Namur (Jpn) | Horse Racing Free Tips

Stunning Rose (Jpn) (King Kamehmeha {Jpn}), runner-up in the G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks), thwarted Stars on Earth (Jpn)'s (Duramente {Jpn}) Triple Crown bid with a victory in third jewel of the sophomore fillies' Triple Crown in Kyoto's G1 Shuka Sho Sunday.

Breaking sharply, the third betting choice settled behind pacesetters Bright on Base (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) and Sound Vivace (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) in a two-wide fourth down the backstretch. Meanwhile, race favorite Stars of Earth missed a beat at the start and was pinched back, forcing her to work out a trip from near the back of the field in the early going. Enjoying a much smooth time of it, Stunning Rose made headway about 600 meters out, shifting out slightly for the stretch drive. Gradually overtaking the late-leading duo of Art House (Jpn) (Victoire Pisa {Jpn}) and Sound Vivace in early stretch, she collared them midstretch, edged clear and had enough in reserve to fend off the fast-charging duo of Namur (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) and the finally unencumbered Stars on Earth enroute to a 1/2-length victory.

“I am grateful to have been given the chance to ride this filly and want to thank the connections for that and having her ready for today,” said winning jockey Ryusei Sakai. “I was able to assess the filly's style the last timed I rode her and I was able to position her near [stalking] Art House during the trip. Her response at the straight was way much better than her last start and although I was aware of the horses coming strongly from

behind, I felt her power under me would carry us to the wire in front.”

Fifth in her sole start at two at Hanshin, the bay returned a winner in the Kobushi Sho in February before making it two straight in the G3 Flower Cup at Nakayama in March. Second best to Stars on Earth in May 22 Yushun Himba, she rebounded to take the G3 Shion S. Sept. 10.

Pedigree Notes
The Shuka Sho heroine is one of five winners for her dam Rosa Blanca, a half-sister to Japanese champion juvenile colt and G1 Japan Cup hero Rose Kingdom (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}). The Shuka Sho win gives Stunning Rose's sire, King Kamehameha, his 15 Group 1 winner.

Sunday, Kyoto, Japan
SHUKA SHO-G1, ¥214,800,000, Kyoto, 10-16, 3yo, f, 2000mT, 1:58.60, fm.
1–STUNNING ROSE (JPN), 121, f, 3, King Kamehameha (Jpn)
1st Dam: Rosa Blanca (Jpn), by Kurofune
2nd Dam: Rosebud (Jpn), by Sunday Silence
3rd Dam: Rose Colour (Jpn), by Shirley Heights (GB)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Sunday Racing; B-Northern Farm;
T-Tomokazu Takano; J-Ryusei Sakai; ¥113,360,000.
Lifetime Record: 10-5-2-1. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Namur (Jpn), 121, f, 3, by Harbinger (GB)–Sambre et Meuse
(Jpn), by Daiwa Major (Jpn). O-Carrot Farm; B-Northern Farm;
¥44,960,000.
3–Stars on Earth (Jpn), 121, f, 3, Duramente (Jpn)–Southern
Stars (GB), by Smart Strike. O-Shadai Race Horse; B-Shadai
Farm; ¥28,840,000.
Margins: 1/2, 1/2, 1 1/2; Odds: 7.90, 4.60, 6.30.
Also Ran: Memory Raison (Jpn), Art House (Jpn), Eglantyne (Jpn), Sound Vivace (Jpn), Storia (Jpn), Presage Lift (Jpn), Lilac (Jpn), Win Eclair (Jpn), Water Navillera (Jpn), Erika Vita (Jpn), Love Pyro (Jpn), Tagano Finale (Jpn), Bright on Base (Jpn).
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Click for the JRA chart and video.

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Billed as the “Cherry Blossom Prize”, Japan's G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) over 1600 metres is the first Japanese Classic of the season, and a full field of 18 faces the starter on Sunday.

The diminutive three-for-four Namur (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) is the likely favourite, and she enters this test on the back of a victory in the Mar. 5 G2 Tulip Sho. Her only loss was in her third start, when a close fourth after a slow break and a rough trip to Circle Of Life (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}), Lovely Your Eyes (Jpn) (Logotype {Jpn}), and Water Navillera (Jpn) (Silver State {Jpn}), in the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies on Dec. 12. As her 2022 form has shown, the bay has progressed this term, but she must overcome breaking from gate 18, the widest post in the one-mile race. “I think she has pretty much fixed her form and only rose up in front a bit,” said trainer Tomokazu Takano.

Circle of Life graduated at second asking at Nakayama in September, then reeled off wins in the G3 Artemis S. at Tokyo on Oct. 30 and at Hanshin in December. Her victory in the latter helped boost her to the title of Japan's Champion 2-Year-Old Filly for 2021. The bay was closer than normal to the pace in the Tulip Sho, where she finished third to a resurgent Namur and Pin High (Jpn) (Mikki Isle {Jpn}).

“She was a bit more high-strung than usual in this last race, but now that she's let off some gas, if she can get a nice smooth trip and make the most of her late speed, I think she has a chance to revenge the loss,” said trainer Sakae Kunieda.

Although without a win at group level, Lovely Your Eyes did place third versus colts in the G2 Keio Hai Nisai S. at Tokyo in November, and she was only a half-length off of Circle of Life in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. The Oka Sho will be her first appearance as a sophomore, and she is a member of G1 Japanese 2000 Guineas hero Logotype's first crop.

“She is refreshed now, both mentally and physically and has matured quite a bit,” said conditioner Yoichi Kuroiwa. “The jockey [Ryusei Sakai] rode her last week and liked what he felt. She is looking good. I think her weight will be up from her last start.”

The Group 1-placed Water Navillera won her first three starts at two, culminating with a victory in the G3 KBS Kyoto Sho Fantasy S. in November, defeating Namura Clair (Jpn) (Mikki Isle {Jpn}). She was third in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, but produced a game effort to be fifth in the Tulip Sho, running on without a clear run and gaining on the leaders all the way to the line.

Click here for the group field.

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