Dubai Sheema Classic Win Of Equinox Voted World Pool Moment Of The Year

The dramatic victory of the world's highest rated racehorse Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic in March has been voted the World Pool Moment of the Year. It is the second year of the award, which was given to G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and her groom Annabel Willis in 2022.

The groom of near black superstar, Tomohiro Kusunoki, is the recipient of a VIP trip to the 2024 Hong Kong Derby or the 2024 Champions Day along with three guests. Trained by Tetsuya Kimura, Equinox received 47% of the vote to defeat Group 1-winning sprinter Shaquille (GB) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) and other top-level winners Ozzmosis (Aus) (Zoustar {Aus}) and Quickthorn (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}). There were 27 individual World Pool Moment of the Day winners in 2023, with each winning groom receiving £4,000 (approx. HK$38,350), and an independent panel from the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) narrowed that down to the four finalists.

Michael Fitzsimons, executive director, wagering products of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, said, “It's a great pleasure to reveal Equinox as our 2023 World Pool Moment of the Year winner and present his groom Tomohiro Kusunoki with the winning prize of a VIP trip for four to Hong Kong next year.

“Extraordinary performances like Equinox's Dubai Sheema Classic win don't happen by chance and World Pool are proud to support the dedication and daily care provided by grooms and stable staff of these great equine athletes. We look forward to welcoming Tomohiro and his guests to Hong Kong next year.”

The post Dubai Sheema Classic Win Of Equinox Voted World Pool Moment Of The Year appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Equinox Obliterates Tokyo Course Record In Tenno Sho

There had been hints that reigning Japanese Horse of the Year Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) was not your average champion, most especially with his geared-down tour-de-force in the desert in March, but the Silk Racing Company's colourbearer was in a zip code all his own with his course-record breaking performance in defence of his G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) title at Tokyo on Sunday. He covered the 2000-metre trip over a firm Tokyo course in 1:55.20, 0.9 seconds faster than the previous record.

Carrying a rating of 129 on the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings making him the world's highest-rated racehorse since demolishing a classy international field in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan, the blaze-faced dark bay became only the third horse to win back-to-back Tenno Shos. Notable sire Symboli Kris S. (Jpn) (Kris S.) first accomplished that feat in 2002 and 2003, and he was followed by fellow Silk Racing representative and Japanese Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) in 2019 and 2020.

He defeated the closing Justin Palace (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), a half-brother to GI Belmont winner and Grade I sire Palace Malice (Curlin) and a winner of the 3200-metre G1 Tenno Sho (Spring), by 2 1/2 lengths. It was another quarter-length back to Prognosis (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in third. The latter, a winner of the G2 Sapporo Kinen in the lead up to this contest, was second to Saturday's G1 Cox Plate victor and Hong Kong's leading middle-distance horse Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup in April.

Bet down to 30 cents on the dollar, Equinox jumped well and secured an ideal tracking position in third, as Jack d'Or (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}) set out hard on the steel while tracked by Gaia Force (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}). The field was well spread out, with the frontrunner covering the first 800 metres in :46.30, 1000 metres in :57.70, and the 1200-metres in 1:09.10. It was, however, an unsustainable tempo, and Jack d'Or abruptly threw in the towel with a quarter mile to run after covering the 1600 metres in 1:32.10. Gaia Force briefly seized the advantage with a looming Equinox making his run three deep, but the grey had attended too closely to the hot pace and folded 100 metres later. Equinox steamed home with a pair of sub-12 second 200 metre splits, getting his final 400 metres in :23.10 to win as he pleased. Justin Palace made a brave run from well off the pace, but it was too little too late to catch the champ.

“First of all, I am relieved to have been able to show the world, which I know was watching how the race favorite would run, that he is indeed a deserving colt to be named the highest rated colt,” said regular rider Christophe Lemaire. “He's not exactly

what you call a horse with incredible speed but he was able to keep up with today's rapid pace and get into another gear at the end–but I was actually surprised when I realized that we had won in a record.

“He is a versatile horse that can run from any position, stay calm during the race and make use of his speed at the finish. He can also run at longer distances such as when he won the Arima Kinen, so although there was much pressure coming into such a prestigious race as race favorite, I was confident knowing what he is capable of.”

A crowd of 77,870 attended the Tenno Sho, including the Japanese Emperor Naruhito and the Empress Masako.

Never worse than second in his nine lifetime starts, Equinox was unbeaten at two with his season-ending victory in the G2 Hai Nisai S. Second in the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) in his first two outings at three, he has yet to taste defeat since October of 2022. All five of his victories beginning with last October's Tenno Sho (Autumn) have occurred at Group 1 level. After taking the 2400-metre Arima Kinen (Grand Prix) in December, the Dubai Sheema Classic went his way this March. The Takarazuka Kinen was secured narrowly in June, his final start until Sunday's stirring effort.

Pedigree Notes

The Japanese Champion 3-Year-Old Colt of 2022, Equinox is one of seven stakes winners for his Shadai Stallion Station-based sire. Kitasan Black, who was a dual Japanese Horse of the Year in 2016/2017 with seven career Group 1 wins including the 2017 Tenno Sho (Autumn), also has the G1 Satsuki Sho hero Sol Oriens (Jpn) to his credit and three other group winners.

Equinox, a half-brother to G3 Radio Nikkei Sho winner Weiss Meteor (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}), is the third foal of his dam, the G3 Mermaid S. heroine Chateau Blanche (Jpn) (King Halo {Jpn}), who also raced for Silk Racing. She has a 3-year-old filly by Just A Way (Jpn), a juvenile filly named Garza Blanca (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) and a full-sister to the winner born this year.

Out of the winning Blancherie (Jpn) (Tony Bin {Ire}), his dam is from the extended family of sires G3 Prix de la Jonchere winner Bellypha (Ire) (Lyphard), G1 Premio Ernesto Ayulo Pardo victor Run And Deliver (Danzig), and G2 Prix Eugene Adam hero Bellman (Fr) (Riverman).

Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
TENNO SHO (AUTUMN)-G1, ¥421,420,000, Tokyo, 10-29, 3yo/up, 2000mT, *1:55.20 (NCR), fm.
1–EQUINOX (JPN), 128, c, 4, by Kitasan Black (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Chateau Blanche (Jpn) (GSW-Jpn,
                                $1,096,970), by King Halo (Jpn)
                2nd Dam: Blancherie (Jpn), by Tony Bin (Ire)
                3rd Dam: Maison Blanche (Jpn), by Alleged
O-Silk Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Tetsuya Kimura;
J-Christophe Lemaire. ¥222,394,000. Lifetime Record: HotY-
Jpn, Ch. 3yo Colt-Jpn, G1SW-UAE, 9-7-2-0, $12,558,118. *1/2
to Weiss Meteor (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}), GSW-Jpn,
$820,531. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
   free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Justin Palace (Jpn), 128, c, 4, Deep Impact (Jpn)–Palace
Rumor, by Royal Anthem. (¥190,000,000 Ylg '20 JRHAJUL).
O-Masahiro Miki; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥88,684,000.
3–Prognosis (Jpn), 128, h, 5, Deep Impact (Jpn)–Velda (GB), by
Observatory. O-Shadai Race Horse; B-Shadai Farm (Jpn);
¥55,342,000.
Margins: 2HF, 1/4, HD. Odds: 0.30, 34.10, 10.40.
Also Ran: Danon Beluga (Jpn), Gaia Force (Jpn), Admire Hadar (Jpn), Do Deuce (Jpn), Echt (Jpn), Hishi Iguazu (Jpn), North Bridge (Jpn), Jack d'Or (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart & video.

 

The post Equinox Obliterates Tokyo Course Record In Tenno Sho appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

‘He Was Amazing’ — Lemaire On Kitasan Black’s Skilfing In Japanese Derby Prep

By the same sire as the stunningly dominant Japanese Horse of the Year and multiple Group 1 victor Equinox (Jpn) in Kitasan Black (Jpn), Skilfing (Jpn) appears he could be any kind with a half-length win over Hearts Concerto (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) in the G2 TV Tokyo Hai Aoba Sho at Tokyo on Saturday. The 2400-metre G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) pointer was covered in a slick 2:23.90 over firm turf.

Favoured at 3-5, the formerly two-for-three Carrot Farm colourbearer settled near the rear of the field behind fairly even splits doled out by Asakara King (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}). Improving after the first 1000 metres, the son of Rossweisse (Jpn) (Symboli Kris S) was eager to do more under Christophe Lemaire and inched closer to the front at the 600-metre mark. Spun wide on the turn, Skilfing was given his cue at the quarter-pole and began picking off foes in earnest down the lane. He engaged fellow closer Hearts Concerto inside the final furlong, but was always going better of the pair to win with something in hand. The top two finishers earned spots in the May 28 Tokyo Yushun.

“I did not want to race aggressively,” Lemaire told www.netkeiba.com. “The pace was slow and that made me worried if we could catch up to the pacemakers, but I knew he has got potential. He was amazing after the uphill section of the course.

“He is a Group 1-level horse. His growth was a bit slow compared to other horses but he has matured as he has gained more racing experience. He will be in top condition on Derby day.”

Second on debut in October facing newcomers, Skilfing broke his maiden over 2000 metres a month later at this venue and handled the step up to 2400 metres with a victory in the Feb. 5 Yurikamome Sho.

 

Pedigree Notes

Skilfing is the sixth stakes winner and fifth group winner for his Shadai Stallion Station-based sire, who is by Deep Impact's full-brother Black Tide (Jpn). Kitasan Black is also represented by G1 Satsuki Sho hero Sol Oriens (Jpn), and fellow group winners Gaia Force (Jpn) and Ravel (Jpn).

The second foal out of his dam, a three-time winner and full-sister to the multiple stakes-placed Weitblick (Jpn) (Symboli Kris S), Skilfing is followed by half-sisters by Kizuna and Satono Diamond (Jpn) born in 2021 and 2022, respectively. His dam was covered by Mikki Isle (Jpn) last spring.

The March-foaled colt is also related to G1 Yasuda Kinen victress Songline (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), Japanese/English Group 1 winner Deirdre (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}), and Japanese champion-turned-sire Logi Universe (Jpn) (Neo Universe {Jpn}).

The post ‘He Was Amazing’ — Lemaire On Kitasan Black’s Skilfing In Japanese Derby Prep appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Scintillating Equinox Smashes Sheema Classic Record

Japan's Horse of the Year Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) took a huge step towards global recognition with a dominant victory in the G1 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic, routing his nine rivals under a motionless Christophe Lemaire.

Despite being eased down towards the line, the Tetsuya Kimura-trained 4-year-old lowered the course record previously held by Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) by exactly a second to stop the clock at 2:26.65.

G1 Irish Derby winner Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}) gave chase in vain, running home best of the rest to reduce the winning margin to 3 1/2 lengths, with French-trained Zagrey (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) taking third.

Equinox had the race at his mercy almost from the off, charging to the front from gate six to bowl along with ease. As jockeys on runners in behind started to ask serious questions of their mounts, Lemaire had merely to ease his rein out an inch for the leader to increase his stride–and his lead–with no further effort required from the rider who had partnered another Japanese Horse of the Year, Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), to victory in the Dubai Turf of 2019.

“I knew he was the best horse and so I was happy to make the pace,” Lemaire said of Equinox. “I'm really happy for all of the connections. It's been a long time since I won the Sheema; the last time was with Heart's Cry, and he passed away two weeks ago. So I am very grateful for this horse; he has allowed me to pay tribute to Heart's Cry.”

He continued, “Race after race, he's going up the rankings of the horses I have ridden. It was a great, great performance against these kind of horses at the top level. I couldn't be happier.”

Tetsuya Kimura had already saddled his stable star to win the G1 Tenno Sho and G1 Arima Kinen in the last six months but even he appeared staggered by Equinox's bloodless victory. He said, “It was a tough field with some very strong horses but he's a champion and he was just the best. He got the job done and made it all look so simple.”

Ryan Moore had already secured two wins on the Dubai World Cup card but he had to settle for second on Juddmonte's Westover. The 4-year-old's trainer Ralph Beckett expressed relief after a testing time in the build-up to Saturday.

“It hasn't been easy this week–he did two laps of the training track on Tuesday when he was only meant to do one,” said Beckett. “Although he's keen you have to leave him alone. He's been beaten by a very good horse, to finish second to him is fantastic. I wouldn't rule out dropping back to 10 furlongs for an Eclipse or a Tatts Gold Cup.”

Long-shot Zagrey, who was runner-up in the G3 Dubai Millennium S. on his last start, has his trainer Yann Barberot dreaming of major targets closer to home after his third-place finish. He said, “It's fantastic. He's a proper Group 1 horse and I'm delighted. He wasn't precocious, as is the case with quite a lot of Zarak's progeny. Then he got injured at three after he was second in the Prix Eugene Adam but that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. He loves soft ground so he might be a horse for something like the Champion S. at Ascot. He's been beaten by a phenomenon.”

 

Pedigree Notes

A son of the young Shadai stallion Kitasan Black, whose sire Black Tide (Jpn) is a full-brother to Deep Impact (Jpn), Equinox is the third foal of his Group 3-winning dam Chateau Blanche (Jpn) (King Halo {Jpn}). His year-older half-brother Weiss Meteor (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) won the G3 Nikkei Sho, and the mare has a 3-year-old colt whose sire Just A Way (Jpn) won the Dubai Turf of 2014. Chateau Blanche's current 2-year-old filly is a daughter of Kizuna (Jpn), and she is due to foal a full-sibling to Equinox this season.

 

Saturday, Meydan, Dubai
LONGINES DUBAI SHEEMA CLASSIC-G1, $6,000,000, Meydan, 3-25, NH 4yo/up & SH 3yo/up, 2410mT, 2:25.65 (NCR), gd.
1–EQUINOX (JPN), 125, c, 4, by Kitasan Black (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Chateau Blanche (Jpn) (GSW-Jpn,
                                   $1,096,970), by King Halo (Jpn)
                2nd Dam: Blancherie (Jpn), by Tony Bin (Ire)
                3rd Dam: Maison Blanche (Jpn), by Alleged
O-Silk Racing Co Ltd; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Tetsuya
Kimura; J-Christophe-Patrice Lemaire. $3,480,000. Lifetime
Record: Horse of the Year & Ch. 3yo Colt-Jpn, MG1SW-
Jpn, 7-5-2-0, $9,516,220. *Half to Weiss Meteor (Jpn) (King
Kamehameha {Jpn}), GSW-Jpn, $820,531. Werk Nick Rating:
   A+++. *Triple Plus*.  Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross
   pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style
   pedigree.
2–Westover (GB), 125, c, 4, Frankel (GB)–Mirabilis, by Lear Fan.
O-Juddmonte; B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB); T-Ralph Beckett.
$1,200,000.
3–Zagrey (Fr), 125, c, 4, Zarak (Fr)–Grey Anatomy (GB), by
Slickly (Fr). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (€32,000 RNA Ylg '20
ARQSEP). O-Ecurie Altima & Gerard Augustin-Normand; B-
Ecurie Euroling (Fr); T-Yann Barberot. $600,000.
Margins: 3HF, 2 1/4, 1 1/4.
Also Ran: Mostahdaf (Ire), Shahryar (Jpn), Win Marilyn (Jpn), Rebel's Romance (Ire), Russian Emperor (Ire), Botanik (Ire), Senor Toba (Aus). VIDEO.

 

The post Scintillating Equinox Smashes Sheema Classic Record appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights