In a dramatic finish to Sunday's G1 Champions Cup at Chukyo, Jun Light Bolt (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) collared G2 UAE Derby hero Crown Pride (Jpn) (Reach The Crown {Jpn}) by a neck just before the wire.
Sent off at 6-1 in this 1800-metre contest, the 5-year-old entire settled one off the rail in midpack as Red Soldado (Jpn) (Majestic Warrior) dashed to the front. That rival, setting an uncontested pace, got away with middling fractions on the backstretch, with the first 1000 metres covered in 1:02.40. As a result, the field was keeping closer order and racing room was at a premium as they approached the far turn.
Still on the engine 400 metres from home, Red Soldado was facing a stiff challenge from Crown Pride to his outside. Jun Light Bolt, meanwhile, was within striking distance, and was asked by pilot Yukito Ishikawa shortly after the quarter pole. Rumbling home ominously well, the dark bay set his sights on new leader Crown Pride, as 1-2 favourite T O Keynes (Jpn) (Sinister Minister) was winding up to his inside. The Yasuo Tomomichi runner hit a superior gear however, and thrust his neck in front three jumps from the line. The stalking Hapi (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) was 1 1/4 lengths back in third, another neck behind T O Keynes, who had covered extra ground in the race.
“I can't find any other word to describe this other than 'happy',” said Ishikawa, who was winning his first Group 1 race in Japan. “I tried to feel the horse's rhythm and was confident that if we can find an open space after entering the lane, he would burst out. The colt responded so well that I knew we could win. Though I have yet to feel my first Group 1 win, I would like to savor this joy from now on.”
Although a four-time winner and listed-placed over the turf, the Northern Farm-bred reinvented himself when trying the dirt for the first time in July, running second in the Listed July S. at Fukushima. He earned his first black-type score outright in the Listed BSN Sho at Niigata in August, and continued his upward trajectory with a three-quarter-length score in the G3 Sirius S. going 1900 metres over this strip on Oct. 1.
Pedigree Notes
The deceased King Kamehameha has left 94 stakes winners and 65 group winners, with Jun Light Bolt his 15th at the highest level. Four of his stakes winners are out of Special Week (Jpn) mares, including G1 Asahi Hai Tuturity S. victor Leontes (Jpn), and G3 Falcon S. scorer Tagano Grandpa (Jpn), besides Sunday's winner.
Despite never finding the winner's circle, Special Groove (Jpn) (Special Week {Jpn}) has done the job as a broodmare, with a pair of stakes winners among her quintet of scorers to show from six runners of racing age. Jun Light Bolt's year-older half brother Groove It (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {GB}) won at Group 3 level in Japan, and his juvenile half-sister Pure Groove (Jpn) (Drefong) has plenty of time to build on her first two starts. Special Groove foaled colts by Drefong and Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Third dam Air Groove (Jpn) (Tony Bin {Ire}) was named Japanese Horse of the Year in 1997, and at stud she left fellow Japanese champion Admire Groove (Jpn) (Sunday Silence), herself the dam of Japanese Champion 3-Year-Old Colt and late sire Duramente (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}). Another of Air Groove's progeny is Shadai stallion Rulership (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}), who won the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup.
Sunday, Chukyo, Japan
CHAMPIONS CUP-G1, ¥232,920,000, Chukyo, 12-4, 3yo/up, 1800m, 1:51.90, gd.
1–JUN LIGHT BOLT (JPN), 126, h, 5, by King Kamehameha (Jpn)
1st Dam: Special Groove (Jpn), by Special Week (Jpn)
2nd Dam: Sonic Groove (Jpn), by French Deputy
3rd Dam: Air Groove (Jpn), by Tony Bin (Ire)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (¥120,000,000 Ylg '18 JRHAJUL). O-Junji
Kawai; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Yasuo Tomomichi; J-Yukito
Ishikawa; ¥123,444,000. Lifetime Record: 25-7-5-2. *1/2 to
Groove It (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), GSW-Jpn, $969,081. Click
for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Werk
Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Crown Pride (Jpn), 121, c, 3, Reach the Crown (Jpn)–Emmy's
Pride(Jpn), by King Kamehameha (Jpn). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK
TYPE. O-Teruya Yoshida; B-Shadai Farm (Jpn); ¥48,984,000.
3–Hapi (Jpn), 123, c, 3, Kizuna (Jpn)–Queen Pirates (Jpn), by
King Kamehameha (Jpn). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. O-Toshio
Terada; B-North Hills (Jpn); ¥30,492,000.
Margins: NK, 1 1/4, NK. Odds: 6.90, 13.30, 14.90.
Also Ran: T O Keynes (Jpn), Shamal (Jpn), Sunrise Hope (Jpn), Smashing Hearts (Jpn), Notturno (Jpn), Auvergne (Jpn), Tagano Beauty (Jpn), Red Galant (Jpn), Gloria Mundi (Jpn), Sakura Allure (Jpn), Badenweiler (Jpn), Sunrise Nova (Jpn), Red Soldado (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart & video.
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