Notable US-Bred Runners in Japan: Dec. 11 & 12, 2021

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 Chukyo, Nakayama and Hanshin Racecourses. With the season winding down, this year's 2-year-old crop get their crack at Group 1 glory beginning with this weekend's Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. The boys get their chance in next Sunday's Asahi Hai Futurity:

Saturday, December 11, 2021
5th-CKO, ¥13,400,000 ($118k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1400m
MOZU BONHEUR (f, 2, Street Sense–Endless Chatter, by First Samurai) cost Capital Systems Co. $200K at last year's Keeneland September sale and is out of a stakes-winning and Grade I-placed half-sister to SW & G1SP Whitcliffsofdover (War Front) and to Berate (Blame), a good-looking maiden winner at Turfway Park Dec. 3. The filly's third dam is the excellent GISW Preach (Mr. Prospector), the dam of the influential Pulpit (A.P. Indy). The Curlin half-brother to Mozu Bonheur fetched $325K from Repole/St Elias at KEESEP this fall. B-Alpha Delta Stables LLC (KY)

Sunday, December, 12, 2021
6th-HSN, ¥13,830,000 ($122k), Allowance, 2yo, 1200m
CLOS DE MESNIL (f, 2, Practical Joke–Valiant Emilia {Per}, by Pegasus Wind) topped this year's OBS March sale on trainer Hideyuki Mori's $750K bid and she began to chip away at that investment with a hard-fought debut success over this course and trip Nov. 7 (see below, SC 7). She most recently set the pace in the Nov. 27 Cattleya S. at Tokyo, but dropped away in the final stages and cuts back to her winning distance for this. Clos de Mesnil hails from the female family of GII Tampa Bay Derby upsetter Helium (Ironicus). B-Teneri Farm (KY)

 

 

7th-NKY, ¥13,830,000 ($122k), Allowance, 2yo, 1800m
FIFTY CHEVY (c, 2, Tapit–Stopchargingmaria, by Tale of the Cat), an $825K KEESEP purchase, won his maiden at second asking over 1800 meters (video, SC 11) and was an allowance third going that same distance next time out before finishing fifth at 10 furlongs when last seen Sept. 25. He tries the dirt for the first time here and is a candidate to handle it, as his dam counted the 2015 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff among her three top-level scores. Stopchargingmaria was acquired by Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm for $4.4 million with this colt in utero at Fasig-Tipton November in 2018. B-Three Chimneys Farm LLC & Whisper Hill Farm LLC (KY)

 

 

12th-HSN, ¥28,600,000 ($252k), Allowance, 3yo/up, 1400m
LEMON POP (c, 3, Lemon Drop Kid–Unreachable, by Giant's Causeway) was a good-looking winner of his career debut going 6 1/2 furlongs at Tokyo last November and went missing off a strong victory in the Cattleya S. at headquarters three weeks later (video, SC 1). A $70K purchase out of the 2019 KEESEP sale, the chestnut is out of an unplaced daughter of MGSW Harpia (Danzig), a full-sister to the legendary and prolific Danehill and to the talented Eagle Eyed. B-Mr & Mrs Oliver S Tait (KY)

 

The post Notable US-Bred Runners in Japan: Dec. 11 & 12, 2021 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

American-Bred Lemon Pop Takes Derby Prep at Tokyo

The first of four races on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, the 1600-meter Cattleya S. (allowance), took place Saturday on the eve of the G1 Japan Cup at Toyko Racecourse, with US-bred Lemon Pop (Lemon Drop Kid) running his record to two wins from as many starts with a convincing victory.

The 7-5 second choice, a debut winner in a 1300-meter newcomers’ event at Tokyo Nov. 7, broke without incident and was ridden positively from gate one by Keita Tosaki to sit in the wake of pacesetting Takeru Pegasus (Jpn) (Dunkirk), favored at 4-5 off a nine-length maiden victory over Saturday’s track and distance Nov. 7. Sitting the pocket into the long Tokyo straight, Lemon Pop rolled away from the fence to come after the front-runner and wore that one down to take it by a cozy 1 1/2 lengths (see below). It was a gap of 10 lengths back to Plus Ultra (Jpn) (Discreet Cat) in third.

Lemon Pop races for Godolphin and was purchased on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed’s operation by Harry Sweeney’s Paca Paca Farm for $70,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September sale out of Padraig Campion’s Blandford Stud consignment. The chestnut was bred by Olly Tait, who served as chief operating officer of Darley for 15 years prior to his departure in 2014, and his wife Amber.

Lemon Pop was produced by Unreachable (Giant’s Causeway), an unraced daughter of five-time GSW Harpia (Danzig), a full-sister to the legendary Danehill, MGSW Shibboleth and GSW Eagle Eyed. Another full-sister to Harpia–Family–bred European GSW, Hong Kong SW and UAE Group 3-placed Dundonnell (First Defence).

The Cattleya Sho offered Derby points on a 10-4-2-1 scale. The second leg of the series is the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun (1600m) at Kawasaki Dec. 16, followed by the Listed Hyacinth S. back at Tokyo in February and the Fukuryu S. (allowance) at Nakayama.

WATCH: Lemon Pop (1) wins the Cattleya S. (allowance) at Tokyo

The post American-Bred Lemon Pop Takes Derby Prep at Tokyo appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Notable US-Bred Runners in Japan: Nov. 28 & 29, 2020

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 Hanshin and Tokyo Racecourses. Headquarters plays host to a G1 Japan Cup for the ages with Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) against undefeated Triple Crown winners Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Daring Tact (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) Sunday, and the first race on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, the Cattleya S. (allowance), Saturday:

Saturday, November 28, 2020
1st-HSN, ¥9,680,000 ($93k), Maiden, 2yo, 1800m
FRANCE GO DE INA (c, 2, Will Take Charge–Dreamy Blues, by Curlin) stretches out to a route of ground for the first time, having debuted with a sound fourth-place effort behind Lemon Pop (Lemon Drop Kid, see below) in a newcomers’ event over 1300 meters at this venue Nov. 7 (gate 14). A $100K Keeneland September purchase, the Mar. 1 foal is out of a half-sister to GSW Shawklit Mint (Air Forbes Won), while MGSW Crafty Shaw (Crafty Prospector) appears under his third dam. B-Betz, Kidder, B & K Canetti, Jim Betz (KY)

9th-TOK, Cattleya S. (Alw), ¥30,400,000 ($291k), 3yo, 1600m
LEMON POP (c, 2, Lemon Drop Kid–Unreachable, by Giant’s Causeway) looks to build on a three-length debut success in the aforementioned newcomers’ test going three-sixteenths of a mile shorter three weekends ago (see below, gate 10) in this first of four races on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby. The Godolphin colorbearer, a $70K acquisition out of last year’s KEESEP sale, was produced by an unraced daughter of five-time GSW Harpia (Danzig), a full-sister to the legendary Danehill, MGSW Shibboleth and GSW Eagle Eyed. Another full-sister to Harpia–Family–bred European GSW, Hong Kong SW and UAE Group 3-placed Dundonnell (First Defence). B-Mr & Mrs Oliver S Tait (KY)

 

 

Sunday, November 29, 2020
6th-HSN, ¥13,400,000 ($128k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1400mT
PREFERRED RUN (f, 2, Mshawish–Little Miss Muffet, by Scat Daddy) is set to become the fourth foal to race from her dam, a half-sister to MSP Emma Darling (Hennessy) who has also accounted for connections’ Lotus Land (Point of Entry), a debut winner at two who ran future G1SW Lauda Sion (Jpn) (Real Impact {Jpn}) to a neck in her second career start and just missed when last seen on the track in May. This is the extended female family of US champion juvenile colt Brocco (Kris S.). B-Winchester Farm

The post Notable US-Bred Runners in Japan: Nov. 28 & 29, 2020 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights