Tag: Kate Hunter

France Go de Ina Arrives at Pimlico

Japan-based GI Preakness S. contender France Go de Ina (Will Take Charge) arrived at Pimlico Race Course Saturday night. The chestnut colt, trained by Hideyuki Mori, is set to become the first horse from Japan to compete in the Preakness since Lani in 2016 and the first Japanese horse to compete in a Triple Crown race since Master Fencer ran in the 2019 GI Belmont S. He arrived in California Wednesday to quarantine, left California Saturday afternoon and made a stop in Newark, N.J. before arriving in Baltimore and Pimlico at approximately 7:45 p.m.

France Go de Ina began his career in Toyko in November. After finishing fourth in his debut, he won two consecutive races at Hanshin Racecourse to end his 2-year-old season. In his only start this year, France Go de Ina was away awkwardly before finishing sixth in the G2 UAE Derby at Meydan.

Joel Rosario will ride France Go de Ina in Saturday's Preakness.

According to Kate Hunter, Triple Crown representative for the Japan Racing Association, France Go de Ina is not expected to go to the track until Monday.

“He looked like he shipped very well. It was a long and bumpy road to get him from Japan, Dubai, Japan, Los Angeles, Newark to Pimlico, but he's in good shape,” Hunter said. “We'll know exactly how well we're going to do Saturday when he breezes on Wednesday.”

Gary and Mary West's GII Rebel S. winner Concert Tour (Street Sense) turned in a five-furlong work in 1:00.40 Sunday at Churchill Downs.

“He worked really well. He's been training really well,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “I'm happy with the way he went, so he'll definitely be going to the Preakness. Medina Spirit, we just gave him a stiff open gallop, sort of. We're happy with how he went. He came out of the race really, really well. So they'll both be going to the Preakness.”

Concert Tour suffered his first career defeat when third in the Apr. 10 GI Arkansas Derby last time out.

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Rosario To Ride Japan’s France Go de Ina In Preakness

Joel Rosario, who guided Japan's France Go de Ina (Will Take Charge) to a troubled sixth-place effort in the G2 UAE Derby when last seen Mar. 27, will retain the ride aboard the colt for the GI Preakness S. at Pimlico May 15, his agent Ron Anderson confirmed Wednesday. France Go de Ina landed at Los Angeles International Airport early Wednesday morning, the first leg of his journey to Old Hilltop for the second leg of the Triple Crown.

According to Kate Hunter, a Triple Crown recruiter who frequently accompanies Japanese horses on their international travels, the chestnut colt was quickly unloaded from his container and whisked off to the on-site USDA quarantine station, but appeared to take the trip from Japan well. Often times, foreign shippers do their quarantine in Chicago, but coronavirus-related restrictions would have added an extra stop, making that route unmanageable.

A $100,000 Keeneland September yearling, France Go de Ina was a debut fourth to Godolphin Japan's Lemon Pop (Lemon Drop Kid) on his six-furlong debut at Tokyo last November, but broke his maiden by four lengths going a mile and an eighth at Hanshin Nov. 28 and added an allowance tally over that course and trip Dec. 19. France Go de Ina had the services of Joel Rosario for the UAE Derby, but he was slowly into stride and raced far back early on. He made steady inside progress and ran on late to finish sixth, a bit more than 10 lengths behind Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) (video). Should all go according to plan, those two rivals could meet again in the GI Belmont S. June 5.

France Go de Ina will be the second Japanese-based horse to face the starter in the Preakness since 2016, when Lani (Tapit) was beaten five lengths into fifth behind Exaggerator (Curlin), having finished ninth in the GI Kentucky Derby. He was subsequently third, 1 1/2 lengths behind Creator (Tapit), in that year's GI Belmont S. Master Fencer (Jpn) (Just a Way {Jpn}) was seventh (placed sixth) in the 2019 Derby, but skipped the Preakness and was fifth, beaten under three lengths, in the GI Belmont S.

France Go de Ina is set to depart Los Angeles for Newark this Saturday, May 8, following which he will make the four-hour trip by van down Interstate 95 to Pimlico.

 

WATCH: France Go de Ina wins his maiden first time long in November

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