Tag: Lotus Land

Fan-Favourite Sodashi Lands Horror Draw For Victoria Mile

Sodashi (Jpn) (Kurofune), the world's most recognisable not to mention most talented registered white horse, has drawn the widest barrier in a field of 18 while making her 5-year-old reappearance in defence of her title in Sunday's G1 Victoria Mile at Tokyo, a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for this year's GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Santa Anita Park in California.

A two-length winner of this event last season, Sodashi was only fifth as the favourite in last August's G2 Sapporo Kinen (2000m) behind Jack d'Or (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}), Panthalassa (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) and Win Marilyn (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}), each of whom have since recorded top-level successes. A head second in the nine-furlong G2 Fuchu Himba over this course in October, the two-time champion was last seen finishing a competitive third behind Serifos (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) in the G1 Mile Championship last November. Sodashi gets a noteworthy change in the saddle Sunday.

“Jockey Damian Lane rode her two weeks ago, and he said he found her easy to ride,” said trainer Naosuke Sugai. “He has been studying all her races and I do want him to ride her as he feels is right. There are a lot of top horses in the lineup, but I want her to be able to bring out her best. Of course, I want results, but the most important thing is that she runs safely and comes out of the race well.”

 

 

 

Reining Japanese champion 3-year-old filly Stars on Earth (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) won the first two legs of last year's Japanese Filly Triple Crown, the G1 Oka Sho and G1 Yushun Himba, ahead of a luckless third behind Stunning Rose (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) in the G1 Shuka Sho. Sidelined thereafter, she flew home late and was unfortunate not to get past the aforementioned Jack d'Or in the G1 Osaka Hai on her seasonal return Apr. 2.

“She'd been coming off a layoff in her previous race, but this time, with a race behind her, I think she has improved,” said jockey Christophe Lemaire, back from his sixth-place effort in the GI Kentucky Derby last weekend. “She feels to be in perfect shape. We lost last time because we were racing from too far back. The start will be important.”

Songline (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) is back at the mile, having finished a somewhat disappointing 10th behind Bathrat Leon (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) when going for back-to-back victories in the G3 1351 Turf Sprint in Saudi Arabia Feb. 25. She improved from a well-backed fifth in this spot to cause a mild upset in last term's G1 Yasuda Kinen in her next visit to the races.

So deep is this year's renewal that Lotus Land (Point of Entry), a dual Group 3 winner and near-miss second in the 2022 G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen, is no better than a 100-1 chance. She exits a sixth in the latter event Mar. 26 when the ground at Chukyo was exceptionally testing.

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Classy Lotus Land Resumes In Japan

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. The weekend's racing is highlighted by a high-class renewal of the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) at Toyko, and with plenty of U.S.-bred activity, here are the horses of interest for Saturday running at Tokyo and Hanshin Racecourses. Sunday's runners of note will appear in Saturday's TDN:

Saturday, October 29, 2022
1st-TOK, ¥9,900,000 ($68k), Maiden, 2yo, 1600m
MODERNIZE QUEEN (f, 2, Distorted Humor–Never Grow Old, by Scat Daddy), a $180,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, is the first foal to the races for her dam, sold for $100,000 in foal to California Chrome at Keeneland November in 2018. Never Grow Old is a winning daughter of Chilean Group 1 winner Noches de Rosa (Chi) (Stagecraft {GB}), who defeated fan favorite Megahertz (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) in the 2004 GI Gamely Breeders' Cup H. when trained by Richard Mandella for Gerald Ford's Diamond A Racing Corp. Breeders' Cup-winning jockey Yuga Kawada takes the ride on the chestnut, whose lone start resulted in distant fourth-place effort over nine furlongs at Niigata Aug. 7. B-Grantley Acres (KY)

11th-HSN, Swan S.-G2, ¥113m ($772k), 3yo/up, 1400mT
LOTUS LAND (m, 5, Point of Entry–Little Miss Muffet, by Freud) kicks off her autumn preparation in this spot which connections could use as a springboard to loftier targets at home and/or abroad. Victorious in six of her 15 lifetime appearances, the bay was a winner in Group 3 company last season over a mile and has proven her versatility this season with success in the G3 Kyoto Himba S. (video, SC 7) in February at this intermediate trip ahead of a fast-closing second in the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen (1200m) (video, SC 9). She was last seen finishing 10th, but not beaten far, in the G1 Yasuda Kinen back over a mile in June and holds entries for the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile and G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint in December. A start in next month's G1 Mile Championship could also be on the cards. B-Dr Aaron Sones & Dr Naoya Yoshida (KY)

 

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Notable US-Bred Runners in Japan: Feb. 19, 2022

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 is one horse of interest for this weekend running Saturday at Hanshin Racecourse, while Sunday's program at Tokyo features the first Group 1 of the new year–the February S.–and the Listed Hyacinth S., with Kentucky Derby points on the line. Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah) defends his title in the former, while a pair of US-breds take their chance in the Hyacinth:

Saturday, February 19, 2022
11th-HSN, Kyoto Himba S.-G3, ¥72m ($626k), 4/up, f/m, 1400mT
LOTUS LAND (m, 5, Point of Entry–Little Miss Muffet, by Scat Daddy) blossomed during her 4-year-old season in 2021, winning half of her eight starts, including the Listed Yonago S. in June and an 8-1 upset of the 1600-meter G3 Sekiya Kinen in August (see below, SC 6) to surpass $1 million in career earnings. Though she was 12th when last seen in the G1 Mile Championship at Kyoto in November, she was beaten just over five lengths and there will be nothing in this field near the quality of Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who was successfully defending her title in her career swansong. B-Dr Aaron Sones & Dr Naoya Yoshida (KY)

 

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American-Bred Figure Prominently In Japanese Group Races

The summer season in Japan customarily sees that country's heaviest turf hitters awaiting major late summer and early fall, and a pair of American-bred runners should have a say in the outcome of this weekend's two major races at group level on the turf.

Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah), winner of this year's G1 February S. going a mile over the Tokyo dirt track (video) and one of 14 winners from 18 Japanese starters for his sire, switches to the grass for Sunday's $709,167 G3 Hakodate Kinen over the metric mile and a quarter at Hakodate Racecourse. The 4-year-old, bred by the late Paul Pompa, Jr., has an outstanding pedigree for the turf, as he is out of Mary's Follies (More Than Ready), a two-time graded winner on the grass, first for the late John Forbes in the 2009 GIII Boiling Springs S. and later for Pompa and Chad Brown in that year's GII Mrs. Revere S.

Mary's Follies has gone on to an outstanding career in the breeding shed, accounting for dual turf graded winner Night Prowler (Giant's Causeway) and 'TDN Rising Star' Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom), who saluted in the GII Lake Placid S. and GIII Lake George S. in 2019 before adding last year's GIII Kentucky Downs Ladies' Turf S. Following Pompa's unexpected passing last fall, Mary's Follies sold for $500,000 in foal to Curlin at Keeneland January, while Regal Glory fetched $925,000 as a racing/broodmare prospect from Peter Brant.

Leading rider Christophe Lemaire has the call on the $475,000 OBS March graduate from gate one in a field of 16.

The progressive Lotus Land (Point of Entry) has earned her way back into group competition with three facile victories in a row and should have her fair share of backers in Sunday's $683,287 G3 Toyota Sho Chukyo Kinen at Kokura Racecourse.

Bred in Kentucky by Dr. Naoya Yoshida and Dr. Aaron Sones, has finished outside the top three just once in her career, when down the field in the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in 2019, but is three-for-four in 2021, including a 1 3/4-length tally when last seen in the Listed Yonago S. going a mile at Hanshin June 19 (see below, gate 13).

One of a half-dozen females in a field of 12, Lotus Land will be ridden by Kota Fujioka in the nine-furlong test.

 

WATCH: Lotus Land winning the Listed Yonago S.

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