Sodashi Sis Spectacular In Sprinters

From an aesthetic perspective, the only similarity between Sodashi (Jpn), the world's most recognizable and talented white galloper, and her year-younger full-sister Mama Cocha (Jpn) (Kurofune) is the latter's broad blaze, but they now have something else in common, namely Group 1 winner, after Mama Cocha dove across the line to narrowly best Mad Cool (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in Sunday's Sprinters S. at Nakayama Racecourse. Favoured Namura Clair (Jpn) (Mikki Isle {Jpn}) was a further length back in third.

“This filly is a completely different type of horse comparing to her famous sister, but she has good potential in her own right to become a good sprinter,” said winning jockey Yuga Kawada. “While still winless in grade-level race coming into this, I felt she had a good chance.”

The third betting choice at just under 4-1, Mama Cocha bounced away beautifully from gate six and raced fairly handy as the fleet-footed American-bred Jasper Krone (Frosted)–who defeated Mama Cocha in the Aug. 20 G3 Kitakyushu Kinen–showed the way early from T M Spada (Jpn) (Red Spada {Jpn}). Mad Cool was also forwardly placed, with Namura Clair off his flank and Mama Cocha in the three-wide line as they approached the turn. Kawada allowed his mount to roll up three wide leaving the 600-metre peg and was more or less on even terms at the top of the straight, but despite having gone the opening half-mile in :44.5, Jasper Krone was still battling hard at the fence. Mama Cocha finally got the better of that tussle, but Mad Cool emerged from between rivals and looked to perhaps nose in front in the dying strides, but was on the losing end of a tight photo. It was the second straight win in the race for trainer Yasutoshi Ikee, who saddled Gendarme (Kitten's Joy) to an upset victory 12 months ago.

Whereas Sodashi was an instant hit, securing championship honours in her first two seasons at the races, Mama Cocha had been slower to come around. Group 3-placed at age two, the filly strung together three wins in the lower grades late last year, but was found out in a pair of group efforts over the 1600 metres. She recorded her first black-type success in a 1400-metre contest at Kyoto in May and ran on well to just miss behind all-the-way winner Jasper Krone last time out.

Kawada feels there is better still to come.

“She still has a lot of room for improvement and there were moments where I had to be careful in keeping her in good rhythm while she was forced out slightly by pressure from the horses in the inside between the last two corners,” the leading rider commented. “She did respond well though when challenged at the straight and I am glad that she was able to sustain her bid to the wire to claim the win.”

Pedigree Notes:

Mama Cocha is the 20th winner at group level for the French Deputy stallion Kurofune, who also counts 2008 Sprinters heroine Sleepless Night (Jpn) among his now seven elite-level scorers. The late King Kamehameha (Jpn) has now accounted for 30 individual group winners as a broodmare, including 10 G1SWs, among them Dubai World Cup hero and GI Breeders' Cup Classic-bound Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}).

Though she never earned black-type, Mama Cocha's dam Buchiko had a cult following of her own, based mostly on her physical appearance, but she was something other than an abject failure at the races, with four wins and three minor placings from 16 starts. Buchiko's half-sister Yukichan (Jpn) (Kurofune) was a three-time listed winner on the dirt, while her half-sister Marshmallow (Jpn) (Kurofune) produced dual Group 3 winner Hayayakko (King Kamehameha {Jpn}). Shirayukihime is also the third dam of Meikei Yell (Jpn) (Mikki Isle {Jpn}), fifth in Sunday's race.

Buchiko is the dam of the white 2-year-old colt Kalpa (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}), third on Hakodate debut July 9, a yearling dark bay colt by the same sire and foaled a white Maurice filly Feb. 9.

 

 

 

Sunday, Nakayama, Japan
SPRINTERS S.-G1, ¥328,860,000, Nakayama, 10-1, 3yo/up, 1200mT, 1:08, gd/fm.
1–MAMA COCHA (JPN), 123, f, 4, by Kurofune
1st Dam: Buchiko (Jpn), by King Kamehameha (Jpn)
2nd Dam: Shirayukihime (Jpn), by Sunday Silence
3rd Dam: Wave Wind, by Topsider
1ST GROUP WIN. 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Kaneko Makoto Holdings Co Ltd; B-Kaneko Makoto Holdings Inc; T-Yasutoshi Ikee; J-Yuga Kawada; ¥173,402,000. Lifetime Record: 13-6-2-2, ¥284,449,000. *Full to Sodashi (Jpn), Ch. 2yo & 3yo Filly, MG1SW-Jpn, $5,346,186. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
2–Mad Cool (Ire), 128, c, 4, Dark Angel (Ire)–Mad About You (Ire), by Indian Ridge (Ire). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK-TYPE. (€225,000 Wlg '19 GOFNOV). O-Sunday Racing; B-Moyglare Stud Farm Ltd; ¥68,972,000.
3–Namura Clair (Jpn), 123, f, 4, Mikki Isle (Jpn)–Sun Queen, by Storm Cat. O/B-Mutsuhiro Namura; ¥43,486,000.
Margins: NO, 1, 1. Odds : 3.90, 13.00, 1.90.
Also Ran: Jasper Krone, Meikei Yell (Jpn), Win Marvel (Jpn), Aguri (Jpn), Pixie Knight (Jpn), Naran Huleg (Jpn), Kimiwa Queen (Jpn), A Shin Spotter (Jpn), Dolce More (Jpn), All at Once (Jpn), T M Spada (Jpn), Jubilee Head (Jpn), Mozu Meimei (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart.

 

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Blue Is The Colour In Japan Cup, As Euros Strike Out

The reign of 2005 G1 Japan Cup hero Alkaased (Kingmambo) will have to stand as testament as the last foreign-bred winner to claim the 2400-metre contest for another year once again, as Vela Azul (Jpn) (Eishin Flash {Jpn}), under an icy Ryan Moore steering job, prevailed for Japan. A Carrot Farm silksbearer, the 5-year-old was three-quarters of a length to the good of 2021 G1 Japanese Derby and 2022 G1 Dubai Sheema Classic victor Shahryar (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) on the line. Grand Glory (GB) (Olympic Glory {Ire}), who is bound for broodmare duty in the Land of the Rising Sun for Shadai's Teruya Yoshida, was best of the international raiders, running sixth.

Third choice at 7-2 in this Group 1 bow, Vela Azul raced in the back half of the field as Unicorn Lion (Ire) (No Nay Never) cut out steady fractions of :24 flat and :48.80. In close quarters entering the clubhouse turn, the Shiraoi Farm-bred was in a good rhythm, and held his position as he edged up to midpack. The pacesetter threw in the towel with a quarter mile remaining, as several foes loomed up with chances in the straight.

Stonewalled behind a wall of horses in upper stretch, gaps kept slamming in Moore's face, and it was not until the 200-metre mark, that a razor-thin hole appear. Just as Moore was sending Vela Azul through, that too, disappeared, and the Englishman redirected his charge back toward the inside. Miraculously a path opened 100 metres from home, and Vela Azul bulled his way through, hitting the front in the dying strides to clinch the victory. Favoured at 12-5, Shahryar, too, came from well off the pace, to master Weltreisende (Jpn) (Dream Journey {Jpn}) who had briefly anchored the vanguard and was a neck back in third. Tom Marquand was a half-length behind aboard Japanese Filly Triple Crown Winner Daring Tact (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) in fourth. 2022 G1 Grand Prix de Paris scorer Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB})'s momentum was halted 400 metres from the wire, and he also lacked racing room in deep stretch to take seventh.

“He broke OK,”said trainer Kunihiko Watanabe. “The pace was rather slow, but my horse has a good late charge and I trusted him to make a good run and. He was in good condition coming into this race but he exceeded our expectation. He is five years' old but he gets better and better and still has room for improvement. The reason for racing him on dirt early in his career was because he had leg issues [fractures] as a young colt and in order to race him with less risk he was raced on dirt. However, I did think he had an aptitude to race well on turf and it was only a matter of timing as to when to shift to turf racing.”

“I was very lucky to ride a talented horse,” said Moore, who was winning his second Japan Cup after piloting Gentildonna (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) to her second consecutive edition in 2013. “The pace was very steady for the Japan Cup. The horse never had much room, but when he did he quickened up very well so he was very impressive today. I had a good horse that got me out front and we had a nice spot–it wasn't too far off the pace and following a good horse, the horse in front was having to wait and I was having to wait [too], and when he found a bit of room he quickened up very well. I suppose for today being towards the inside wasn't a disadvantage.”

Making his first 16 starts on dirt, without a black-type race on his resume, although he did win once at three and once last term, Vela Azul became an entirely different creature switched to firm turf second up this year, running off with the Awaji Tokubetsu over 2600 metres in March. Third in both the Sunshine S. and Ryokufu S. at Nakayama in April and Tokyo in May, respectively, the 5-year-old sealed the first half of his season with an 1 3/4-length score in the June S. over course and distance on June 11. He returned on Oct. 10 to take the G2 Kyoto Daishoten from off the pace at Hanshin by 2 1/2 lengths in 2:24.30 against several of these as second favourite.

 

Pedigree Notes

Tops of a trio of stakes winners for his G1 Japanese Derby/G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn)-winning sire, Eishin Flash, Vela Azul is the son of King's Best's first scorer at Group 1 level. He becomes the fifth top-shelf victor for the French Deputy horse Kurofune as a broodmare sire.

The sixth of seven foals of racing age and one of five winners for his dual-winning dam who did her best work when breaking her maiden in the mud going 1800 metres at Hanshin at three and over a fast dirt strip at Fukushima over 1800 metres later that year, Vela Azul is by some margin the best of the septet. Vela Blanca (Jpn) (Kurofune)'s latest progeny is a yearling filly by World Ace (Jpn), and, although she was covered by Bago (Fr) later that spring, she did not produce a foal this term.

Second dam Admire Sunday (Jpn) (Sunday Silence), runner-up at listed level, did an admirable job in the paddocks with five black-type horses to her credit led by G1 Shuka Sho heroine and Japanese Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Adventura (Jpn) (Jungle Pocket {Jpn}). Adventura's full-sister, Tall Poppy (Jpn) (Jungle Pocket {Jpn}), was also a Classic winner and a champion of her generation as a juvenile. Third dam Moon Indigo (El Gran Senor), herself a half-sister to Group 1 winner Moonlight Dance (Alysheba), is a product of French champion and Group 1 winner Madelia (Fr) (Caro {Ire}), who claimed both the 1977 French 1000 Guineas and the French Oaks alongside the Prix Saint-Alary.

 

Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
JAPAN CUP-G1, ¥765,580,000, Tokyo, 11-27, 3yo/up, 2400mT, 2:23.70, fm.
1–VELA AZUL (JPN), 126, h, 5, Eishin Flash (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Vela Blanca (Jpn), by Kurofune
                2nd Dam: Admire Sunday (Jpn), by Sunday Silence
                3rd Dam: Moon Indigo, by El Gran Senor
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Carrot Farm; B-Shiraoi Farm (Jpn);
T-Kunihiko Watanabe; J-Ryan Moore. ¥403,906,000. Lifetime
Record: 22-6-4-5. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click
   for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
   free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Shahryar (Jpn), 126, c, 4, Deep Impact (Jpn)–Dubai Majesty,
by Essence of Dubai. O-Sunday Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn);
¥161,116,000.
3–Weltreisende (Jpn), 126, h, 5, Dream Journey (Jpn)–
Mandela (Ger), by Acatenango (Ger). O-Sunday Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥100,558,000.
Margins: 3/4, NK, HF. Odds: 3.50, 2.40, 8.50.
Also Ran: Daring Tact (Jpn), Danon Beluga (Jpn), Grand Glory (GB), Onesto (Ire), Karate (Jpn), Tunnes (Ger), Uberleben (Jpn), Heart's Histoire (Jpn), Shadow Diva (Jpn), Trust Kenshin (Jpn), T O Royal (Jpn), Simca Mille (Ire), Unicorn Lion (Ire), Boccherini (Jpn), Ridge Man (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart & video.

 

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Sodashi Tops Victoria Mile

Juvenile filly champion Sodashi (Jpn) (Kurofune) punched her ticket to this fall's GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf with a victory in Sunday's G1 Victoria Mile at Tokyo Racecourse. The top three finishers in Sunday's race also earned automatic berths in the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp as well as the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois.

Breaking alertly from stall 5, the fourth betting choice settled in along the inside in a close-up fourth before moving slightly outward for the stretch run. Emerging from the pack passing the 200-meter pole, the 4-year-old caught pacesetter Rosa Noir (Jpn) (Manhattan Café {Jpn}) late and drew clear to win by two lengths over the closing Fine Rouge (Jpn) (Kizuna (Jpn}). Resistencia (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) was a neck back in third, nosing out the pacesetter.

Sodashi reeled off four consecutive wins at two, capping off the season with a win in the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies while earning a championship in the process. Victorious in the G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) in her sophomore debut, the striking grey was well beaten in the Japanese Oaks at Tokyo in May but bounced back to take the G2 Sapporo Kinen later that summer. Well beaten in her final two starts of the season in the Oct. 17 G1 Shuka Sho and G1 Champion's Cup Dec. 5, she returned at four with a credible third over the course in the Feb. 20 G1 February S. last time out.

Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
VICTORIA MILE-G1, ¥253,400,000, Tokyo, 5-15, 4yo & up fillies, 1600mT, 1:32.20, firm
1–SODASHI (JPN), 121, f, 4, by Kurofune
1st Dam: Buchiko (Jpn), by King Kamehameha (Jpn)
2nd Dam: Shirayukihime (Jpn), by Sunday Silence
3rd Dam: Wave Wind, by Topsider
O-Makoto Kaneko Holdings; B-Northern Farm; T-Naosuke
Sugai; J-Hayato Yoshida; ¥133,780,000. Lifetime Record:
Ch. 2yo & 3yo Filly-Jpn, 11-7-0-1. *Full to Mama Cocha (Jpn), GSP-Jpn.
2–Fine Rouge (Jpn), 121, f, 4, Kizuna (Jpn)-Passion Rouge (Jpn),
by Boston Harbor. (¥33,000,000 wnlg '18 JRHAJUL). O-Genichi
Mutsui; B-Northern Farm; ¥53,080,000.
3–Resistencia (Jpn), 121, m, 5, Daiwa Major (Jpn)–Malacost-
umbrada (Arg), by Lizard Island. O-Carrot Farm; B- Northern
Farm; ¥33,540,000.
Margins: 4, NK, NK; Odds: 0.30, 74.20, 13.70.
Also Ran: Rosa Noir (Jpn), Songline (Jpn), Daring Tact (Jpn), Ablaze (Jpn), AkaiIto (Jpn), Shadow Diva (Jpn), Miss New York (Jpn), Divina (Jpn), Lei Papale (Jpn), Terzetto (Jpn), Andvaranaut (Jpn), Des Ailes (Jpn), Kurino Premium (Jpn), Magic Castle (Jpn), Meisho Mimosa (Jpn).
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Click for the JRA chart and video.

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Japan: All-White Sodashi Makes The Switch To Dirt In Dec. 5 Champions Cup

All-white cult horse Sodashi is set to try dirt for the first time on her next start in the Champions Cup under a change that could open more options for the Classic winner.

Having registered two G1 wins on turf, including the Oka Sho (Japanese 1,000 Guineas) in April, Japan's 'idol horse' will switch surface to contest the G1 Champions Cup at Chukyo on Dec. 5.

Trainer Naosuke Sugai is taking the route knowing she is bred from a family of dirt winners. Her sire Kurofune won the Japan Cup Dirt in 2001, and her mother Buchiko also scored all four wins in the dirt.

Sugai referred to her pedigree in announcing he would “try it once” and “keep an eye on it” with the race set be run over her ideal distance of 1,800m [9f], adding there would be more options for her if the switch proves successful.

Sodashi, also referred to as a 'unicorn', has become one of Japan's most popular horses, not just because of her rare color but on the track where she has established a record of six wins from eight starts.

She became the first officially white horse to win a G1 during an unbeaten two-year-old campaign and, in addition to winning the Oka Sho, defeated Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Loves Only You in the G2 Sapporo Kinen in September.

She suffered her two defeats in the Japan Oaks and Shuka Sho last time out when she banged her mouth on the starting gate and subsequently had a tooth removed.

This story was reprinted with permission by Horse Racing Planet. Find the original piece and more content here.

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