Dusk, 123, c, 3, Bolt d'Oro–Foolish Cause, by Giant's
Causeway. ($200,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $900,000 2yo '22
OBSMAR). O-Susumu Fujita. B-Springhouse Farm (KY).
T-HIdeyuki Mori. ¥5,000,000.
Margins: 3/4, 2, 3/4. Odds: 3.00, 13.90, 2.50.
Also Ran: Lord Defeat (Jpn), Smooth Velvet (Jpn), Nishino Piu Mosso (Jpn), Raifort (Jpn), Cool Moore (Jpn), Blue In Green (Jpn), Boukephalas (Jpn). Click for the chart and video.

Listed winner for @WhitsburyManor HAVANA GREY (GB) in Japan!

YAKUSHIMA (GB), bred at the stud and sold to @PacaPacaFarm for 130,000gns at the @Tattersalls1766 December Foal Sale in 2020, wins the Crocus Stakes in Tokyo.pic.twitter.com/6dYOlsUuku

— GBRI (@GBRI_UK) January 28, 2023

The post Havana Grey’s Yakushima Blooms In Tokyo’s Crocus S. appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

First job in the Thoroughbred industry?

Interning at a reproduction centre at Peterson & Smith down in Florida.

Biggest influence on your career?

My parents. Neither are in the industry, but they gave me a good foundation and the right mind set to succeed.

Favourite racehorse of all time, and why?

Tiznow. He's still the only dual winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Classic.

Who will be champion first-season sire in 2023?

Land Force.

Greatest race in the world?

G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Most of the top middle-distance international form lines intersect at ParisLongchamp.

If you could be someone else in the industry for a day who would it be, and why?

Ryan Moore. He's one of the best jockeys in the world and has a fair poker face, win, lose, or draw.

Emerging talent in the industry (human)?

Seina Imamura. She now has 50 Japan Racing Association winners to her credit, and is only the fifth Japanese jockey to accomplish that feat in her rookie year.

Horse TDN should have made a Rising Star, and didn't?

From a few years back, Tis Marvellous.

Under-the-radar stallion?

Dream Ahead, even though he's sired several winners at the highest level.

Friday night treat?

A pint of gelato and a good book.

Guilty pleasure outside racing?

I'm a big fan of The Great British Baking Show, and enjoy baking.

Race I wish I had been there for…

It was before my time, but Mill Reef's victory in the 1971 Arc. He was such a cool, little horse.

The post 12 Questions: Heather Anderson appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post