Kyoto | Horse Racing Free Tips

Well-Bred Justify Filly Goes For Two Straight at Kyoto

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Kyoto Racecourse:

6th-KYO, ¥14,880,000 ($110k), Allowance, 3yo, 1400m
ANGE FIELD (JPN) (f, 3, Justify–Not Now Carolyn, by Tapit), purchased for ¥80 million ($745,639) as a foal at the 2020 JHRA Select Sale, got her career off on a positive note for trainer Yoshito Yahagi when taking out a 1200-meter maiden at Hanshin Mar. 12 (see below, SC 1). The chestnut's dam was a three time winner at the races of just shy of $100,000 and was hammered down to Shimokobe Farm for $140,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale before being bred to this Triple Crown winner and exported in utero. Not Now Carolyn is a daughter of Grade I winner Maryfield (Elusive Quality), winner of the inaugural Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint in 2007. B-Shimokobe Farm

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Justin Palace Grabs Group 1 Glory in Tenno Sho

Installed the second choice behind G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) defending winner Titleholder (Jpn) (Duramente (Jpn), Masahiro Miki's Justin Palace (Jpn) (Deep Impact (Jpn) followed up on a last-time out victory in the Mar. 19 G2 Hanshin Daishoten to post a comfortable victory in the 3,200 meter fixture, held for the first time at the newly-renovated Kyoto Racecourse.

“The horse was calm throughout the race and I was sure that he was going to win when we moved up behind Deep Bond entering the straight,” commented winning rider Christophe Lemaire. “He has become a super horse over long distances, so I think he will do well in races like [2,500-meter] Arima Kinen in the future.”

Breaking cleanly from the inside post, Justin Palace settled in a ground-saving midpack position before shifting out slightly rounding the second turn. Steadily closing on the front rank while two wide approaching the final turn, the half to MGISW Palace Malice gradually reeled in the late-leading Deep Bond (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), overtook his rival 300 meters out and drew clear en route to a 2-1/2-length victory. Deep Bond held off the fast-closing Silver Sonic (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) by a length to mark his third consecutive runner-up finish. Race favorite Titleholder, in the thick of things up front in the early going, lost his advantage 600 meters out and quickly dropped back thereafter and was pulled up Toru Kurita before the final corner. Found to have suffered injury to his right foreleg, the 5-year-old was scheduled to undergo an examination following the race.

A winner of a pair of starts and runner-up in the G1 Hopeful S. as a 2-year-old, the Northern Racing-bred colt was ninth in both the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and the G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) early in his 3-year-old season however, returned to take his first graded victory in the G2 Kobe Shimbun Hai in September. Third in the 3000-meter G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger), he concluded the 2022 season with a seventh in the G1 Arima Kinen in December at Nakayama.

Pedigree Notes:
With Sunday's win in the Tenno Sho, Justin Palace becomes the 59th individual Group 1 winner and the 99th Group 1-level victory for the son of Sunday Silence. The bay is out of the stakes-winning mare Palace Rumor (Royal Anthem), who is most notably responsible for GI Belmont S. and GI Met Mile winner Palace Malice (Curlin). A $1.1 million purchase by Katsumi Yoshida at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale in 2013, the Kentucky-bred mare is also the dam of millionaire and MGSP-Jpn victor Iron Barrows (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}).

Sunday, Kyoto, Japan
TENNO SHO (SPRING)-G1, ¥423,100,000, Kyoto, 4-30, 4yo/up, 3200mT, 3:16.10, sf.
1–JUSTIN PALACE (JPN), 128, c, 4, by Deep Impact (Jpn)
1st Dam: Palace Rumor (SW-US, $111,833), by Royal Anthem
2nd Dam: Whisperifyoudare, by Red Ransom
3rd Dam: Stellar Affair, by Skywalker
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (¥190,000,000 Ylg '20 JRHAJUL).
O-Masahiro Miki; B-Northern Farm; T-Haruki Sugiyama;
J-Christophe Lemaire; ¥223,570,000. Lifetime Record:
10-5-1-1, ¥434,666,000. *1/2 to Palace Malice (Curlin),
MGISW, $2,691,135; and Iron Barows (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}),
MGSP-Jpn, $1,327,637. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free
Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
2–Deep Bond (Jpn), 128, h, 6, Kizuna (Jpn)–Zephyranthes (Jpn),
by King Halo (Jpn). O-Shinji Maeda; B-Murata Farm;
¥89,020,000.
3–Silver Sonic (Jpn), 128, h, 7, Orfevre (Jpn)–Air Thule (Jpn), by
Tony Bin (Ire). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK-TYPE. O-Shadai Race
Horse; B-Shadai Farm; ¥55,510,000.
Margins: 2HF, 1, 1 1/4. Odds: 3.30, 21.50, 21.50.
Also Ran: Breakup (Jpn), Matenro Leo (Jpn), Boldog Hos (Jpn), End Roll (Jpn), Sanrei Pocket (Jpn), Diastima (Jpn), Humidor (Jpn), Ask Victor More (Jpn), Melody Lane (Jpn), Iron Barows (Jpn), Deep Monster (Jpn), Tosen Cambina (Jpn). DNF: Titleholder (Jpn), African Gold (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart and VIDEO.

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Titleholder Fortified For Tenno Sho Spring Title Defence

Hiroshi Yamada's Titleholder (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) looms large in Sunday's G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) at Kyoto. The accomplished 5-year-old entire, if he defends his crown in the 3200-metre affair, will be the sixth horse to pull off the double in consecutive years.

Successful in the 3000-metre G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) as a 3-year-old, the versatile bay added the 2022 edition of this race and the G1 Takarazuka Kinen, cutting back 1000 metres, last June. An attempt at the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in boggy ground was met with an unplaced run in October, and Titleholder was also out of the first three in the G1 Arima Kinen to end his year on Christmas Day. In rude health when romping by an imperious eight lengths in the G2 Nikkei Sho at Nakayama on Mar. 25, the morning line favourite will break from stall three under Kazuo Yokoyama.

“I had jockey Kazuo Yokoyama ride him in work last week on the 19 [of April] and he confirmed that the horse had improved following his win by eight lengths in the Nikkei Sho,” said trainer Toru Kurita. “In that race, his result may have been greatly affected by the going and the lineup. I'm not really sure what he would look like to be at peak, and that is meant in a good way as I'm not sure just what he's capable of. I do hope that he'll be able to run his own race and show us his best.”

Right next store to Titleholder is his diminutive older half-sister Melody Lane (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) in stall four for Makio Okada and trainer Naoyuki Morita. Fifth in the 2019 Kikuka Sho, she warmed up for this with an 11-place run behind Justin Palace (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the G2 Hanshin Daishoten over 3000 metres on Mar. 19. The latter, who ran third in the 2022 Kikuka Sho, is second favourite in the wagering and races for Masahiro Miki from gate one. Star Frenchman Christophe Lemaire is at the controls.

Ask Victor More (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) could give Titleholder a run for his money from barrier six, as long as he improves from his ninth-place finish in the Nikkei Sho. Trained by Yasuhito Tamura, the third-priced favourite won the 2022 Kikuka Sho over Boldog Hos (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}) and Justin Palace.

“With the Nikkei Sho as a preliminary, he is definitely sharper, both mentally and physically,” said Tamura. “His results in that race were really unfortunate and this time I've been fine tuning him and fixing anything that needed fixing.”

Titleholder isn't the only horse with a half-sibling in the field, as the long shot and multiple group-placed Iron Barows (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) is a half-brother to the aforementioned Justin Palace.

Another worthy of mention is the globetrotting G3 Red Sea Turf H. hero Silver Sonic (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}), who appeared ageless with his victory at King Abdulaziz Racetrack at the end of February. The ghostly grey will have no problem navigating the 3200-metre trip, as he claimed the 3600-metre G2 Sports Nippon Sho Stayers S. at Nakayama in December.

“His lungs are good and I don't see any fatigue from the trip abroad,” said assistant trainer Yuki Iwasaki. “He had the accident at the break in last year's Tenno Sho (Spring), but he had never had problems before. At seven years of age, I have the impression that he's even stronger than before, so I'm looking forward to things.”

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Well-Bred Malibu Moon Filly On Recovery Mission at Tokyo

In this continuing series, Alan Carasso takes a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running for the grand re-opening of Kyoto Racecourse and Tokyo Racecourses as Group 1 racing takes the week off:

Saturday, April 22, 2023
6th-TOK, ¥14,880,000 ($111k), Allowance, 3yo, 1600m
PARAIBA TOURMALINE (f, 3, Malibu Moon–Private Jet, by Private Feeling) opened her account by five smashing lengths over this course and distance Oct. 30 (see below, SC 5) a few hours before Equinox (Jpn) took out the G1 Tenno Sho, but she was a fractionally disappointing fourth when trying winners for the first time at headquarters Jan. 28. A $70,000 Keeneland September buyback turned $450,000 OBS March breezer, the bay filly is out of a full-sister to two-time Eclipse Award winner Lookin At Lucky (Smart Strike) and a half to dual graded stakes winner Kensei (Mr. Greeley) and MGSW 'TDN Rising Star' Shahama (Munnings). Christophe Lemaire will carry the silks of Kazumi Yoshida. B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY)

Sunday, April 23, 2023
1st-KYO, ¥10,480,000 ($78k), Maiden, 3yo, 1800mT
DEMI PLIE (JPN) (f, 3, Justify–Ballet Shoes {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) is the first foal from an Irish listed-winning and multiple Group 3-placed Coolmore runner who was purchased with this filly in utero by Shimokobe Farm for $800,000 at the 2019 Keeneland November Sale. From the family of former leading Japanese sire Jade Robbery, Demi Plie looks to become the ninth winner in Japan for Justify and is bred on a cross that has resulted in 20 named foals, 13 of which have started and three of which are among the stallion's 45 winners to date. B-Shimokobe Farm

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