Nakayama | Horse Racing Free Tips

Duramente’s Dura Erede Ekes Out Hopeful Win

Making his fifth career start and his first in Group 1 company in Wednesday's G1 Hopeful S. at Nakayama, Dura Erede (Jpn) parlayed a close fourth-place finish last out in the G2 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai S. on Nov. 19 to claim victory at odds of 89-1 by a nose over 17-1 outsider and pacesetter Top Knife (Jpn).

The colt received a stalking trip to the outside of the frontrunner for the first mile before reaching even terms with his leading rival at the top of the stretch. After falling back briefly within the last furlong, dug in gamely in the final yards to surge past the wire in front by the narrowest of margins.

“It's the same good feeling as when I won my first G1 race in Germany–I'm very happy,” winning jockey Bauyrzhan Murzabayev said. “I couldn't tell if we won, it was so close, but my colt broke well and it was the plan to chase the pace in second so everything went well. After two close seconds last weekend, I'm so happy that I came in first in the last Grade 1 race of the year.”

Favored Mikki Cappuccino finished fifth at odds of 3-1.

Pedigree Notes:
Dura Erede is the fourth Grade 1 winner for the late stallion Duramente, who died in August of 2021 at age nine. Dura Erede is the first foal out of the unplaced Orfevre (Jpn) mare Marchesa, who is out of the Argentine MG1W Malpensa (Arg) and therefore a half to Japanese champion and MG1SW winner Satono Diamond (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

Wednesday, Nakayama, Japan
HOPEFUL S.-G1, ¥135,820,000, Nakayama, 12-28, 2yo, 2000mT, 2:01.50, fm.
1–DURA EREDE (JPN), 121, c, 2, by Duramente (Jpn)
1st Dam: Marchesa (Jpn), by Orfevre (Jpn)
2nd Dam: Malpensa (Arg), by Orpen
3rd Dam: Marsella (Arg), by Southern Halo
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (¥100,000,000 yrl '21 JRHAJUL).
O-Three H Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Manabu Ikezoe;
J-Bauyrzhan Murzabayev; ¥71,274,000. Lifetime Record:
5-2-1-0. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: A++
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Top Knife (Jpn), 121, c, 2, Declaration of War–Be Wind (Jpn),
by Spinning World. O-Koji Yasuhara; B-Kineusu Farm (Jpn);
¥28,364,000.
3–King's Reign (Jpn), 121, c, 2, Rulership (Jpn)–Touching Speech
(Jpn), by Deep Impact (Jpn). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP
BLACK TYPE. O-Sunday Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn);
¥18,1582,000.
Margins: NO, 1 1/4, NK; Odds: 89.60, 17.70, 17.20.
Also Ran: Phantom Thief (Jpn), Mikki Cappuccino (Jpn), Seven Magician (Jpn), Hearts Concerto (Jpn), Serendipity (Jpn), Sea Wiard (Jpn), J Palms (Jpn), Gruner Green (Jpn), Wurttemberg (Jpn), Born in Grande (Jpn), Jun Tsubamegaeshi (Jpn), Fate (Jpn), Gastrique (Jpn), Monde Plume (Jpn), Ska Paradise (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart & video.

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Hearts Concerto Looms a Double-Digit Danger in Hopeful

Wednesday's Hopeful S. is the last of 24 Group 1 events on the JRA circuit for 2022 and the event has attracted a wide-open group of juveniles who will try to prove their mettle over the 2000-metres.

Hearts Concerto (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) could offer value relative to what he's accomplished in his two racetrack appearances to date. The bay dismantled a group of newcomers by eight resounding lengths as the 9-10 chalk going this trip at Chukyo Sept. 18 and was the hot favourite for the nine-furlong G2 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai S. at headquarters Nov. 19. It all went wrong when he walked out of the stalls, spotting his rivals several lengths, but he closed off in a race-best :33.8 to finish a good third to the re-opposing Gastrique (Jpn) (Just a Way {Jpn}). He was trading at better than 10-1 on the JRA tote as of this writing.

“He missed the break [last time] and was left behind, and that really hurt,” said trainer Ryo Takei. “His preparation after that race has all gone smoothly. I think the extra distance is a plus and the conditions are better for him here.”

Mikki Cappuccino (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) is perfect in his two starts, each over 10 furlongs. A narrow debut winner, with future Group 3 winner Gruner Green (Jpn) (Lovely Day {Jpn}) third, at Tokyo Oct. 9, he jumped out of the ground in the final furlong and shot away to take a course-and-distance allowance by a widening 3 1/2 lengths when last seen Dec. 3. Keita Tosaki will have to work out a trip from barrier 18.

Since finishing third in an 1800-metre heat at Hakodate in July, King's Reign (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) has won back-to-back races, including a 1 1/2-length tally in a one-win class allowance over the 2000 metres at Tokyo in early November. Christophe Lemaire retains the ride.

J Palms (Jpn) (Just a Way {Jpn}) is a son of the American-bred mare Killer Graces (Congaree), making him a half-brother to last year's Hopeful hero Killer Ability (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). He got his career off on a popular and winning note in his lone career start, carrying Lemaire to a three-length victory at odds of 2-5 in a Tokyo newcomers' event Nov. 5. David Egan, who has ridden nine winners from 52 rides on his current short-term contract in Japan, takes the call for Noriyuki Hori.

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Fan-Voted Arima Kinen Lures Japan’s Star Gallopers

Sunday's G1 Arima Kinen offers fans of international racing the ultimate Christmas gift, as a field of 16–largely selected by the public–will face the starter in one of the world's most valuable Group 1 races not held in a desert environment.

Titleholder (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) was the leading votegetter and looks to atone for his speed-and-fade 11th-place effort in that boggy-ground renewal of the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp Oct. 2. He'd earned the right to contest Europe's weight-for-age championship, having defeated fellow Arc runner Deep Bond (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) in the G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) over the metric two miles in May followed by a two-length score in the G1 Takarazuka Kinen the next month. Fifth in this race last season, Titleholder looms the controlling speed and could prove tough to peg back.

“Last week, jockey Kazuo Yokoyama, who knows him best of all, rode to check his balance and how well he was communicating with the rider. Everything was fine,” said trainer Toru Kurita. “He carried himself well, with good balance, and raced solidly to the end. He is improving slowly, but surely. His muscle tone and coat are looking good and his wind was better than it had been the week before. He is also more eager to run. There are no particular points of concern.”

The flashy Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) was second in this year's G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) and most recently returned from a five-month break to post an improbable victory over loose leader Panthalassa (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) in the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) at Tokyo Oct. 30.

“At the bottom of the slope, he was so far behind the front-runner I was worried he wasn't going to make it,” admitted assistant trainer Yu Ota. “In the end, however, he moved on his own, gave it his all and was able to overtake the front-runner.”

Equinox will be looking to complete the same Tenno Sho/Arima Kinen double this year as did Efforia (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) did 12 months ago with a 3/4-length defeat of Deep Bond. But it hasn't been plain sailing since for the reigning Horse of the Year, who resumed with a slow-starting ninth in the G1 Osaka Hai at Hanshin Apr. 3 and his lone appearance since was a moderate sixth to Titleholder in the Takarazuka Kinen.

Vela Azul (Jpn) (Eishin Flash {Jpn}) was given a masterful steer from Ryan Moore to be up in the final couple of jumps in the G1 Longines Japan Cup Nov. 27 and shoots for a fourth straight victory, while Geraldina (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}) will try to follow-up on her win over recent G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase heroine Win Marilyn (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}) in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup last month. Geraldina's dam, the great Gentildonna (Jpn), swansonged victoriously in the 2014 Arima Kinen, as did the latter's legendary sire–Deep Impact (Jpn)–in 2006.

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Justify Filly Tries Two Turns on Nakayama Debut

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 Saturday running at Nakayama Racecourse. The highlight of the weekend and one of the year's main events, the G1 Arima Kinen (Grand Prix) has attracted most every top galloper in Japan. Tune in Sunday morning at 1:40 a.m. ET if still setting out the milk and cookies ahead of Santa's arrival:

6th-NKY, ¥13,400,000, Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m
JASPER TIARA (f, 2, Justify–Sweetgrass, by Street Sense) is the first foal to the races for her dam, placed no fewer than five times at the graded-stakes level for Six Column Stables and Randy Bloch and purchased by Baccari Bloodstock for $250,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. The May 3 foal, who was scratched from an intended debut in July, was one of 12 youngsters purchased by trainer Hideyuki Mori at Keeneland September last fall, hammering for $150,000. A full-sister to Jasper Tiara fetched $160,000 at this year's KEESEP sale, while Sweetgrass was sold on for $135,000 in foal to City of Light at last month's Keeneland November sale. B-Chris Baccari, Brad Stephens & Breeze Easy (KY)

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